Scotland: I would love some help with my trip to the Northern Isles

Sounds amazing. I finally finished Shetland! Having time to stay on smaller islands sounds so wonderful! Edit: talked to a guy who basically came to Orkney to take that flight to Papa Westray and weather was bad. You’ll need a plan to allow for flexibility.

Woo hoo, thanks, TTM! Off to read it now!

And I can imagine that the flight could get canceled quite easily, but it still would be fun to try. My brother's was a pilot with Delta for years, and I would love to be able to tell him about it and take photos of it. He would be very interested.

Wow, you are really going to have a lot of time there, Mardee. That is wonderful.

The first thing I would do is check those websites that tell you when (and what size) cruise ships will be in which ports, and try as hard as I could to make a schedule that allowed me to avoid them as much as possible. It’s probably inevitable at some point, but it's worth making a concerted effort.

This sounds wonderful! I can't help with Shetland but we were just in Orkney for four days, a few things to mention:

-I don't think there's anywhere currently open to stay on Rousay (also there are no places to get food on the island) but it's very easy to get to on the car ferry from Mainland and definitely worth a day of driving around the island and seeing the Neolithic sites.
-If you want to do a sightseeing boat trip around Scapa Flow, I very highly recommend Orkney Nautical Charters- we had a great experience, very knowledgable guide, and we saw a lot of sea life!
-Don't miss St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall- beautiful cathedral.
-For getting back down to Inverness, the Ember bus comes directly to the ferry terminal at Scrabster so you don't need to get yourself to Thurso (where the train goes from). We did the train up and bus back. To get from Thurso to Scrabster we walked- it was a beautiful walk (despite some rain).

I will think thru some other things to recommend!

Bressay is so easy to reach by frequent ferry that I don't see the need to stay there, I'm only aware of one place to stay on the island- the hotel by the 'new' ferry terminal. You used to be able to stay at the Lighthouse as well but that's been sold on now.

The only lighthouse you can stay at now on Shetland is Sumburgh light, which has a 3 night minimum stay. Even Fair Isle South light has closed as a B and B.

You can also do a tiny, wee ferry (an inflatable boat basically) from the far side of Bressay to Noss for the seabirds, rather than the cruise from Lerwick) but that may not have started it's season so early.

I'm a sucker for the Orkney inter island flights (having done them all), which use the tiniest air terminals you will ever see. I would be trying to get as many in as you can- Eday, Sanday, Stronsay and North Ronaldsay also have flights. You can actually fly from London [Eday] to Whitehall [Stronsay], which has a peculiarity about it. Officially Stronsay isn't called Whitehall (but it's the only village on the island), but Eday is officially London Airport (as far removed as possible from Heathrow or Gatwick).

Apart from Westray to Papa Westray the big prize is flying to North Ronaldsay, and taking the supply boat the other way. North Ron. is a really interesting island, another place where you can stay at the lighthouse.

One of the oft overlooked islands on Orkney is Shapinsay, out in Kirkwall Bay. While not really necessary that would be a really cool place to stay for a night or two in Balfour Village.

Also on Shetland I love Out Skerries, as an away from everywhere place to stay for a night. It's not really on tourist agendas, and can be a pretty tough ferry crossing. The island(s) used to have a little air terminal, but it has sadly closed now for lack of fire cover independent of the island's own fire department. One of those places where literally everyone knows your every movement as a tourist.

I spent several days in Orkney in April. You may have better luck with frequency of ferries, bht not all run every day some only once a week, so I would look now at current summer schedule to get a feel for what is running and when. If you want a car on every island, you'll need to reserve well in advance.
Baloquoy is a bed and breakfast on Sanday I hope you would consider. They also have a YouTube. It is a restored home and mill that is in a historical time warp (but modern plumbing). It may be right up your alley.
Sunday is still a day if rest for most of the islands and rental car offices other than the airport may have limited to no weekend hours.
I suggest you also look at the deal that Northlink ferries offers. Last ferry from Scrabster to Stromness is about 8pm. It then leaves next morning about 6 am. You can actually sleep in cabins on board overnight. Cheap hotel replacement without having to do an early morning scramble for the ferry. You can drop the rental in Kirkwall before it closes about 5 pm, take a bus to Stromness, drop luggage at the ferry termimal, have a leisurely dinner at the Ferry Inn then walk across the street to the ferry.
I suggest you take an inside cabin. The outer cabin i had was a little noisy from pier noise most of the night. Inside cabins were quiet and possibly more comfortable. All have unsuited bathroom with shower and cost included the buffet breakfast.

Stuart- regarding Balfour- we looked at visiting Balfour Castle when we went earlier this month and it's now closed as it's a private residence unfortunately (no longer a hotel). It looks like the hotel closed last year.

Kim, I already have it a few bookmarked, although from what I've read, it mostly affects people that are going to Skara Brae. But it's still good info to have, so thanks.

