Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Total solar eclipse to boost tourism in north of Scotland

Total solar eclipse
Total solar eclipse

A once-in-a-lifetime total solar eclipse is expected to provide a welcome boost for tourism in the north of Scotland next month as stargazers flock to witness the spectacle.

On Friday March 20 at approximately 9.30am, the first total eclipse for more than a decade will occur across the far northern regions of Europe and the Arctic, casting an eerie glow onto the land below.

The far north Atlantic and Arctic oceans will experience the best of the views, while residents of the Faroe Islands – where it will be total – will have a ring-side seat.

Total solar eclipse

However, astronomers also predict that the UK will be witness to the dramatic sight, with almost 97% of the Sun’s disc obscured in Shetland and the Outer Hebrides and up to 98% on Skye and Orkney.

Tourism chiefs are now getting ready for an influx of visitors to the Scottish islands.

Special cruises have been organised to take holiday makers north into the path of the eclipse, many of which are set to call in to port in the Highlands and Islands.

Mike Cantlay, Chairman of VisitScotland, said: “The north-east, Highlands, Orkney and Shetland all boast outstanding natural beauty, but the chance to witness this rare celestial phenomenon will give people yet another reason to visit these regions.

“The scheduled arrival of solar eclipse cruise ships at Invergordon and Orkney will provide a terrific boost to the local economy.

“We would encourage people coming to the north of Scotland to get a good view of the solar eclipse to make the most of their time by going to local visitor attractions and enjoying our excellent food and drink.”

Ian Fordham, chairman of Tourism Hebrides, added: “This solar eclipse is a welcome boon at the start of the tourist season.

“This solar eclipse won’t just appeal to stargazers but everyone will find it quite striking.”

The coverage of the Sun will vary from 84% in London to 94% in Aberdeen.

Steve Harris, Chief Executive of VisitAberdeen said the Granite City would be an ideal place to experience it.

“The partial solar eclipse will provide a real spectacle, with Aberdeen being named as one of the best mainland UK destinations to see it,” he said.

“I’m sure it will provide visitors and residents of the region alike with a very memorable Friday morning as the city is cast in the shadow of the sun. “

The next total eclipse anywhere near the UK will be in 2081 in central Europe, and finally in Britain in 2090.