Young Shetland colt walking towards viewer. He very close; behind him hills, islands and deep blue sea are visible in Shetland.
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Richard Webber takes his family to Shetland and savours the simple pleasures of the open sea, wonderful wildlife and majestic landscapes.
We sat motionless in the grass atop Hermaness Hill, surrounded by frenetic activity more reminiscent of Heathrow airport than Britain’s northernmost headland. As the grey blanket of mist, which had lain heavily all day, gave way to shafts of evening sunlight, we marvelled at the raucous behavior of the seasonal inhabitants and the cacophony of shrieks reverberating around the 500ft cliffs rising from the depths of the North Sea.
Two atlantic puffins on grassy mound in Shetland Islands, Scotland.
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It is clear why the tiny island of Unst, at the tip of Shetland, is dubbed a naturalist’s heaven. The sky – now awash with blue – was filled with a wheel of puffins, while the cliffs were packed with guillemots, razorbills, gannets and more. The 100,000 breeding sea birds picking this northerly spot to nest had turned out in force to welcome us.
Just then, Hollie, my 11 year-old, pointed excitedly. “Look out, Dad, it’s coming in to land – mind your head!” I ducked just in time to avoid an overly confident puffin, touching down close by. Before retiring to its burrow on the cliff edge, it stared at us, its orange beak wonderfully vivid in the late sun.
With light fading, it was time to pack away the binoculars and well-thumbed bird-spotting books. Before long, the cliffs were disappearing into the distance but the sound of birdsong remained. We stopped briefly and savoured being the only humans on this wild, craggy headland on the edge of Britain, unaware of the walker marching in our direction. “It’s paradise up here, isn’t it?’ he enthused when he reached us. “Have you spotted the bonxie?”
Once the target of egg collectors and taxidermists, only three pairs of bonxies – the local name for great skuas – survived here in the 1830s. Now, due to protection, numbers have spiralled to nearly 700 – the walker pointed one out ahead of us.
DID YOU KNOW?Shetland Mainland is Scotland’s third-largest island and the fifth largest in the British IslesUnst may be small – just 12 miles by five – and as far north as southern Greenland, but it offers plenty. It’s easy to understand why, if the rumour is true, Robert Louis Stevenson was inspired by this place when writing Treasure Island. He certainly visited Unst in 1869 with his father to see Muckle Flugga lighthouse, just off the coast, and one of many Scottish lighthouses designed by Stevenson senior.
Shetland comprises more than 100 islands, stretching nearly 90 miles. Nowhere is farther than three miles from the sea and life here, and its wild beauty, tranquillity and sense of openness, is a world away from the stresses of the mainland.
Our holiday wishlist not only included bird-spotting but seeking out seals and otters, which we attempted at the start of our week-long trip. On the archipelago’s biggest island, known as Mainland, Gary, a walking encyclopedia from Shetland Nature, took us out to enjoy the plethora of wildlife on offer and before long had us jumping out of the car, binoculars at the ready, to view common seals lolloping around the shore at South Nesting, north of Lerwick.
More than 6,000 common seals populate the sheltered stretches of the coastline. “It’s a magical place,” said Gary, before pointing out a black, long-necked bird. “That’s a shag, they’re a familiar bird round here.” We saw wildlife in abundance but otters remained elusive, much to our disappointment.
As well as wildlife, Shetland is rich in history, our first taste of which was sampled at Sumburgh, the southernmost point of Mainland. We drove there along empty, well-maintained roads – not a pothole in sight – the islands’ road network and infrastructure having benefited from the oil industry revenue generated over the past decades. Close to the airport, we explored one of Britain’s most important archaeological sites, Jarlshof. It’s one of 6,000 sites on Shetland and the earliest buildings unearthed here were 4,000-year-old roundhouses. A gusty wind had whipped up the sea below and one could appreciate how the site’s exposed location led to a cluster of early structures being revealed after a fierce storm in the 1890s.