Cat, thanks for the information on Rousay, as I would really like to go there. And the sightseeing trip sounds great! That's a really nice idea. I will check on that tour group and put them in my digital file! I do already have St. Magnus Cathedral down on my list. I will never miss seeing a cathedral if at all possible.

And that's really good to know about the Ember bus! I was wondering about that. I need to look at that more closely, but I do want to do that and go down that way because it will save me from having to go all the way back to Aberdeen and going across and then back again.

Stuart: That is very helpful to know about Bressay. Thank you for that information. And I love the idea of taking a tiny wee ferry to Noss. That sounds like it would be fun. I hadn't paid much attention to Noss until TexasTravelMom mentioned it, and it sounds like a neat place.

Oh, that's pretty interesting about the flights, too. Are they all LoganAir flights? I would be interested in staying on North Ronaldsay. That island looked pretty interesting. I know they have a lot of birders that go there, and they also have a birding hostel or something like that. Anyway, it sounds like fun. As does Balfour Village. I will definitely have to look that one up.

So is Out Skerries connected to Shetland, or is it separate? I wouldn't mind a tough ferry crossing. I have a cast iron stomach, and I've never been seasick in my life. Thanks for all this great information!

Maria, ha, yes, I was just looking at a few places I was interested in, but they only have ferries twice a week. I'm not sure about that, so I'll have to figure that out. And I will definitely check out Baloquoy. Thank you for letting me know about that.

Yeah, I'm going to try and avoid traveling on Sunday if at all possible, and I think with my amount of days I've got, it should be pretty easy to do. I've already drawn a huge calendar that I'm writing on now, and I'm going to keep on doing that as I revise it. That will hopefully let me know all the information about the ferries and when they go and so on and everything else.

And actually, that is what I plan to do with this Stromness to Scrabster ferry. I read about it a couple days ago. In fact, I think it was Stuart that mentioned it in an older post I was reading. so I looked it up and read about the B&B, and that sounds so cool! I definitely am going to do that. And that's very good to know about taking an inside cabin. I appreciate that information. Did you take the ferry from Stromness to Scrabster, or the reverse? This is great info, Maria—thank you!

Cat, oh well, sigh. That's good to know now. 😊

Ah, but I didn't say Balfour Castle, I was merely suggesting the island. From a quick look there are at least two self catering cottages on the island- one of which is on Air B and B. (which admittedly on a trial booking has a 3 day minimum).

If you don't take your own car over Shapinsay has the electric bikes for rent, and the electric community car/taxi service (open to anyone), useful as it's a deceptively large island.

Three days may well be overkill, although the ferry runs often enough to be a commuter service, and there is a new late night ferry (not OIC). I certainly like the island as a day visit.

Yes, Out Skerries is as much part of Shetland as any of the North Isles- Unst, Fetlar, Yell, just a longer ferry crossing more akin to Fair Isle or Foula. The loss of the flights was a blow.

Unlike, say, Whalsay, which is a significant dormitory island for Lerwick as well as a big fishing port. I must admit I like to escape the village on Whalsay which is a bit lacking on charm (it's almost more suburban than Lerwick) and go up island to the Old Church up towards the former airfield- much more my idea of an island. I have unfinished business at Whalsay Old Church as I never quite got a definitive answer from Revd Fran (the Interim Moderator before she moved to Lockerbie) on whether the Church had or hadn't closed- it got a little bit messy at the end, just as she left.

Yes all inter island Orkney flights are Loganair. They can be booked on line now, but for many years were book by 'phone or at the airport.

Some of the flights are school flights, and you sometimes get extra calls on scheduled flights to get teaching staff out to the Isles- must be cool for the pupils- https://www.loganair.co.uk/discover/orkney-inter-isles/

Well, I'll still check it out. It's definitely in the possibles list and looks like it would be interesting. Thanks!

Yes. I took it from Stromness to Scrabster on the overnight option. I had initially booked Aberdeen to Kirkwall but winter storms were so late this year with numerous ferry delays and cancelations on that route I just decided to change plans and do the Scrabster to Stromness ferry both ways.
Oh. You can take all luggage with you I to your cabin, but most just pack an overnight bag and leave luggage on a trolley that they secure overnight, roll o to the ferry and you pick up after disembarking in Scrabster. That way you aren't lugging suitcases everything on board.
You most likely are traveling too late, but for a year there is a Highlands and Islands bus initiative where all single bus tickets are 2£. It most likely ends early April 2027, but keep it on your radar.
That meant I got the Ember bus right from the Scrabster ferry terminal all the way to Inverness for 2£ vs the bus or taxi to Thurso and then the train, which may have been as much as £40.

