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Brae at Detling Marina Caravan Site 14th June
Yesterday we drove northwards from Levenwick. En route, besides the road, was the sign 60˚ N. Why?
Our investigations suggest the following. It is significant because everywhere else of the same latitude enjoys, if that is the right word, the freezing of the sea, except Shetland. No doubt that is caused by the warm currents that some from the Caribbean.
Secondly, we are further north than any permanent settlement in the southern hemisphere. Thus, in New Zealand, the southern most town of Invercargill is only as far south as….. as it lies at only In South America, the mostly southerly settlement is and that lies at something like 59˚S. Of course, Shetland is not the most northerly settlement in the northern hemisphere as there are lots to be found in Scandinavia and Canada.
After leaving Lerwick, where we shopped at Tesco, the drive was fine. Indeed one of the things we have noticed is that the road surfaces are of a very good standard. There are very few (that is none) potholes and the ride is smooth and stable. The main road is reasonably wide. However, the roads do follow far more closely it seems the natural contours of the land. What this means is that often the journey distance is quite a lot longer than if the road took a direct route.
From Lerwick to Brae took us through an area which was a bleak and bare as any we have seen so far. With no trees, no buildings, not even derelict farmhouses, and few sheep it looked truly windswept and empty. It was any empty, heather covered moorscape with water and a few birds.
And then the settlement came into view. There were lots of newish looking houses, a high school, a small supermarket and the post office. Of course, the marina had boats and a little further north is Sullom Voe, the oil terminal for some of the North Sea.
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