Shetland

Go north from London, take a straight ahead and stop off for a few hours in Aberdeen.  Then take a little 16 seater plane (and a deep breath) and after flying over frothy sea, craggy rocks and lots of candy floss clouds you arrive in Shetland, the beautiful Scottish island that's situated out in the North Sea.  Shetland in fact used to belong to Norway until 1472, and the Scandinavian influence is really very visible especially in many of the houses that dot the hillside.  

The reason for my trip up north was for the wedding of a friend who lives there.  And what a beautiful wedding it was, with the ceremony taking place in the very church where her parents got married and where she was christened too (by the same priest!).  I've included a photo below which depicts a Shetland wedding tradition I had never heard of before: the bride and groom are made up as dolls and placed outside the brides home or church.  The dolls were brilliant - the groom doll was adorned in a full suit and top hat and the bride a wedding dress and veil!

I managed to see a lot of the island thanks to the groom who took time out to play tour guide, and we fought the way against the surprisingly strong wind to seek out Shetland ponies and lost looking sheep amongst the too beautiful views.  

Although I have a strong preference and love for colourful photos, I decided to edit the photos from Shetland in black and white, perhaps the influence of the weather up there.