There is a separate building in the ferry property is a comfortable lounge but passengers can use. When you get off the ferry around 8 a.m. follow the other folks, pick up your suitcase and keep heading out towards the village. Once off the long jetty, and through one set of gates, on the left is a one story utility building. It is well marked for bus use. Both Stagecoach and Ember pick up there. I chose the slightly later 917am Ember bus because it is electric, so quieter, and it gave me a little more time should the ferry be late.
The Ember bus is a distinctive teal colour. You can watch it approaching across the bay along the road....and on the app. Keep an eye out for the morning ocean swimmers. They use a big orange buoy for visibility in the bay. Crazy women.
Download the Ember app. It got me all around Orkney 'mainland' and much of other Scotland by bus.

Mardee

The Shetland inter island ferries are mostly council run and details here

I know you want to visit Unst. We loved it and spent a whole week there. We stayed here. We also very much enjoyed a half day fused glass workshop at Glansin Glass where we designed and made coasters. Cheryl has a lovely studio and shop and we bought Christmas decorations as souvenirs.

Random things we enjoyed….
1. I love to collect sea glass and found some good spots all over Shetland.

2. There are some cool charity shops on some very out of the way communities. We had fun tracking them down and nosing about for bargains.

3. Jarlshof - amazing archeology - in my opinion even more interesting than Skara Brae
4. The many museums, including the textile museum, Whalsay heritage centre, Tangwick Haa, Scalloway museum, Shetland Museum and archives in Lerwick. In fact all the museums!
5. Fish and chips in Frankie’s, Brae.
6. Dinner at Da Haaf in Scalloway - inside the UHI college buildings and must book in advance, not open every evening. Check on Facebook.
7. The beach at Bigton, St Ninian’s tombolo beach. Followed or preceded by brunch at the hymhus - get there early - Saturday only.

I’m sure there more stuff, I’ll have a think.

Oh and for the Northlink ferry, which we love - we like to splurge and go for an executive or premium 2 berth outside cabin. Would hate an inside cabin as love to peek out. Also those two classes come with Tea and coffee-making facilities plus shortbread and mineral waters, Complimentary access to the Magnus Lounge with: 2 drinks vouchers, soft drinks and hot drinks, continental breakfast (in the Magnus Lounge) in the morning. You pay for dinner and it’s the same as what’s served in the cafeteria but it’s more peaceful - you get your wine/beer with your vouchers and you can raid the lounge fridges for soft drinks to take back to your cabin. We much prefer it to the scrum of the cafeteria.

Jacqui

Maria, thanks for more great information! Thanks for definitely help down the road .

Skyegirl, thanks so much for all of this information. I did read through your trip report, but it was a while ago, so this is great. I love that place on Unst, and yes, I definitely want to stay there. Do you book it on the Stay Shetland site and just send them an email, or is there a website to book it? And of course, thank you for all the information about shopping, including charity shops, which I love. I'm getting so excited now just reading all of this stuff.

And that's good to know about the NorthLink ferry. Originally, I was thinking about renting a car in Aberdeen and just taking it on the ferry and taking it around all the islands and then bringing it back, but I think that would have been very, very expensive. Plus, I would have had to pay to transport it on all the ferries, which would have been even more difficult and way more expensive. I feel much better about splurging a little bit now that I know I'm not going to be forking out huge amounts of money.

Yes all inter island Orkney flights are Loganair. They can be booked on line now, but for many years were book by 'phone or at the airport.

Stuart, I was checking out their website, but it looks like they've only released dates through the end of March. Do you know when they release the summer flight schedule?

Maria, I think I said that I didn't book anything on a Sunday, but I just realized I did. Well, I haven't booked anything yet, but Sunday is the day that I was supposed to be moving from Lerwick to Kirkwall. Of course, the ferry doesn't run on that day, so I guess I'll be flying. This is so weird to have to think about all of these different things falling into place before you can really do anything. 🤪

I don't think it's released far ahead of time, unless that has changed very recently because locally the air service is basically just a bus service.
However this is the summer timetable, which as a basic timetable doesn't change much, year on year- https://www.loganair.co.uk/media/k4ubbezx/dnd232-summer-flight-poster-2026-print-1.pdf

It's what they call dynamic, because if an extra call is needed for some reason (or even an extra flight), that gets added in at very short notice- which is why all bookings used to be manual.

The Orkney Ferries website would also be useful- https://www.orkneyferries.co.uk/

The Sunday Excursion sailings are a great tradition up there- with unusual routes or combinations of ports, one time there was a unique Kirkwall to Stromness sailing for instance, which was a treat seeing unique coastal scenery.

Possibly the hardest island to get to on Shetland (I haven't achieved it) is Papa Stour. All sailings are request only (so you could end up on your own private ferry), and the airfield has closed quite recently. I always fancied flying one way with Air Task from Tingwall and ferry the other. It is supposed to be a lovely island, with a population of just 15 (down from a peak of almost 400). There is nowhere to stay, unless you camp. Wikipedia is out of date as it refers to the Island Kirk- it has closed and is now a Community Centre. It has a lovely war memorial stained glass window. There are also supposed to be Neolithic sites on the Island.

