SYMBISTER'S BUSTLING HARBOUR

The harbour at Symbister is the hub of this successful fishing community of around 1,000 people - and a constant source of interest to islanders and visitors alike.

Craft owned and crewed by local families throng the sheltered dock, from the smallest creel boats to huge pelagic trawlers - some of Europe's largest fishing vessels. Nearby, a modern factory processes whitefish for export, while next to the Whalsay Boating Club which welcomes visitors, arc the remains of a former herring curing station.

The inner harbour is crowded with colourful dinghies and the distinctive "Shetland Model" boats which compete in local sailing and rowing races. The lines of these double-ended skiffs reveal their Viking origins.

The beach below the road around the head of the bay is partly man-made and was formerly used to dry salted cod and ling during the heyday of the line fishery from sixerns - open, six oared boats - in the 18th and 19th centuries.

SYMBISTER HOUSE

The Bruce family acquired most of Whalsay and oppressed the islanders for over 300 years. But they virtually bankrupted themselves building Symbister House, or the New Haa. Now part of Whalsay Junior High School, this is the finest Georgian mansion in Shetland.

It's built of granite blocks, rafted from a quarry in North Nesting, three miles away across a tide race. Despite the use of forced labour, the building cost over £30,000, a fortune in the early 1800s.