Things to Do

Once in Shetland, the easiest thing to do is to hire a car if you haven’t brought your own. Distances can be surprisingly long but the roads are pretty flawless. There is an infinite number of highlights in Shetland and these are only our suggestions of where to visit and what to do:

Take a boat trip to Mousa Broch; visit the Shetland Museum and enjoy a local seafood lunch; take a boat trip around the Island of Noss to see (and smell) seabirds close-up; go on an organised otter-watching trip; walk along the spectacular cliff tops at Eshanness; step back thousands of years at Scatness Neolithic Village; enjoy traditional music and a pint at The Lounge in Lerwick; soak up the peat-smoked atmosphere of Crofthouse Museum in Dunrossness; watch puffins at close quarters at Sumburgh Head; shop for Shetland knitwear, handmade soap or chocolates in the town; spend the afternoon on an empty beach watching gannets dive; go sea-kayaking from Burra Isle; watch the Northern Lights on a clear night from November to January; have a delicious dinner at Burrastow House; see an exhibition of fine art at Vaila Gallery, Lerwick; visit Britain’s most northerly island of Unst, Hermaness National Nature Reserve and Muckle Flugga Lighthouse; take an inter-island flight from Tingwall airport to one of the outer isles for the day.

There are also many annual festivals in Shetland, including: Up Helly Aa in January; the Shetland Folk Festival in April; and the Fiddle and Accordion Festival in October. Information about all kinds of events is available from Visit Scotland’s Shetland pages. The Tourist Office in Commercial Street, Lerwick, also provides information on all activities.

Shetland yarn

puffin-in-the-grass

trip to mousa broch (33) 1024