We like ferries too, but 12 hours each way is precious time lost when flying is available. With a more relaxed schedule and good weather, it does solve two nights of lodging. I think you've read my trip reports, so this isn't anything new. I fail miserably at the relaxed pace thing...

We've been to Shetland three times for a total of 12 days, and here's some ideas (? indicates time permitting, [things I wish we'd had time for]):

-Mainland South: Sumburgh Head, Jarlshof, Scatness, St. Ninians, Qendale Mill, Ness of Burgi, Scalloway, Red Pool Virkie(?)
-Mainland North: Stanydale, Mavis Grind, Eshaness, Moder-Dye(?), Cuslwick Broch, Da Gardains(?), [Featheland Lighthouse]
-Lerwick: Textile Museum, Shetland Museum, Clickimen, City Hall, Ft. Charlotte, Loderbie House(from TV's Shetland)
-Bressay Day: Bressay Heritage Center, Isle of Noss circumnavigation on foot (non-landing boat from Lerwick is poor substitute)
-Yell on way to Unst: The Old Haa Tearoom & Museum, White Wife, Shetland Gallery, Brekon Sands(?)
-Unst Days: Clivocast Stone, Muness Castle, Bobby's Bus, Hermaness NR, Heritage Center, Unst Boat Haven, Skinbladder, Viking Unst, Keen of Hamar
-Fetlar: Uri Ness, Funzie Ness, Interpretive Center, Stranburgh Ness, Fetlar Kirk, Brough House, Community Center on Sat. evening

Don't miss The Lounge upstairs on Wed. evening

We didn't do Fair Isle or Foula because of the erratic or unreliable ferry/flight issues, but if we ever get back, Fair Isle is next on our list, with a stay at the Bird Observatory.
Maybe arrive 7am, rent car, do Lerwick, day 2 for South, day 3 for North, day 5/6 for Yell & Unst, day 7/8 for Fetlar. 3-4 nights in Lerwick (we like Varis House but there are lots), 2-3 nights Unst (Baltasound Hotel was good), 2 nights Fetlar (Gord House), back in time for ferry.

I'll add some Orkney suggestions after a breather :-)

You have got a really good list of ideas for Shetland from Skyegirl and jjgurley.

I'd add Shetland Bus which no-one has mentioned yet. There is information in Scalloway museum and the memorial to the men is in Scalloway. Have a read here. Try and get hold of a copy of David Haworth's Book 'The Shetland Bus' and read that before visiting. He helped set up and run the organisation. It is an amazing story of courage and survival very much against the odds. He is buried at Lunna Kirk along with some of Norwegians. They used Lunna House as their base. You can even stay there as they offer accommodation.

Scalloway Castle is currently still closed but the outside is visible.

The Croft House Museum is well worth visiting too. (They also have a click mill like the one you saw at Shawbost on Lewis.)

jjgurleyhas already mentioned Eshaness - there is a super walk there. Even if you don't do the full circuit the bit along the coast from 2-10 is worth doing.

During the spring and summer the different communities provided a Sunday tea. There was great competition through th year as to whose was the best! Try and find out if thre is one while you are there (they are advertised in the Shetland Times and there is a dedicated Facebook group. They are definitely worth going to!

We did a day trip to Foula by plane from Tingwall airport. The flight takes about 15 minutes and gave us several hours on Foula. It really was a different experience and definitely end of the world feel, with a population of about 35. The cliffs at the far end drop 1200' into the sea. Take your lunch as there is no shop or cafe. It used to have a post office which sold stamps but little else (don't know if it is still there.)

One note about Shetland: The inflatable boat to Noss was operating on Wed 5/6/26 - I think it had started the day before. It doesn't run on Thursdays.

On to Orkney. We've only been there twice for a total of eight days. More time is needed!

I think the ferry arrives at 11:30pm, so we flew instead.

On the mainland, there's all the Neolithics: Mashowe, Stennis, Brodgar, Skara Brae, Rennibister, Cuween Hill, Grain Earth House

The Brough of Birsay is a tidal access. The mainland is small enough that you can bounce around out of a logical order to meet the tide requirements for Birsay. There's also Earls Palace (the one near Birsay), Marwick Head and Stromness Museum.

In Kirkwall, there's the other Earl's Palace, St. Magnus, Don't miss upstairs at the Kirkwall Hotel on Thursday nights.

On the way and on S. Ronaldsay, there's Orkney Fossil Center, Mull Head (and The Gloup), Churchill Barriers, and St. Margaret's Hope stuff.

We spent two nights on Westray (Pierowall Hotel) which included a day trip to Papay (Peedie Tour) and the Westraak Tour on Westray. We took the ferry to Westray, ferry to Papay and back, and flew back to Kirkwall, missing the two minute segment. We did watch from Papay and time that it only was 1:27 takeoff to landing. We did this at the beginning of the trip to avoid a couple of car rental days. A third night on Westray wouldn't hurt, since the alternatives are a late ferry to Kirkwall or early ferry the next morning.

