The prehistoric village Jarlshof, on the Shetland Islands

Ten fantastic places to visit in… Shetland

August 22, 2019 / Kenny Smith /
August 22, 2019 |

Shetland is the northernmost point of Britain.

Comprising more than a hundred islands, just 15 of them inhabited, Shetland spans the hundred miles between Fair Isle and Out Stack.

Here’s 10 places we recommend that are worth seeing.

SHETLAND MUSEUM AND ARCHIVE

Purpose-built museum, heritage hub and photo library that tells the story of Shetland’s journey from its geological beginnings to the present day, in twelve zones over two floors. It also has exhibitions, regular events, a shop and a cafe restaurant.

JARLSHOF PREHISTORIC & NORSE SETTLEMENT

Jarlshof provides an insight into the way of life of peoples from different periods of time. The site includes oval-shaped Bronze Age houses, an Iron Age broch and Viking longhouses and the visitor centre contains a rich collection of artefacts.

HERMANESS NATIONAL NATURE RESERVE

Hermaness, on Unst, is home to the third largest colony of bonxies, or great skuas, and during the summer around 25,000 pairs of puffins breed in burrows on the cliff edges. Hermaness is also home to red-throated divers, snipe and golden plover – a twitcher’s paradise.

SHETLAND FOLK FESTIVAL

The Shetland Folk Festival takes place in early May each year, in a range of venues. The programme is packed full of events, and typically has over 50 local bands as well as a visiting lineups.

SCALLOWAY CASTLE

Dominating the coastal town of Scalloway, to the west of Lerwick, the castle was built in 1599 by the 2nd Earl of Orkney and was used as barracks for Oliver Cromwell’s troops in 1650. By the 1750s it had fallen into disrepair and is now managed by Historic Scotland.

UNST BOAT HAVEN

On Unst, the museum contains a variety of original wooden boats from the last 140 years, as well as old tools, fishing gear and documents that bring to life the era of fishing the Far Haaf when herring fishing was at its peak, in 1905.

MOUSA BOAT TRIPS

The Mousa ferry runs from April to mid-September and takes passengers around Mousa, a mile off Shetland’s east coast. Amongst other sights, visitors will see a Pictish broch, or fort, and a wealth of wildlife, including porpoises, seals and skuas.

UP HELLY AA

To celebrate Shetland’s Viking heritage, every year, on the last Tuesday in January, Lerwick hosts Europe’s largest fire festival, a day of marches and visitations, culminating in a torch-lit procession and the burning of a galley, followed by hours of performing, dancing and drinking.

OLD HAA MUSEUM

The Old Haa Museum is located in Burravoe, on the Isle of Yell, the second largest island in the Shetlands, in a house that was built for a local merchant in 1672. It contains a wealth of fascinating information about the history of life on Yell, a lovely garden and a coffee shop.

SHETLAND PONIES

Shetland’s world-famous small ponies can be seen throughout the islands – grazing by the roadside, on the beaches or on the heathery hills. Appearing to roam wild, the ponies are, in fact, all owned and tended to by local crofters.

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