Sandwick Bay's 1000 year old Viking settlement

A perfect day for the beach in Unst and we headed for the beautiful white sands and turquoise sea of Sandwick Bay on the east coast. Two Viking/Norse settlements are visible there. Shetland is justly proud of its Viking heritage. Because there are no trees prehistoric and Viking houses were built of stone and many identifiable longhouses survive in the landscape. Because of the proximity to Norway, Shetland was part of the first migrations of Norwegian vikings, and the territory transitioned from being part of the Pictish kingdom to being part of the Scandinavian world.

This picture shows the remains of one of the longhouses that held up to 30 people. Sandwick is Viking for 'bay of sand'. There is a world-wide image of Vikings as lawless raiders from the sea bringing death and destruction. But where they settled they established farms and communities, and left an indelible cultural and place-name legacy. Recent developments, such as the reconstruction of a longhouse and a viking ship on Unst (and Viking trails packs) is making the legacy of the Vikings accessible to the wider world.