I live in Shetland AMA

[Sheltietime]

Just like the Outer Hebrides one, but I live in Shetland... ask away

How cold does it get?
How remote is it?
Do you go to mainland at all?

Is your accent very thick?

It never gets that cold to be honest. You're never really more than about 3 miles from the sea anywhere in Shetland so its rare that its freezing and snow rarely lasts that long. What makes it feel cold is the wind. Winters are cold, dark, rainy and windy usually.

It doesn't feel too remote, its easy (if expensive) to get to mainland Scotland, and there's a busy airport with numerous flights to Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Bergen, Kirkwall.
It feels most remote in the winter when its gales and the Northlink boat gets cancelled or the planes can't get in, so there are no newspapers, post or goods delivered for a number of days.

I go to mainland Scotland several times a year - I went to University in Aberdeen and lived there a few years before coming back. I visit friends, go on holiday etc as most people do.

The accent/dialect can be very thick depending which part of the isles you are from and whether you have lived away for a time.

I got weathered down coincidentally during Up Helly Aa, it was such an amazing couple of days...we even ended up with a couple of stowaways on our boat, they’d mixed up boats!

Very friendly place but I understand (and saw) there’s big problems with drugs on the island...is it as bad as I think it is?

Yes there are problems with drugs, for a couple of reasons - one is the fishing industry and oil industry means well paid jobs but the remoteness of the place means there's not much to spend it on- no point in buying a Ferrari when half the roads are single track! Another reason is there's quite a culture of excess, particularly with alcohol, but in the younger crowds some have moved on to drugs. They are easily accessible.

I'd say it's not that a majority of people have a problem with drugs, more than a minority of people have a huge problem with drugs.
Its so easy to find anything from weed to heroin that once you are involved on the drug scene it can escalate very quickly.

I used to be in oil and gas, coke was the drug of choice...went through the system quick if there was a D&A test. I got offered it a couple of times up there but I’m too much of a wuss 😂 it really is a lovely island though ❤️

What car, if any , do you drive?

I drive a VW Golf...

Have you met Dougie Henshall and if you have is he as gorgeous in real life?

I'm a sheltie too (or was) so following this thread with interest :)

Have you always lived there?

I'm an introvert so I'd love to live on a remote island but is there actually even more pressure to be active in the community and social for practical reasons?

Yeah love Shetland! My mum lives there and I've spent holidays on Papa Stour and Foula.

My dad lives on Unst. Do you know him?

Is the TV programme "Shetland" anything like real life? Especially now that it's gone all Scandi Noir.

What size island do you live on? Is there a depopulation issue or is it not too bad?

Does it really take 12 hours to get there by ferry?

I'm up next week - what's the soup in the Peerie Café?

*Does it really take 12 hours to get there by ferry?(

14 if you get the boat that calls into Orkney!

Do you know my friend Grioghair?

How welcoming are the locals to southerners relocating up there? I've always had romantic visions of retiring somewhere remote and windswept like Shetland/Orkneys but have worried that the local people may not be very welcoming, I'd feel like an outsider.

Is there a big community spirit there - does everyone know everyone or their aunt/cousin etc?

What do you do for arts and culture?

Have you ever seen the northern lights?

Is it difficult to meet people (for dating purposes)

Were you born there or have you moved there? If you've moved there, what took you there?