Shetland's dramatic and fascinating geology and the amazing wildlife that it attracts inspired Christian Lewis and Kate Barron. Read on to discover why Chris chose to focus on geology for the second episode in the Wilderness Family's documentary series.
Shetland’s landscape is a breathtaking collision of wild nature and fascinating geology – without a doubt one of the most extraordinary places I’ve ever explored.
This archipelago never fails to stir an amazing sense of awe, freedom and space inside me. With towering cliffs that plunge into crashing waves, quiet moorlands teeming with birds, and the ever-present wind shaping the landscape, Shetland is nature in its rawest and most beautiful form.
What truly sets Shetland apart is its unique geological story. These 100 islands sit on the edge of two ancient continents, meaning you can quite literally walk across hundreds of millions of years of Earth's history in a single day.
Despite making up just 0.6% of the UK’s land mass, Shetland holds the richest and most diverse geology of any comparable area in Britain. Ophiolites (remnants of oceanic crust thrust onto land), ancient gneiss and volcanic rocks, amongst much more, reveal a dramatic story of continental collisions, arid deserts, prehistoric lakes and billions of years of erosion by ice, wind and waves. It’s no wonder Shetland has been designated a UNESCO Global Geopark.
With towering cliffs that plunge into crashing waves, quiet moorlands teeming with birds, and the ever-present wind shaping the landscape, Shetland is nature in its rawest and most beautiful form.
In this episode, we kayaked along part of Shetland’s east coast – huge thanks to Jason from Sea Kayak Shetland – exploring towering sea cliffs alive with birds and gaining a perspective on geological formations only visible from the water.
We also spent a week on the extraordinary outer isle of Papa Stour, off the west coast, where the Atlantic has sculpted a coastline unlike any we’ve seen. Cliffs, stacks, arches, blowholes and collapsed sea caves made every hike and cycle ride jaw-dropping.
Thanks to local, Derek, who lent us his kayak, Kate and I took turns kayaking around the island’s sea stacks and caves, paddling through a birdwatcher’s paradise. Nature here feels so vast and alive and I’m so glad I got to show Magnus and Kate this special place in the sunshine so they could really enjoy it at its best.
We also got to see the incredible gannet colony that dominates the sheer cliff face on the uninhabited isle of Noss – watching them dive into the sea with missile precision so close was special and the near vertical cliffs themselves, shrouded in mist, brought an extra element of drama
For me, nature is synonymous with Shetland. The wide open spaces here enable wildlife to really thrive.
That could never be more true than when I think about Hildasay, the uninhabited island where I spent lockdown alone with my dog, Jet – with just sheep, seabirds and silence. That spring, I felt like I was living inside one giant bird’s nest, and I’ll never forget the Arctic terns (or tirricks), now my favourite bird. For this episode, we hoped to film the tirricks there which I remembered so vividly but it was so emotional to return for the first time in five years that I ended up digging up some personal history instead!
Shetland always grounds me, and I know Kate now shares that sentiment. There’s a stillness here that settles something in my soul. Though it’s part of the UK and not far from home, it always feels like another world – a place to disconnect from the noise of modern life and reconnect with nature and a deep, regenerative sense of calm.
Watch the Wilderness Family's documentaries about their time in Shetland.