Shetland Attractions
Here we aim to provide you with some information and links about the array of places to visit in Shetland. There is something to suit everyone whether you have a specific interest in Wildlife, Knitting, Archaeology or just wish to explore our isles and see what a Shetland holiday has to offer. We shall begin with Lerwick and then go North, South, East and West.
Lerwick, Shetland's capital
- Lodberries
- Bod of Gremista – birth place of Arthur Anderson (co-founder of P & O Shipping)
- Shetland Textile Working Museum – located in the Bod of Gremista
- Da Street Trail
- Shetland Museum & Archives and Hays Dock Café Restaurant
- Clickimin Broch
- Up Helly Aa exhibition – mid May to mid September in the Galley shed.
- Dim Riv – replica longship that sails on Wednesday nights from small boat harbour
- Fort Charlotte
- Lerwick Town Hall
- King Harald Street Flower park & play park
- Clickimin Leisure Centre
- 25m swimming pool, flumes & kiddies pool
- Fitness Suite
- Squash Courts
- Indoor bowls
- Running track
- Sands of Sound beach
- Walk the coastline past the Lodberries and around the Knab (pitch & putt - 9 holes) to Breiwick Sound.
- Jamieson & Smith Shetland Wool Brokers
Gulberwick
- Shetland Ponies
- Beach
- Children's play park
Scalloway
- Scalloway Castle built in 1600 by Earl Patrick Stewart
- North Atlantic Fisheries College
- Boat trips to Foula on Wednesdays by Cycharters Ltd
- Scalloway Museum – special ‘Shetland Bus’ exhibition
- Shetland Recreational Trust Leisure Centre
Tingwall
- Asta Golf Club – an easily accessible nine hole course
- Tingwall airport – inter-island flights to Foula, Fair Isle, Papa Stour and Out Skerries
- Loch of Strand – good for sea and brown trout fishing
- Shetland Ponies
Trondra
- Burland Croft Trail – visit a working croft.
Burra
- Burra Bears workshop where the Shetland teddy bears are made
- Easthouse crofthouse – (featured in the BBC Restoration programme) open on Sundays during the summer
- Meal & Bannaminn Beaches – beautiful white sand
East
- Bressay
- Bressay Heritage Centre
- Northern Lights Holistic Spa
- Bressay Heritage Centre and Bronze age Bressay (Cruester burnt mound)
- Noss Nature Reserve
North Isles
To Access the North Isles you need to use the Inter-Island Ferries. The table below details the time taken to travel between ferries however you may want to plan a later ferry so you can take your time and enjoy the sights and attractions.
From | To | Minimum Time required | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Lerwick | Toft (Mainland ferry terminal) | 40 minutes drive | Need to be at ferry 10 minutes before departure |
Toft | Ulsta (South Yell ferry terminal) | 20 minute sailing | Keep an eye out for porpoises, killer whales & sea birds, they often make appearances |
Ulsta (South Yell) | Gutcher (North Yell) | 30 minutes drive | Time is for driving straight to ferry. You can spend an hour or more taking your time. |
Gutcher (Yell) | Belmont (Unst) | 10 minute sailing | Again keep your eyes peeled for marine widlife. |
Yell / Unst | Fetlar | 25 minutes sailing | The ferry alternates between Yell and Unst for sailing to Fetlar. Make sure you get the right ferry or you will have a fair detour. |
Shetland Nature
Shetland Nature is a wildlife tour company based in the North Isles. They organise guided tours to see birds and sea mammals in their natural habitat. For full details or guide to meet you anywhere visit www.shetlandnature.net
Yell
- A great place to spot otters.
