Ignorance

[BlowingOldBoots]

Incredible! The Shetland people want their wind swept and barn islands shown correctly on maps, fair enough. However, a random selection of Scottish People in Edinburgh when asked where Shetland was and to point on a map, did not know and could not point to them on the map. I guess there is no point in addressing the map placement issue as no one knows where they are anyway.

[marisca]

I reckon half of Edinburgh's populace don't know where Leith is.

[Alan_D]

Incredible! The Shetland people want their wind swept and barn islands shown correctly on maps, fair enough. However, a random selection of Scottish People in Edinburgh when asked where Shetland was and to point on a map, did not know and could not point to them on the map. I guess there is no point in addressing the map placement issue as no one knows where they are anyway.

But surely you are missing the point - it is because Shetland appears inconsistently on maps of the UK many people are confused about its true location.

[BlowingOldBoots]

I learned when I was young what the UK looked liked on a map, curiosity and geography at school. Seeing the islands conveniently placed in a box on a map, say next to Orkney does not make me believe that they are actually just to the east or west of Orkney.

[Jonas]

The boxes are also often at a different scale from the main map, making the islands look smaller - Orkenys as well as Shetlands.

[BlowingOldBoots]

The boxes are also often at a different scale from the main map, making the islands look smaller - Orkenys as well as Shetlands.

Maybe A3 and smaller paper sizes should be made illegal.

[steveyates]

I reckon half of Edinburgh's populace don't know where Leith is.

Thats what they tell their wives anyway when home from work late on fri nights

[pagoda]

I have visited both Shetland and Orkney (and Fair Isle) so I have a good idea where they are. (Decent distance from the Clyde- or Norway)
Perhaps not everybody should be visiting, they would be over-run, but Bluemoment folk certainly should try to have a trip up there at some point. The BBC attitude towards map distortions way exceeds the "correct dimensions ,but incorrect location" seen in print .

[mm5aho]

I used to live and work in the north (Elgin) and a girl in our office, in her mid 20s had never been as far as Aberdeen or Inverness in the other direction. I suspect there are many Scots who know very little Scottish Geography.
Here in Cumbernauld today, I had some ask me "Hey Geoff, You're originally from New Zealand aren't you? ".. "Yes" I replied... "why?"
"Well I'm having a holiday in Melbourne and wondered what it's like".

I refrained from telling him that I lived on the New Zealand side of the Sydney Harbour bridge.

[DaveS]

Some years ago someone - I think Radio Shetland - printed tee shirts with a map of Shetland and the rest of the UK shown in a wee insert box...

[Telo]

I have visited both Shetland and Orkney (and Fair Isle) so I have a good idea where they are. (Decent distance from the Clyde- or Norway)
Perhaps not everybody should be visiting, they would be over-run, but Bluemoment folk certainly should try to have a trip up there at some point.

Yes, Lerwick is a lot closer to Bergen than the Clyde or even Oban. When we were there last summer, I'd guess that the majority of visiting yachts in Lerwick were Norwegian, although, oddly enough, I don't think we saw any elsewhere in Shetland. It was rumoured that most came for the bonded liquor and then sailed home again.

In the other islands, AFAIR, all, or almost all the visiting yachts were from Scotland.

I certainly agree about vising Shetland. The sailing is excellent although we were always a bit nervous of the roosts and went to great pains to get the timing right. While the west coast had, reportedly, a awfy wet summer last year, Shetland and Orkney were, for the most part, dry and sunny although pretty cool (we could "see our breath" on several July days).

Our original plan was to head back north this year starting at the beginning of May, but that is now on hold until at least well into the second part of May, so not really sure about what we'll be doing.

Orkney and Shetland reminded me of my climbing days - climbing in a new area with different rock was always a bit intimidating until you found the "key". The sailing key up there is getting comfortable and confident with the tidal roosts.

[pagoda]

We came to Lerwick from Haugesund, arriving in unreal (for Shetland) 22C weather. Several Norwegian boats around and a couple from Faeoe & Germany . And one or two other UK registered.
Fair Isle had one Norwegian boat and us, nobody else. They went back to Shetland. Kirkwall had a broader mix of UK/Norway/German/French boats.
Similar mix down through Wick and the Caley. I like seeing boats from all over the place!

Graeme

[BlowingOldBoots]

I do not think it needed to be debated in parliament, rather farcical outcome I think. Maybe we should all demand that maps are printed at a 1:1 scale in case anyone thinks that the country is really that wee. Then again ..........