by Sally Hammond

What is the northernmost point of Britain?

If John O' Groats is your confident answer, then you are wrong. Out Stack a tiny rock north of the isle of Unst in Shetland is actually correct, but don't feel embarrassed. Most people forget these rocky islands spattered across the icy seas north of Scotland.

Few people think of Shetland as part of Britain. And that is exactly what the locals want, for these hardy independent northerners see themselves as more Scandinavian than Scottish and relish their ties with Norway. You can understand why Shetland, 340 kilometres north of  Aberdeen and 360 kilometres west of Bergen, might feel isolated from Britain.

Settled originally by Norse and Vikings, Shetland was not ruled by Scotland until the mid 15th century. Even today the austere prefabricated housing comes from Norway - breeze blocks covered with pebble-dash, a board that resembles coarse sandpaper - and the lilting accents lean steadily eastward. Even town and street names are Nordic, inlets are voes rather than firths, children's heroes are called Harald and Hakon, and names beginning with 'Mac' rarely appear in the phonebook.

Today's Shetland is progressive and comfortably off. Where once the island depended solely on subsistence living from sheep and fishing, today's economy is richly fuelled by North Sea oil drilled off-shore and pumped to huge holding tanks at Sullom Voe, providing half of Britain's oil needs.  

For years I had wanted to visit this remote outpost and as our Business Air Saab 340 circled over Shetland I was momentarily disappointed as we peered out at a flat Rorschach blot of islands, treeless and pale in the cloudy light. Lower still and we made out raw black cliffs, frilled with foam, and green fields, then swarthy moors striped by peat cuttings.

If you are a tree-lover, Shetland may not be the place for you. While the Gulf-Stream tempered climate is not as bleak as you might expect, the January gales can lift a young tree from the ground, and so the landscape is plucked bare of anything much larger than a shrub. Strangely, the result is not ugly. Shetland - always singular, never The Shetland Islands' has a wild beauty that few can resist and according to Julie Knowes, our bed and breakfast hostess at romantically named South Nesting - herself a Londoner come seeking a quieter lifestyle - many find themselves drawn back year after year.

And why not, when Shetland has over 800 species of wildflowers and more than 340 species of birds, many of them screeching wild seabirds that nest in hollows on improbably steep cliffs along the 1500 kilometres of coastline. At Sumburgh (pronounced Sum-borough) near the airport, two hundred metres of mossy green rock plummets to the sea, the air in the gorge constantly seething with thousands of wheeling white birds. I could have stayed, watching them, all day. Many come to do just that, binoculars and cameras as much part of their luggage as most people's credit cards.

Lerwick, Shetland's capital, is a steep and straggly town, anchored by its harbour to the sea. Some friendly Russian fishermen clambered out of their cramped hold to smile and shrug us a greeting, while around them boats from a dozen nations nudged the quay. We had planned an afternoon boat trip around Bressay and Noss, the nearest islands, but I was keen to buy a genuine Shetland sweater and finally found one that had been hand-knitted far north on Unst. If I'd had time I could have gone to Fair Isle and bought a genuine fairisle jumper.

In the bright-after-rain sunshine we drove south then looking for - what else? - Shetland ponies and found them, golden and tiny, nuzzling their fence, waiting for owner Peter Laurenson who drove up as we arrived. In the distance rabbits scuttled even though it was still daytime.

Shetland is like that. Unspoiled by tourism, people will stop what they are doing for a friendly chat, their language soft and spiced with the Shetland dialect, or they will wave as you pass. Even signs may be in the local tongue: 'Dunna Chuck Bruck' admonishes a roadside notice subtitled Keep Shetland Tidy. The scattered clouds above resemble 'henty liggets', Shetland-speak for the tufts of wool left by sheep on a barbed wire fence.

A rule of thumb for visitors planning a trip to Shetland is: decide how long you think you'll need - then double it! Many fear that they will be bored on such small islands, then find this is just not so. Shetland is more than 120 kilometres from tip to tip and there is much to do.

On a map these islands might appear remote, dislocated and out of context, yet visitors soon learn that they are quite the opposite. After a few days there, breathing peat-smoke and the scent of heather, with our ears now-tuned to the lilting local accent, we found our compass points had somehow changed. These wild and lovely islands had become our focus.

The outside world was now the castaway.

GETTING AROUND: Local roads are good, and a rental car is the best option as public transport is not extensive.

CURRENCY Pound Sterling - current exchange 2.8 AUD to the pound

ACCOMMODATION: Busta House, Brae, 01806 522506; Kveldsro House Hotel, Lerwick, 01595 692195.

FOOD: Salmon, a local product, appears on most menus.

SHOPPING: Look for beautifully hand-knitted jumpers and woven goods.

THINGS TO DO: Bird watching, photography, hiking, trout fishing, sea angling, and demonstrations of spinning and weaving. Archaeology and ancient sites: There are dozens of sites in these islands. Jarlshof at Sumburgh has one of the best sites in Europe with remains from Neolithic to 17th century.

FOR MORE DETAILS: http://www.visitbritain.org or www.shetlandtourism.com