“There are obvious things about Shetland that take me back and make me feel very connected to the landscape and wildlife, because it’s not full of towns, full of roads. It feels very much that it's not controlled by humans, it's controlled by something else - an altogether wilder and more authentic place to be."
Renowned broadcaster and wildlife enthusiast Kate Humble has been a regular visitor to Shetland for almost two decades.
She first visited in around 2005 and has returned very frequently ever since for a mixture of reasons, including making programmes, croft-sitting, book research and leading nature tours.
Having been a fixture on the small screen since the early 1990s, presenting shows ranging from Top Gear and Tomorrow’s World to wildlife programmes including Animal Park, Springwatch and Autumnwatch, Kate is a TV personality famous enough to be recognised wherever she goes.
She remains refreshingly ego-free and remarkably down to earth, mingling freely and warmly with the local population and feeling very much at home whenever she ventures north.
Nothing seems to be too much trouble. It makes you realise there is nowhere else in the UK like it. Instead of the default being ‘no’, the default is ‘let’s see if we can make that happen’.
“One of the joys of coming back is that you then start to understand what it is that really is special about Shetland, and the thing that really, makes it is the warmth and hospitality of the people here, and a real can-do attitude,” she says.
“Nothing seems to be too much trouble. It makes you realise there is nowhere else in the UK like it. Instead of the default being ‘no’, the default is ‘let’s see if we can make that happen’.”
A week-long filming trip in May 2023 took Kate everywhere from Sumburgh Head to Hermaness with many stops in between.
Hermaness already ranked among the most inspirational and emotionally affecting places where Kate has encountered wildlife: no small praise from a woman whose TV career has covered great swathes of the African and Asian continents.
“The first time I saw the gannet colony at Hermaness it brought me to tears, because it is just so spectacular,” she says. “You never forget. I saw four white-tailed eagles all at once, being mobbed by bonxies, at Hermaness as well.”
Her 2023 trip saw Kate recording interviews with a host of nature, wildlife and heritage specialists ranging from Douglas Coutts, the man who found the St Ninian’s Isle treasure as a schoolboy back in 1958, to Jane Macaulay, an Unst community stalwart who co-runs the Wild Skies tour company and whose son Bobby was the first to decorate Unst’s now famous bus shelter.
Kate was also enthused by learning and speaking to those in Shetland’s South Mainland about how fertile land and working crofts and farms nestle alongside ancient geology and some of Europe’s best-preserved Iron Age archaeology.
Another highlight of her trips to the islands down the years, Kate says, was spending time with the ‘Boggy Lass’, aka Sue White, who is working on Shetland Amenity Trust’s peatland restoration project.
“She’s going out and planting sphagnum moss – I never knew it could be so fun to be up to your knees in brown, peaty water, but the feeling that you might be able to contribute to the future beauty of these islands, and their part in protecting the wider planet, is very exciting!”
And, while Shetland’s vibrant economy makes it anything but a backwater relic, Kate loves the fact that there are plenty of places where you can momentarily leave the trappings of modernity behind.
“I love the music, I love that there’s wonderful food in Shetland, but it is the atmosphere and the attitude that is refreshingly different from everywhere else. Combine that with the landscape and the wildlife and the beautiful walking, and you think ‘why the hell would you ever go anywhere else?’
“You still have this sense of it being wild, and instead of fighting to see a view without a building or without a pylon, it’s the other way around. That feeling of wildness and emptiness, and it does have a sort of exotic ‘end of the world’ feel about it as well.
“There’s something quite fairytale about living in Shetland, because of its islands ... the weather changes all the time, and so it’s an incredibly atmospheric place where you never get bored. If you don’t like rain, wait five minutes and you’ll get something else!”
The joy of seeing all manner of creatures, from otters and orcas to an almost boundless array of birds, is augmented by an accessibility that means you don’t have to be a seasoned expert to enjoy a rewarding and meaningful wildlife experience.
“Because it’s in such an extraordinary setting, it is a really compelling destination for people who love the idea of seeing wildlife without the need for them to be experts,” Kate says. “They can come here and if it’s the right time of year see puffins, gannets, guillemots, beautiful red-throated divers, kittiwakes… you can see them all without too much effort.
“If that is your introduction to birdwatching it is about as good as it gets.”
She adds: “I love the music, I love that there’s wonderful food in Shetland, but it is the atmosphere and the attitude that is refreshingly different from everywhere else. Combine that with the landscape and the wildlife and the beautiful walking, and you think ‘why the hell would you ever go anywhere else?’”
Why indeed? Start planning your next visit to Shetland today.
Now you know why Kate Humble loves Shetland's wild beauty, spectacular landscapes, and deep-rooted identity. And you won't want to miss our film where she travels from Sumburgh Head in Shetland's South Mainland to the northernmost tip of Unst.
Kate experiences moments of magnificent wildlife encounters, touches on thousands of years of history, and walks among millions of years of geology.
You can see it all in just 30 minutes. Settle down and watch the film now.