The vagaries of the weather is part of Shetland’s appeal and we experienced the full gamut as we drove north through landscapes of wide, open spaces punctuated by small settlements of brightly coloured houses, one of the islands’ many Scandinavian influences. Peat bogs, heather-clad hills and freshwater lochans spread out in front of us as we turned north-west and headed for Eshaness, stopping briefly at Mavis Grind, Old Norse for “gate of the narrow isthmus”. It’s so narrow that it’s arguably the only place in Britain where you can stand at the edge of the North Sea and lob a stone into the Atlantic – so long as you’ve got a strong arm.
Heavy, leaden shower clouds had blown away by the time we reached Eshaness, the north-western tip, where strengthening westerlies crashed the rollers into the towering cliffs. The jagged coastline’s impressiveness is the obvious result of powerful seas gnawing at the rock; the scars left behind have created some of Shetland’s most dramatic maritime scenery. But it’s not all towering cliffs and serrated sea stacks. Like many Scottish islands, Shetland’s 1,700-mile coastline is adorned with deserted sandy beaches. Our favourite was Meal Beach, facing south on the island of West Burra, which is connected to Mainland via a bridge. It never felt crowded, even though it’s one of the islands’ most popular spots.
Although it was difficult to drag ourselves away, we’d arranged a couple of visits nearby to provide a glimpse of another angle of Shetland life. Wendy Inkster makes Burra Bears – the original Shetland teddy bear – from her studio and welcomes those following the Shetland Craft Trail, where around 30 artists and craftspeople open their workshops to visitors.
Up the road, Mary Isbister and her husband run the Burland Croft Trail, where my children fed chickens and met various Shetland breeds at the working croft.
Our Shetland adventure was drawing to a close. Having reached the most northerly point in Britain and the far north-westerly cliffs, we drove south of Lerwick again, this time to catch low tide. For our final walk, we chose St Ninian’s Isle, regarded as the most spectacular example of a shell-sand tombolo in Britain. We explored the grass-topped rock and examined the remains of the 12th-century chapel, the site where, in 1958, a schoolboy unearthed 28 silver and silver-gilt objects now displayed in Edinburgh’s National Museum of Scotland.
Before heading back to the car, I chased my children across the shining sand where, at the water’s edge, we investigated the wealth of seaweeds thrown up by recent tides and dipped our toes in the shockingly cold water. Still, we hadn’t come to Shetland for the swimming.
Muckle Flugga and its lighthouse, built by the Stevenson family at the Hermaness Nature Reserve, on the Shetland Islands.
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Several Loganair (0871 700 2000; loganair.co.uk ) flights arrive daily from Aberdeen (singles from £52), Inverness (from £69), Edinburgh and Glasgow (from £78), which are connected in turn with other regional airports. From Sumburgh airport, the Lerwick bus takes 40 minutes.
Car ferries, operated by Northlink (0845 600 0449; northlinkferries.co.uk ), sail from Aberdeen daily; the journey time is 12 hours. A return for two adults, two children (ages 5-15) and a car costs from £352.40; a four-berth cabin with television costs from £149.20 return.
Shetland Islands Council runs several efficient, inexpensive inter-island ferries. Book or just turn up. Download contact numbers and timetables from shetland.gov.uk/ferries or collect them from tourist offices or the ferries themselves.
The best way to explore is by car. If you’re not taking your own, try Bolts Car Hire (26 North Road, Lerwick; 01595 693636; boltscarhire.co.uk ) or Star Rent a Car (22 Commercial Road, Lerwick; 01595 692075; starrentacar.co.uk ). Both have offices at the airport.
Several companies offer package holidays. Brightwater Holidays (01334 657155; brightwaterholidays.com ) has a five-day half-board package from £645.
You can visit more than 30 workshops and studios on the Shetland Craft Trail. Go to shetlandartsandcrafts.co.uk for details or contact local tourist offices. Information on the Year of Creative Scotland is available at visitscotland.com/creative .
The Shetland Museum and Archives (Hay’s Dock, Lerwick; 01595 741569; shetland-museum.org.uk ) is a must. Learn about the islands’ three-billion-year history.
