Thursday 29 August 2024

HYPERBOREAN ODYSSEY 2: Shetland

 

 

Part two of my Hyperborean Odyssey is in Shetland, Britain's northern most islands and the alleged site of the legendary Thule described by the ancients. I visited the archaeological site of Jarlshof which has Bronze age round houses, Iron-Age wheel houses, a Pictish broch and the largest Norse settlement in the British Isles. Shetland was under Nordic rule up to 1472 so it still has some strong cultural ties to Scandinavia despite also having a rich Pictish history.

Wednesday 7 August 2024

HYPERBOREAN ODYSSEY 1: Norway

 

 

I spent half a month working on a cruise ship, travelling around Norway and the Scottish islands. Part 1 of my Hyperborean Odyssey is in Western Norway, beginning with the ancient burial grounds of Gunnarshaug and Rehaugane near Norway's Viking capital Avaldsnes, then admiring the fjords around Ulvik and Olden and finishing off in the rainy city of Alesund. This is a historical travel series.