Visit the amazing Shetland Islands
There’s always an air of excitement flying to an island, especially in a tiny plane. A visit to the amazing Shetland Islands is no exception. As the outline of the islands appeared below, all clifftop and craggy coves, I knew an adventure was about to begin.
On our original trip around Britain, we didn’t manage to get to The Shetlands. The boat didn’t sail on the days we could go and our money was running out quickly so we had to abandon our plans to make it to the top of Britain. I vowed I would make it there one day, and, years later, we did just that.
Weather
Around 130 miles from the north-eastern tip of Scotland, and 100 miles from the Orkneys, the Shetlands lie in the Atlantic Ocean and North Sea. Sounds cold, wet and miserable. It isn’t. Some might be put off by the location of Shetland, especially as a Summer holiday. We went in August and though there was a heatwave further south in England, in Shetland, the weather was a balmy 18 degrees celsius. with mostly blue skies. We wore jumpers and fleeces, the locals wore t-shirts. As one lady we met on a deserted beach explained: ‘we could almost sunbathe yesterday, it was positively tropical!’ Okay, if sunbathing is what you’re after, best avoid this part of the world, but, if you like solitude, amazing views, deserted roads, clean air, open space, peace, quiet and fun, head to Shetland.
How to get to The Shetlands:
1. By ship from Aberdeen – Northlink Ferries connects Lerwick in mainland Shetland with Aberdeen. The crossing operates up to seven times each week taking 12 hours 30 minutes.
2. Fly from Aberdeen – we flew from Bristol, transferring in Aberdeen for a flight with Logan Air to Sumburgh airport in Shetland. You can fly to Sumburgh from Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Inverness and Glasgow, with connections from; Birmingham, Belfast City, Bristol, Exeter, Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich and Teesside. The journey is a special part of the experience.
The three islands of Shetland are about 70km north to south, with a coastline of 900 miles!
Where to stay on Shetland
There are plenty of self-catering places to stay on Shetland. We stayed in a lovely Airbnb house in Okraquoy in the south of the mainland. It was good to have a base to travel and north and south of the island, but, it is a big island so be prepared for quite a bit of driving if you want to see everything Shetland has to offer.
Hire a car – I booked a car online from home using Bolts Care Hire. Not far from the the airport, we picked our car up on arrival in Shetland. It was straightforward and a very good price.
Shopping
One thing that really stood out early on, especially after visiting Lerwick, is that Shetlanders aren’t into retail therapy (or maybe they are avid online shoppers). It was a breath of fresh air (literally) to go somewhere where there were few shops, even in the main town. It reminded me of shopping in the 1970s. Practical, useful or there’s no point.
There’s a great bookshop in the centre of town, Boots the Chemist and Tourist Information, which sells some lovely local crafts, but that was about it. St. Ives or Padstow this definitely isn’t. Souvenirs were few and far between. But, based on the fact that we hardly saw any other tourists (it was English school holidays so maybe it had been a lot busier during the Scottish one) there seemed little need. I think, perhaps, they are missing a trick, but, who needs to shop when you are surrounded by such natural beauty? I think places like this should be cherished.
There is a big Tesco on the outskirts of Lerwick to stock up when you arrive if you are self-catering. Plus, a few smaller corner shops for food shopping.
Eating out
As we were self-catering with two young children, and a lovely Airbnb kitchen, we didn’t eat out that much during our trip. Just fish and chips in the car, in Lerwick, from a chip shop just off the harbour and a lovely Thai meal at the Phusiam Restaurant, plus a few tearoom stops. Again, you have to look for places to eat, you are not bombarded with adverts and fliers.
Highlight – Travel to the top
The highlight of our week on Shetland was definitely a walk to Muckle Flugga. From our base in the south of the main island, it was two boat trips to Unst, the island at the top, which added to the excitement.
Walking
It’s a walker’s paradise on Shetland, though lots of walks involve crossing private land as much is divided into crofts. We asked a few times if it was okay to walk to beaches as the adjacent land is fenced off. The answer was always yes. A few times we had to climb over wire fences, which was more difficult for some than others. Namely me. But, it was worth it.
Beaches
Okay, you won’t be sunbathing, but, why would you want to with all this beauty around you? Shetland has some of the most beautiful, white-sanded beaches I’ve visited in Britain. They will, nearly always, be empty, except for maybe a few sheep. They all have something different to offer, except beauty, of course. Whether it’s huge sand-dunes, jelly-fish, sea-glass, seals or otters, Shetland beaches are magical.
Jelly fish
Although, I did have a strange experience on one. We visited Meal Beach in West Burra. It was a short walk from the car park, then a few steps down to the beach. Purple jelly-fish covered a strip of the sand, intermingled with seaweed. We decided to head across the beach and up on to the low cliff path for a walk. Everywhere in Shetland you will find wire fences, mainly to separate croft land.
Just off Meal Beach was a long fence separating the coastal path from the fields. I had stayed back a bit longer looking at the jelly-fish, so I climbed up the small cliff and over the stile. Realising I had crossed into the field and the path which my family had followed was the other side of the fence, I walked along and climbed through the large gap with my backpack. Whack! I felt a strong kick in my side, like a horse had suddenly appeared and booted me in my back. I stood up, shaken and carried on. My children came running towards me: ‘Don’t go near the fence Mum! Dad’s just had a big electric shock’. I didn’t realise as the sign was broken that I’d just climbed through an electrified fence!
We met a few locals further on who had complained to the farmer about the broken sign. Just a warning if you ever visit the beach (hopefully it’s fixed now)!
History
If you like ancient British history, you’ll be in heaven. Like so many islands around Britain, being just a bit cut off from the mainland has meant that historic buildings and monuments have survived. Shetland is no exception.
A great place to start your historical journey is the contemporary Shetland Museum in Lerwick. You could spend a whole day here (we nearly did as our children were searching for the final answer to a quiz question). The Galleries take you on a journey: from Shetland’s natural geological beginnings, through early human settlement to traditions, trades and political goings on. It’s fascinating and well worth a visit. Our children loved it!
Island-hopping
There are about 100 islands that make up Shetland with just 16 being inhabited. We only managed one boat trip to Mousa Broch, but it was well worth it.
Open spaces & fresh air
Guaranteed! Along with peace and solitude.