A day trip to Rousay, maybe via bicycle (we walked), lets you see Blackhammer, Knap of Lairo, Traversoe Tuck, and Midhowe.

A day trip with car to Hoy reveals a nice hike to the Old Man of Hoy, Dwarfie Stane, Betty's Grave, new Scapa Flow Museum.

Although I think you need a car, but you can visit all the other Northern Islands if you juggle the days/ferries right, although you'd need a few overnights to accomplish it. You could do them each as a day trip from Kirkwall if your REALLY like ferries. We passed on all those islands (despite Stuart's disapproval) due to our desire to include Uist and Barra on the same trip.

ORKNEY

Check our Kirkbuster Farm Museum there are two websites

https://orkneymuseums.co.uk/our-museums/kirbuster-farm-museum/

https://www.orkney.com/listings/kirbuster-museum

This is the last remaining example of an unrestored 'firehouse' with central fire with a backstone and smoke escaping through th roof. It also retains its stone beds built into the walls, like you will have seen at Skara Brae. It seems incredible this was srtill lived in unti the 1960s. (There used to be another similar museum at Corrigal, but that has been closed for some time and there is no news of it reopening...)

Quite near Kirkbuster is Dounby Click Mill which has been carefully restored by Historic Scotland.

Broch of Gurness is well worth visiting and compared with places like Skara Brae, gets few visitors. It is in the care of Historic Scotland.

Rousay is well worth visiting for its prehistoruc remains. Midhowe Cairn and Broch are well known but there are three smaller ones which are each different (including a double decker one!) walk Highlands has a walk describing the three cairns here. Link it in with Midhowe here

There's details of all to see on Rousay heritage walk here.

We took the car with us, but it would be fine to do all of these on foot.

I don;t think anyone has mentioned the Italian Chapel yet. I'd been a bit hesitant about visiting, thinking it might be a bit 'tacky' but was bowled over by it.

Mardee - sadly you will be just too late for the Shetland Folk Festival, which next year will be on 30/4 to 2/5. If it's possible to bring your flights forward you can take part in a wonderful mad event, but accommodation in Lerwick can be hard to find. To do the event perfectly you should take the ferry from Aberdeen on the Wednesday night before - that's when many of the performers from off the islands travel up and they generally jam for most of the night onboard.

We went to Shetland in 2024, primarily for the folk festival although we did stay on for a few nights and stayed on Unst for 2 nights. We had glorious weather (absolutely not guaranteed!) and my wife swam on a number of beaches including Skaw Beach, which is the northernmost beach in the UK, further north than Bergen in Norway. Make sure that you take the walk around the Hermaness peninsula at the top of Unst, from where you can get a good view of the lighthouse on Muckle Flugga.

Stuart, thanks for the info on the summer timetable. I will look at that for booking purposes now. That's good to know about how they add extra flights at short notice. I have been to the Orkney Ferries site and gotten some good information there. The Sunday Excursion sailings look great, although when I looked at the timetable for 2026, I didn't see any for May, so I wonder if they don't start it till June.

Papa Stour sounds fascinating! I don't really fancy camping that much, but I would think that I could go over in the morning and spend five or six hours there and then come back in the afternoon. I'll keep this one in mind.

jjgurley, yes, I think I've read just about every one of your posts on Scotland. Lounge is definitely my cup of tea, and I will make sure I'm there on Wednesday. I totally get that about the ferries, and I won't be taking ferries on every trip although I would love to if I had the time. In fact, I think I'm going to need to fly from Shetland to Kirkland because the day I leave Shetland is a Sunday, and the ferries don't run on the weekends evidently. I don't mind flying, though.

And thank you for all the ideas of things to see! This is great to have it all in one place! I have notes from all over, but I'm starting to get a little overwhelmed, so I love your concise list. Thank you for the proposed schedule. That really helps a lot and I like all of the places on there.

The Lounge is definitely my cup of tea, and I will make sure I'm there on Wednesday. Fair Isle is on my list of islands to go to, but I don't know if I'll make it. We'll see.

Oh, I meant to tell you that I found one of your trip reports, and you mentioned staying at Benmora B&B. It sounded nice so I contacted her and she sent me a very kind email back saying that she is retiring in April next year, so they're not taking any guests after that. It's a shame because it looked like a nice place, but I'm looking at others and I'll add yours to the list.

wasleys, the Shetland Bus! I remember that was in the plot of the very first Shetland show. Well, not the main plot, but it had to do with the Shetland Bus, and I am definitely interested in learning more about that and seeing the memorial. I will definitely read the book. Oh, the Croft House Museum sounds interesting. Actually, it all sounds interesting. I'm going to go crazy trying to see everything. I love the idea of a Sunday tea there! Oh, I will definitely try and find that! Thank you so much!

jjgurley, Thanks for the info on the boat to Noss. I do know that the ferry arrives at 11:30 pm, but it's my understanding that it's easy to book a cab ahead of time, and they will meet you there at that time. But in my case, it doesn't matter because I'm heading to Orkney on a Sunday, and the ferry is not running, so I'm going to be flying in.

