You are here: Home » Shetland Attractions

Shetland Attractions

Shetland is a great place to relax and find peace and quiet. You can walk for miles on ourhills with only Great Skuas or mountain hares for company. Our spectacular coastline and its wildlife has featured in the BBC television series and book, Simon King's Shetland Diaries. It's not hard to spot seals – they often relax on the shore below Tesco in Lerwick – but you'll need a bit more luck, or a local guide, to have the kinds of encounter that Simon King had with otters and orcas.

There are more than five thousand years of history to absorb and we have some stunning archaeology, including the Broch of Mousa, an iron age tower-house rising to more than forty feet. Shetland is also well-known for its lively musical and arts scene, with traditional music a particular strength. Our leisure centres are outstanding, with no fewer than eight modern swimming pools, often linked to other state-of-the-art sports and fitness facilities. There's good food to be had, too: wonderfully fresh fish and shellfish, succulent lamb and beef and, in season, local vegetables and salads. On this page, we offer a sample ofShetland attractions, grouped by area.

Lerwick and the Central Mainland

Shetland Ponies Lerwick began life in the seventeenth century as a string of huts by the shore, used as trading posts during the summer when the Dutch herring fleet was based here. Nowadays, the old town centre by the busy harbour is a fascinating place to explore, with its winding main street, stone buildings and narrow lanes shaded in summer by trees, flowering currant and fuschia. The tourist information centre is at the Market Cross and there are several shops in which you can find traditional and contemporary Shetland crafts, particularly the islands’ fine knitwear. Just to the north of the town centre, by the historic Hay’s Dock, is the Shetland Museum and Archives, an award-winning building in which Shetland’s story is told through displays of artefacts, reconstructions and the very best audio-visual facilities. The archives house all manner of documents from Shetland’s past and there is also an art gallery in which local or touring exhibitions appear. On the western side of Lerwick, the ancient Clickimin Broch, one of many brochs in Shetland, is worth a visit; and nearby you’ll find the Clickimin Leisure Centre, which offers a wide range of sports and fitness opportunities, including a large pool with flumes, hot tub and an area designed for small children.

From Lerwick, a car ferry runs to Bressay, at the eastern side of which lies the island of Noss, a National Nature Reserve that you can visit in summer. It has spectacular cliffs hosting huge seabird colonies, and makes an excellent day out in fine weather. You can also see the cliffs by taking a wildlife cruise from Lerwick.

Minn Beach, Burra To the west of Lerwick, the ancient capital, Scalloway, is dominated by Earl Patrick Stewart’s Castle, begun in 1599 and a symbol of his extensive power. North of Scalloway, at the Law Ting Holm, is the site of Shetland’s Norse parliament and to the south are the islands of Trondra and East and West Burra, offering two excellent sandy beaches and good walking. With the exception of Noss, which takes a little longer, all of these places are within ten to twenty minutes’ drive from Hillside Brae.

The South Mainland

St Ninian's Isle A long, quite narrow, finger of land separating the North Sea from the Atlantic, the South Mainland has much to offer. St Ninian’s Isle, with its spectacular sand tombolo, was the site of a remarkable discovery in 1958, when a Shetland schoolboy found a horde of silver treasure, assumed to have been hidden by monks in anticipation of a Viking attack. To the east of the mainland, the island of Mousa offers the best-preserved broch of all those to be found in the north and west of Scotland; in fact, the stonework is almost completely intact, some 2,000 years after it was built. Mousa can be reached by a seasonal ferry from the village of Leebitton. Farther south, there are other very impressive archaeological remains at Old Scatness and Jarlshof, both of which are close to the airport at Sumburgh. At the southern tip of the mainland, Sumburgh Head, topped with a historic lighthouse, is a great place to see puffins at very close quarters. There are thousands of other seabirds here in season too, and in summer it’s a favourite spot for those looking for whales, dolphins and porpoises.

The West and North

The Westside, as it’s always known locally, has some beautiful landscapes, good walks and excellent trout fishing in its many lochs. There are several archaeological sites including the Scord of Brouster, an ancient field system, and the rather mysterious Staneydale Temple. On your way west, the Weisdale area is home to the excellent Bonhoga Gallery, local craft businesses and Shetland’s only substantial woodland.

Eshaness Cliffs The highlight of the north west of Shetland’s mainland is the district of Eshaness. Ancient volcanic rock forms dramatic cliff scenery with stacks, natural arches and blowholes. There’s a local museum at Tangwick Haa that provides an insight into the area’s past and the Braewick Café offers welcome food and refreshment with an extraordinary view. Not far away is Ronas Hill, Shetland’s highest, with a sub-arctic landscape.

Using Shetland’s excellent inter-island ferry services, it’s easy to explore even farther north, right to the top of Britain. From Toft in the north mainland it’s a twenty-minute crossing to the island of Yell, one of the best areas in which to spot otters. From north Yell, other ferries will take you to Unst or Fetlar. Unst has two National Nature Reserves, at Hermaness and Keen of Hamar. From Hermaness you can see Muckle Flugga lighthouse and Out Stack, the very last land in the British Isles. Fetlar is green and fertile, home to rare Red-necked Phalaropes and an excellent small interpretive centre.

None of these journeys is difficult. It’s possible to reach Unst, for example, in around two hours from Hillside Brae. If you’re used to high ferry fares in other parts of Scotland, you’ll find those in Shetland very affordable.

Eating and Drinking in Shetland

If you want to eat mainly at Hillside Brae, it’s easy to find fresh local ingredients in the Lerwick shops and supermarkets. Look out particularly for fresh fish, available at local fishmongers, and Shetland lamb and beef, which can be found in the town’s butcher shops. There’s also a good range of local bread from several bakeries around the islands.

Within easy reach of Hillside Brae, there are good places for lunch or dinner in Lerwick and Scalloway, as well as in other parts of Shetland. Most menus feature local produce. Indian, Chinese, Thai and Italian food are also available in Lerwick and several places do takeaway meals.

You can find out more by consulting the Shetland Food Directory, which lists producers and restaurants. A copy of the local phone book, the Shetland Directory, is available in each house.