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The northern part of the island that the Romans called “Albion” runs from the southern extent of the Pennine Hills, in the Derbyshire Peak District, up to the Orkney and Shetland Isles lying off the north coast. North Britain contains the greater part of upland Britain and has an extensive coastline with many off-shore islands. The coast of Argyll, one of the regions on the west coast, is said to be longer than that of France. Shetland has 900 miles of coastline.

When it comes to human settlement, the regions of North Britain can be defined in many ways. We can make a case for four or five distinct regions in both Scotland and in northern England, with the many of the islands, such as the Isle of Man expressing further, unique identities.