Thanks again, for all these wonderful ideas, and they are laid out so nicely. It makes it easy for me to understand when I can see them all in a row like this. I will have a car for pretty much every place I am. And yes, I think that if Stuart had his way, we would all be living on the islands and visiting each one every day of the week—but I get that. There are just so many gorgeous places to see. One of these days I will have to make it over to the Outer Hebrides again. I was hoping to get there this trip, but I just decided to focus on the Northern Isles.

wasleys, Those museums sound very interesting, and I will make it a point to look them up. Broch of Gurness sounds nice, as well. Oh, I'm glad you mentioned Historic Scotland because that reminds me I need to get a membership before I go. And I already have the Italian Chapel on my list because I definitely wanna see that. The photo I've seen makes it look gorgeous. Oh, so many places and so little time, but I'm going to try and get to as many as I can without killing myself. 😂

johnnew52, John, it's funny you mentioned that because I just realized yesterday that I will miss the Orkney Folk Festival, which takes place right after I leave. Now you're telling me that I'm going to miss the Shetland Folk Festival, which takes place right before I get there. I couldn't have planned that worse! 😊

I'm sorry because I would have loved to see and listen to the music there and see the performers. Folk music is probably my most favorite genre, along with classical and musicals, and it would have been fantastic to attend. But at the same time, I'm not crazy about crowds, and as you mentioned, accommodation would be hard to find and I'm sure more expensive. So I guess it's for the best.

Thanks for the tips about Unst. That's high on my list of places to visit.

We spent a week on Unst in late April many years ago. The people we rented the cottage from were very concerned "You do realise it will still be winter then?" It was cold and there was a wind (there always is on Orkney and Shetland) but we were well wrapped up and had a wonderful time. You do have to like nothingness though! We were possibly the only visitors.

There isn't a lot of accommodation. Baltasound has three small shops selling food but from memory they were fairly basic.

Jjgurley has mentioned Bobby's Bus Shelter which is unique and even has its own Facebook page. . Decorations vary from year to year and there are some really fun pictures of it on Trip Advisor.

@ Mardee - If you need a place to stay in Lerwick, I can recommend a cozy (and slightly funky) B&B we loved (will send via PM if you want). Just steps away from "Jimmy's house".

I don't think anyone has mentioned yet the Noss bird experience - HIGHLY recommended (we went with "Shetland Seabird Tours" aka "The Noss Boat" - and highly recommend them - there's a competing operation with similar name that seemed a bit questionable to me).

Also if you find you're craving an incredible meal while you're there, don't miss "C'est La Vie" - local seafood (scallops to die for), French owners, a minor splurge but OMG it was good. Near Fort Charlotte. Get's busy/overwhelmed when a cruise ship is in town.

You will have a blast.

You used to be able to stay at RAF Saxa Vord on Unst, but that ended when It became a spaceport. I am told there is now a chocolate factory and a brewery up there.
I have a strange relationship with each of the islands on Orkney and Shetland, in that the primary reason for visiting each island was work related for IWM, which was balanced with as much tourist activity as possible. For instance I had to stay on Out Skerries rather than go on a Friday (?) when there are multiple sailings because I was supposed to charter a boat to the uninhabited island of Grunay due remarkably to a fatal WW2 air raid on the island. Of course it was too stormy for such a mad cap and expensive venture, and no normal tourist would do that. But I've got to know many of the islands more intimately or at least differently than the average tourist would. I've only recently come to the end of a 6 year nightmare due to 20 of the 31 kirks on Shetland closing for worship. Some like Lunna have been reopened by the local community.
So I've had multiple visits in many cases.
Which has just reminded me I've been so busy with the Churches I'd forgotten about checking on the second Shetland bus memorial at Scalloway - the slipway which is supposed to have been reconstructed with the aid of Norwegian funding.
Fair Isle South also suffered a fatal air raid, the last place you would expect.
Another oddity about Fair Isle is that a Spanish galleon was wrecked off the island in the Anglo Spanish war of 1588. 50 of the the crew are buried in a marked mass grave on Fair Isle.
Others departed for Westray, Orkney, some married and stayed. They are now known locally as the Westray Dons - a fascinating little bit of history.
Ultimately others went to St Andrews, then Edinburgh on the way back to Spain.

Sorry to leave out Gurness as an interesting site. Wasleys reminded me that we added it at the last minute.

Regarding folk festivals, we find we'd rather be on the shoulders of them, as the crowds aren't yet there or have already left, but the musicians are often still hanging around, leading to good sessions in pubs.