- Sandy beaches at Breckon, Gossabrough, Hamnavoe and WestSandwick
- Old Haa – built in 1672 natural history and local history displays, art gallery, walled garden, coffee shop with home bakes and craft shop
- ‘White Wife’ at Otterswick, figurehead from German Bohus wrecked in 1924
- Bayanne House – geneology, textile art, archaeology
- Gloup Disaster Memorial
- Shetland Recreational Trust Leisure Centre
Unst
(Britain’s most northerly island and home to one third of our Shetland Ponies)
- Belmont House built in 1775
- Viking Unst – three excavated Viking longhouse sites, a full size replica Longship
- Muness Castle built in 1598 for Lawrence Bruce
- Bordastubble – Shetland’s largest standing stone
- Lund – beach and St Olaf’s Chapel
- Valhalla Brewery
- Bobby’s Bus Shelter
- Keen of Hamar Nature Reserve – largest example of serpentine debris in Britain
- Hermaness Nature Reserve – 100,000 breeding birds – puffins, gannets and skuas
- Unst Heritage Centre- houses artifacts of past island life, craft demonstrations,
- Unst Boat Haven –exhibition of over 20 small Shetland boats on its replica beach,
- Foords Chocolate Factory
- Norwick Beach
- Britain’s most northerly house at Skaw
- WWII Radar site at Skaw – redundant buildings
- Boat trips to Muckle Flugga
- www.unst.org
- Shetland Recreational Trust Leisure Centre
Fetlar
The Garden of Shetland
- Interpretative Centre – local exhibitions on Fetlar’s history and wildlife
- Good sandy beaches at Tresta and Sands of Sand
- Mires of Funzie - RSPB Nature Reserve – see the Red necked Phalaropes
- Brough Lodge built around 1820 for Arthur Nicolson
- Finnigert Dyke – Bronze age wall cutting north and south of isle in half.
Northmavine
- Mavis Grind – gate of the narrow isthmus, 100 yard strip separating the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea
- Site of the ‘Gunnister Man’ discovery
- Oily Muggie craft and gift shop
- Eshaness Lighthouse, black volcanic cliffs & viewpoints
- Breiwick café
- Tangwick Haa, 18th century manor house, small museum
- Ronas Hill – Shetland’s highest hill
- North Roe – ‘Da Nort Trow Community Gairden’
- www.northmavine.com
- Shetland Recreational Trust Leisure Centre
Lunnasting and Delting
- The Cabin – Vidlin – Exhibits of whaling, and the two world wars.
- Lunna House
Whalsay
To get to Whalsay you need to catch an inter-island ferry. It departs from Laxo or Vidlin (30 minute drive from Lerwick) and takes 25 minutes.
- Whalsay Golf Club - Britains most northetly 18 hole golf course with stunning views.
- Pier House – restrored Hanseatic Bod used by German Merchants
- Shetland Recreational Trust Leisure Centre
West
- Bonhoga Gallery, shop and cafe
- Weisdale Community Garden – created by locals and the Beechgrove Garden
- Shetland Jewellery workshop – see silver and gold jewellery being produced, coffee shop
- Lea Gardens, Tresta
- Michaelswood, Aith
- Da Gairdins i Sand
- Bakers Rest
- Sandness Woolen Mill – visit the mill to see pure Shetland fleeces being made into finest quality yarns.
- Shetland Recreational Trust Leisure Centre
South
Cunningsburgh
- Shetland Designer – knitwear – contemporary, classic and traditional
- Barbara Isbister Knitwear – traditional Shetland garments
Sandwick
- Boat trips to Mousa – normally from Sandsayre Pier, alternative is Aithsvoe in Cunningsburgh.
- Sandwick Community Garden – an interesting nature trail
- Hoswick Visitors Centre – historic displays and refreshments
- Hoswick Woollen Mill – Laurence Odie (Knitwear) Ltd mill shop
- Neilanell’s Design Studio – workshops in spinning, dyeing or felting
- Shetland Recreational Trust Leisure Centre
Mousa
- Mousa Broch – best preserved iron age broch in the world
- RSPB Nature Reserve – visit at night to see the storm petrels (seasonal)
Bigton
- St Ninian’s Isle – pictish silver was discovered in 1958.
- Get to the isle by crossing the best tombola in Europe
- Guided walks
Loch of Spiggie
- RSPB Nature Reserve – winter- wildfowl, autumn-ducks & whooper swans
Quendale
- Quendale Water Mill – built in 1867, agricultural tools, machinery and photos
- Quendale beach – Shetland’s longest beach, a mile long.
Boddam
- Croft House Museum – built in 1830 crofting in the past.
Sumburgh
- Old Scatness Broch and Iron Age Village – brings to life what Shetland was like over 2000 years ago
- Jarlshof – dates back 3000 years, from Neolithic dwellings to a 16th century lairds house
- Sumburgh Head Nature Reserve impressive seabird colony – You can view the puffins and other birds on the ‘Puffin Camera’ as seen on BBC Simon King’s Shetland Diaries.
Geopark Shetland
In September 2009 Shetland was accepted into the European and Global Geoparks Networks in recognition of its internationally significant geological heritage. Shetland is more geologically diverse than any similar sized area in Europe.