Shetland travel guide

Our Shetland travel guide doesn’t cover all 100 of these islands, just the highlights. Such as Lerwick, the capital on Mainland, the largest island; some of the ancient archaeological sites; and a few of the wonderful walks you can enjoy out there on the edge of the Atlantic. Once you get there, everyone has a tale to tell about their favorite island, or a secret spot on an uninhabited one. This is our starter menu, and we hope it whets your appetite.

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Shetland travel guide

You have to love Shetlanders for the fact that their biggest festival is in January, a festival of fire known as ‘Up Helly Aa’. It has been held since the 1880s because Shetland is not all about tourism; it’s real. It’s there to be adored, but very much on Shetlanders’ terms. And Shetlanders’ terms are not necessarily Scottish ones either, their roots being Nordic just like their neighbours on Orkney. At Up Helly Aa, for example, they burn a Viking galley ship as the festival finale.

The highest point on Shetland is Ronas Hill at 450m, also known as a Marilyn. As opposed to the Scottish giant ‘monros’, apparently. It’s windy up there though. Hold onto your skirts.

With about 100 islands in this archipelago, accessible on an overnight, 350km ferry journey from Aberdeen, only 20 of these wild and wonderful islands are inhabited. The rest are home to seals, birdlife and even otters, which come out to play on the beaches in daylight – unlike in the rest of the country where they tend to be nocturnal. Like we said, Shetlanders do things their way. So much so, even the midges stay away.

Read our Shetland travel guide for more details.

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Shetland is…

an archipelago of 100 islands, 100 miles off the mainland’s northern tip.

Shetland isn’t…

just about tiny ponies. And it is far from diminutive.

Things to do in Shetland...

It doesn’t get much wilder than Shetland, and so wildlife watching is what many people come here for. In particular bird watching, with prolific colonies of puffins, storm petrels and skuas, known locally as ‘bonxies’. Travel on land with an expert birding guide, or take a marine safari to see other marine wonders such as seals, porpoises and dolphins, as well as orcas between May and August, if you are very lucky. And Shetland ponies are everywhere, but not actually wild. They are owned and cared for by local crofters but given freedom to roam. Shetland’s other natural wonder is the otter, with around 1,000 of them swimming between these islands. Unlike other parts of the UK, they can be seen during daylight hours. Like all Shetlanders, they aren’t shy; but best seek them out with an expert local wildlife guide just the same. Shetland’s heritage is ancient, with evidence of human settlements going back 5,000 years. Visit the prehistoric cairn at Shetland’s highest point, Ronas Hill, or Mousa which is the world's most complete 2,000-year-oldbroch, And moving on through its prolific Viking heritage, the island of Unst has over 50 remains of longhouses. For many visitors, the highlight is crawling into a souterrain chamber at Jarlshof, a settlement that grew through Neolithic times, Bronze and Iron Ages to finally become a Norse farmstead.

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Things not to do in Shetland….

Board one of the giant cruise ships with thousands of passengers now berthing at Lerwick. The industry has grown from 26,000 passengers in 2006 to 93,000 in 2017. The population of Lerwick is 7,500. At Responsible Travel, we don’t believe that Shetland needs a bigger boat; read more of our views on large cruise ships here.

Seek out wildlife without qualified, licensed guides, especially in RSPB reserves and if you are going in search of otters. It is important to hike responsibly too, as a lot of Shetland is protected land for good reason. On Noss Island, for example, stick to the coastal route only. Don’t mess with skua birds either, especially in breeding season. They dive bomb anyone they consider a threat! Similarly don’t mess with any ancient stones at cairns, etc.; Viking ghosts dive bomb too, apparently.

Assume that just because Shetland has a very independent position geographically, it is all about independence politically. During Scotland's 2014 independence referendum, 63 percent voted to stay in the UK, one of the highest in Scotland. Also, many people see themselves as Shetlanders, with Norse roots, rather than Scots.

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Written by Catherine Mack

Shetland travel guide