Thursday night is the weekly meeting of the Orkney Strathspey and Reel Society where you might be the only listener - we were until a couple more people showed up. It's a tragedy that the Reel closed in 2023?. The Wrigley sisters are still around, but not performing regularly.

As a lark, if you're in Edinburgh on Sunday, the Edinburgh-Shetland Fiddle Club meets at Diggers's Bar (The Athletic) in the back room. We were the only two people listening to five fiddles and a guitar and good conversation. Several of them had been at Sandy Bells earlier in the day and complained about how crowded it was.

Mardee, Yes for Shorestation on Unst we booked directly with the owner via the email link on the shetland tourism page. I will see if I still have her email and send it on to you. It's the former store for supplies etc to be shipped to Muggle Flugga lighthouse.

RAF Saxa Vord on Unst. ..... I am told there is now a chocolate factory and a brewery up there.

Unfortunately both the chocolate factory and the brewery (with the wonderful name of Valhalla Brewery) closed nearly ten years ago - a great shame as it produced some cracking beers.

However there is a distillery on Unst producing gin...

wasleys, ha ha, that's funny about your stay in Unst and them worrying about you and the cold. I would not consider late April to be winter, but I guess it's different there. Of course, their April sounds like our April, so I should be right at home. 😊 As of now, I have three nights tentatively booked at Shorehaven on Unst and I'm looking forward to that stay.

David, thanks for sending me the link to the Lerwick B&B and the Shetland Seabird Tours. The tour looks really cool, and I definitely think I will be booking something with them. I also appreciate the recommendation for the meal. I love scallops and it sounds wonderful!

Stuart, I can definitely see how work would make you approach the islands differently than the average tourist. That's interesting about Fair Isle. One of the Shetland shows took place on Fair Isle, and I was thinking I might like to go there if it's at all possible. It looks like there might be a few difficulties, but it would be nice to see. The island is beautiful, and I remember them mentioning the galleon wreck during the show when I watched it.

jjgurley, that's a good idea about maybe checking some of the pubs for music right away at the beginning of my stay in Lerwick. Although I don't get there until the sixth and if the festival is over on the second, that's four nights in between, so who knows if anybody will still be there. And thank you for the music tips as well. I will try and find those if possible. I won't be in Edinburgh on this trip, though. In fact, the only place on the mainland I will be is Aberdeen, but I'll keep that in mind for the future. Thanks!

Skyegirl, I mentioned this to you already, but I did send an email to her and she responded, saying that she had three nights available. So I told her that I would like to book those, and I'm waiting to hear back from her now. I'm really looking forward to my Unst stay!

wasleys, Too bad about the chocolate factory and the brewery (and I also love that name), but I'm happy to hear that there is a distillery!

I've been looking over my notes from our recent trip, a few more things to add:

-When you get the ferry between Stromness and Scrabster, make sure you stand on the east side of the boat (on the left if you're heading to Scrabster) to get a wonderful view of the Old Man of Hoy. This is the best way to see it!
-For car hire, we used WR Tullock and were very happy with the service. They have location in the centre of Kirkwall as well as Kirkwall Airport.
-In Kirkwall, we stayed at the Albert Hotel. The location was good, room was clean and nice, nothing fancy- we were happy with it.
-I second the recommendation for the Italian Chapel- it's beautiful! You can combine it with a visit to the Churchill Barriers (which you drive over) and seeing some of the wrecks which are still sticking out of the sea. We drove all the way down to St Margaret's Hope which was a nice drive. Apparently you can frequently see seals at St Mary's Village near the chapel tho we did not see any this time.
-Speaking of seals, we saw quite a few on Rousay- just relaxing on the shore! Saviskaill Bay is one of the best places to see them. You'll see it's even marked on Google maps.
-As I mentioned above, there wasn't anywhere to get food on Rousay. There is a village shop but the opening hours are extremely limited. There was one hotel on the island that appeared from their website to be open (and serving food) but when we got there there was a sign on the door saying it was closed. It's called the Taversoe Inn, in case you want to check it.
-If you like whisky at all, I definitely recommend a visit to the Highland Park distillery. And if you REALLY like whisky you must visit the Kirkwall Hotel bar, which has the largest selection of Highland Park found anywhere in the world. We enjoyed going and trying some of the less expensive ones and chatting to the very friendly staff.
-If you like beer, we also loved Orkney Brewery- both the actual brewery, where we had a great lunch, and the brewery shop, which is in Kirkwall and has a few beers on draught.
-I think the best meals we had were the restaurant at the Kirkwall Hotel, Storehouse (in Orkney), and the Orkney Brewery.
-Something we did to break up the trip back to Inverness was to get the bus from the ferry terminal at Scrabster to Helmsdale and stay overnight in Helmsdale, which is a beautiful location on the coast. Then we got the train to Inverness in the morning.

