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Follow the sign to Scalloway (and its fire festival), Mainland, Shetland
Scalloway Fire Festival is the Shetlands' first Viking torch-lit procession of the season, culminating in the burning of a Viking galley at sea. Harking back well over a thousand years, it re-enacts the ancient Viking practice of sun sacrifice.
A powerful Viking earldom was first established in Scotland in 872AD, and instituted a parliament on Shetland's at Lawting Holm. Only in the mid-15th century did Scandinavian power over these isles wane, but the Viking influence is still prevalent - not least in many place names and the resurgence of the fire festivals.
Also of interest is the archeological site at Jarlshof, one of the most important in Britain, which reveals much about the Viking way of life.
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