Shetland sticks out of the top of Britain like the star on top of a Christmas tree. It is certainly one of the best ornaments the U.K. has as far as nature goes, and it has also hosted more than a few cultures over the millennia. Three of them are shown in this photo on the isle of Mousa. In the foreground is a stone fence from the mid 1800's, when the island was last inhabited and was supporting crofters who used the stones to keep their sheep in separate paddocks. The tall cylinder is a broch, a fortified home/refuge that is over 2000 years old and built entirely of stacked stones - with no mortar. It stands over 50 feet high and its walls are about 12 feet thick, useful indeed for sheltering from attacks from people who don't like you, as seemed to often be the case in those days. This was even before the notorious, pillage-savvy Vikings arrived. And in the background is the Caledonian Star, an example of how to visit the wilds of Scotland without frightening the locals so much that it affects their architecture.