The Viking Isles

Travels in Orkney and Shetland

by Paul Murton

The Viking Isles

£17.99

Paul Murton has long had a love of the Viking north – the island groups of Orkney and Shetland – which, for centuries, were part of the Nordic world as depicted in the great classic the Orkneyinga Saga. Today this fascinating Scandanavian legacy can be found everywhere – in physical remains, place-names, local traditions and folklore, and much else besides.

This is a personal account of Paul’s travels in the Viking north. Full of observation, history, anecdote and encounters with those who live there, it also serves as a practical guide to the many places of interest. From a sing-along with the Shanty Yell Boys to fishing off Muckle Flugga, from sword dancing with the men of Papa Stour to a Norwegian pub crawl in Lerwick, Paul paints a vivid picture of these lands and their people, and explores their extraordinary rich heritage.

Paul Murton is well known as a documentary film maker whose work includes Grand Tours of Scotland and Grand Tours of the Scottish Islands (4 series). He grew up in rural Argyll and has been an inveterate traveller since his teenage years. He is the author of The Hebrides (Birlinn, 2017).