Watch the RSPB puffincam broadcasting live pictures (April-August) from inside a puffin’s nest on Sumburgh Head ( shetland.org/puffincam ).
Book a trip with the wildlife experts Shetland Nature, which offers five itineraries, including otter spotting (01957 710000; shetlandnature.net ; from £76 per person).
Keep your eyes peeled if you’re catching the Yell-Unst ferry as otters are occasionally seen scampering along the shoreline.
You can sample handmade cheese at Shetland Cheese Limited in the seaside village of Skeld (Skeld Industrial Estate; 01595 860202; shetlandcheese.co.uk ).
Unst is home to Britain’s most northerly brewery, the Valhalla Brewery (Baltasound; 01957 711658; valhallabrewery.co.uk ).
Visit shetland.org, visitscotland.com/surpris e or call 01595 693434. For further reading, try The Shetland Guide Book by Charles Tait ( charles-tait.co.uk ).
The Baltasound Hotel, Unst £
The most northerly hotel in Britain has basic but comfortable wooden cabin accommodation. Excellent food. Enjoy breakfast in the light and airy restaurant looking across fields to the sheltered waters of Baltasound (01957 711334; baltasoundhotel.org ; doubles from £65; booking is essential from November-March).
Sumburgh Hotel, Sumburgh ££
This former laird’s home, built in 1867, is the most southerly hotel on Shetland. It’s close to the airport, alongside the ancient settlement of Jarlshof; half of the 32 rooms have sea views (01950 460201; sumburghhotel.com ; doubles from £80 per night).
Busta House Hotel, Brae ££
A 22-bedroom hotel in a 16th-century building overlooking the shores of Busta Voe. A family home before opening as a hotel in the Seventies; most rooms have sea views. Food comes in generous portions (01806 522506; bustahouse.com ; doubles from £100 per night).
Oxna Lodge, Cunningsburgh ££
This modern, Scandinavian-styled self-catering lodge sleeps four and is yards from the sea, with views towards the islands of Bressay and Noss; well equipped and free Wi-Fi (01950 477596; gloverlodges.co.uk ; from £60 a day October-March, minimum seven nights April-September; from £650 a week).
Cheyne House, Girlsta ££
Four-bedroom self-catering property with a superb location overlooking Wadbister Voe, eight miles north of Lerwick. Relax in the evening next to the floor-to-ceiling windows, watching out for otters at the nearby holt. Free Wi-Fi (01595 840224; cheynehouseshetland.com ; from £95 per day).
Braewick Café, Eshaness £
A spectacular setting, looking across St Magnus Bay towards The Drongs (sea stacks). It offers fresh local produce, much of it sourced from the owners’ working croft. Open March-October. Evening meals are available on request Thursday-Monday (Braewick; 01806 503345).
Bonhoga Gallery & Café £
Housed in an 1850s water mill, the café here (in the south-facing conservatory) overlooks Kergord Burn. Tasty snacks, including delicious home-made scones. The gallery exhibits national and international art and crafts (Weisdale Mill, Weisdale; 01595 745750).
Scalloway Hotel, Scalloway ££
A waterfront setting on the main street of Shetland’s ancient capital; the extensive menu is based on quality local produce, including fish and shellfish (Main Street; 01595 880444).
Hay’s Dock Café & Restaurant, Lerwick ££
Located above the Shetland Museum and Archive, overlooking Lerwick harbour, this contemporary café-cum-restaurant offers meals seven days a week, including dinner on Friday and Saturday evenings (Brown’s Road; 01595 741569).
Don’t forget to pack your OS Explorer Maps (466-470), essential not only for walking but driving off the main roads.
Don’t try to book a particular inter-island ferry crossing on a Sunday because booking offices are closed. Call before 4.45pm on Saturday.
Many attractions, visitor centres and boat trips begin operating from May, so don’t visit before if these are going to form an important part of your holiday.
Don’t visit before mid-April if you want to be sure of seeing puffins. For advice on their arrival, contact Visit Shetland (01595 693434; shetland.org ).