Help! Shetland fact fans, more facts needed

[splodger]

As I've previously said I want to move upto Shetland and if I lived alone I'd be there in a month, however, I need to convince my family what a good idea it is.

I have started my propaganda campaign by giving them two interesting facts about Shetland at dinner each night but am running out of facts!

Any interesting, fun, strange facts would be much appreciated, the target audience are a youngish teenage girl (my niece), a 30 something primary school teacher (sister) and a retired university history lecturer (dad).

I've given them the more obvious ones e.g Population, Shetland bus, became part of Scotland as marriage dowry in 15th century but am running low.

 

PLEASE HELP

[nederlander]

You are never more than around 3 miles away from the sea.

 

note: do not tell them this if they don't like the sea.

[Twerto]

on a day like today.. if you hold your jacket above your head while still wearing it and jump you will land in Denmark

[Medziotojas]

Outside the capital, Lerwick, you are never more than a thirty minute drive away from a heated indoor swimming pool.

[khitajrah]

^^ It's heated??

[MaxFusion]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/guernsey/content/articles/2005/07/11/facts_about_shetland_feature.shtml

 

some of the things the Gurnsey folk were told about Shetland before the Island Games

[Marooned in Maywick]

Nuuk (Greenland) and Reykjavik (Iceland) are the only two capital cities further north than Shetland.

 

You can stand in the Atlantic Ocean and hit a golf ball into the North Sea (if your tee is tall enough).

[Oddrun]

Take a look around in our pages, maybe you will find a lot of interesting things

http://shetlopedia.com/Main_Page

Cheers, Oddrun

[Frances144]

Well.... when it was me, I told my family that should anything happen and they need me home fast, it wouldn't take that long. I also said I only got one life and wanted to do this as it was WHAT I WANTED!

[EM]

Nuuk (Greenland) and Reykjavik (Iceland) are the only two capital cities further north than Shetland.

Surely if you include Greenland then Torshaven should be too?

 

You can stand in the Atlantic Ocean and hit a golf ball into the North Sea (if your tee is tall enough).

Having tried minigolf twice I doubt I could

[Fifi]

You can stand in the Atlantic Ocean and hit a golf ball into the North Sea (if your tee is tall enough).

That's a bit like the saying regarding Mavis Grind which is the gateway to Northmavine, the largest, wildest and most northerly parish in mainland Shetland, about how you can throw a stone from the North Sea to the Atlantic. >

 

Good luck with your quest, splodger. You can see more about our wild'n'beautiful area on our community website here - http://www.northmavine.com/aboutnorthmavine.htm

[Pooks]

There ARE trees in Shetland (just not very many).

The trows cause havoc all the time (either that or your average Shetlander doesn't want to take the blame themself).

Although a cold climate the hot air that circulates from the Town Hall means that the weather can be quite mild.

Copious quantities of alcohol and Tattie Soup can make you stay awake for days or even weeks at a time.

A pink flamingo visited Shetland one day.

Shetland has amongst its many isles an Independent country (don't ask too much about how that one works).

One of the few places in the UK where health and safety goes completely out the window for one night a year and many, many people get drunk and carry around burning torches to the sound of Monty Python.

 

A few to get you started.

[Spinner72]

became part of Scotland as marriage dowry in 15th century but am running low.

 

PLEASE HELP

 

Don't be so sure...