Ok, I hope I haven't overloaded you! We had such a wonderful time so I am excited to share it. I haven't even mentioned all the Neolithic sites but I'm sure you're aware of those already.

Regarding the wreck on Fair Isle, you might recall from Shetland that Jimmy Perez was descended from one of the Spanish sailors, hence the name.

I would second the recommendations for Jarlshof, Frankie’s Fish and Chips, St Ninian’s tombolo beach (there is a great hike from here), and the Noss bird boat tour. If you are looking for hikes, I can tell you some of our favorites. Someone mentioned Echaness on Unst, which we loved. We didn’t do a lot of museums (did like the Croft house though), but loved all the Neolithic and more recent historic sites, especially on Orkney.

Cat:. Oh, good to know about getting a look at the Old Man of Hoy. I was wondering about that, so I will make a note of this. Thanks for the car hire recommendation. I have one already recommended, so add that to the list. I haven't booked that yet. I want to make sure I have all my lodging down first.

Thanks for the Albert Hotel recommendation. I will keep that in mind. I already have an apartment booked for the first five nights in Kirkwall, but I will have, I think, three nights at the end that I will need to find. I'll check that out. I definitely intend to see the Italian Chapel and the Churchill Barriers. In fact, the Churchill Barriers are mentioned in Ann Cleeves' latest book, The Killing Stones.

Oh, I love seals! I saw quite a few on Iceland, but would love to see more! And I will bookmark the Rousay seal area! And that's good to know about food. It looks like I'm going to be bringing food with me to many places. And I like whiskey and beer, so I will check out the distillery, the Kirkwall Hotel Bar, and the Orkney Brewery. I'm going to be sloshed when I leave there. 😂 And I really like that idea about staying in Helmsdale. It's funny you should mention that, because I was originally sort of rushing through there, but I rearranged my calendar a few days ago to include an extra day at the end when I'm around Inverness. I thought about staying in Inverness, but I like the idea of staying in Helmsdale.

Ha ha, no, I'm not overloaded at all! Well, I kind of am, but it's not from you. It's just me being overwhelmed by all the information that is out there. It's getting better, though. I'm starting to calm down a bit and make plans. My problem is I get too distracted, and I'll work on one thing and suddenly switch to something else and then I forget about the first one so I have to go back and so on. I have 50 bajillion tabs open right now on my browser, and I never have that many! It drives me crazy, and I need to put them into tab groups, which I will, but haven't yet. Sorry for the whining. 😂

Carroll, oh yes, I definitely remember about Jimmy Perez's ancestors. In the book, Jimmy has black hair that she says came from his ancestors, but given the immense period of time that elapsed between the ancestors and Jimmy's birth, I always thought that was a bit of an overstatement. I found it hard to believe that black hair would have stayed in the family that long. But I guess she was taking some creative license. 😊

And thanks for all the recommendations. I already have the link for the Noss boat tour, and will definitely be booking a tour there. I would also love to hear about some of your hikes if you want to share. My hands are going numb with all the notes I am taking from this thread, lol!

A very brief sample of the kind of bird action you'll experience (up-close and personal) on the Shetland Seabirds/Noss Boat tours...this has got to be one of the best, most easily accessible, and utterly spectacular wildlife experiences one can have anywhere in this day and age. Please forgive the marginal video quality and gratuitous slow-mo, all shot ad hoc with a basic hand-held iPhone. It can be a bit overwhelming and sometimes difficult to maintain your photographer's cool as the scrum swirls around you...

Gannets INCOMING!!!

(Click the frame to play the short video clip - under a minute)

I would not consider late April to be winter
We did have a snow shower one day. The main problem is the wind chill factor.

Old Man of Hoy - yes you do get good views from the Scrabster Stromness ferry. However the light is wrong if you are on the morning sailing. It's best seen on the afternooon one..

Somewhere no-one has mentioned yet is Mousa Broch on Sheltand which is reached by a 15 minute boat ride NOTE sailings begin 1st April. It's the tallest and best prsered Broch (much more impressive than the more easily visited Clickimin Broch on the outskirts of Lerwick. You can see it from the A970 and there is a large layby with a view point. Best seen in the afternoon as the sun is behind you.

If you think you want another apartment in Kirkwall send me a message and I'll link the one i had.

David, I love that video! It looks and sounds so cool to see in here. All those gannets just swooping in and splashing. I went to an RSPB site when I was in North Yorkshire and loved it, but the birds were much farther away. That would be so neat to have them right around you.

wasleys: I'm sure the wind is a big factor. That's the way it is here in Duluth, and I remember on Iceland, the temperature dropped so quickly any time the wind came up. With regards to the ferry, I may have to miss seeing it then (although I'm going to try and go on the island anyway), but I plan on doing the MV Hamnavoe B&B stay and take the ferry then from Stromness to Scrabster in the morning. It just seems to make sense. And thanks for the info on Mousa Broch. That does sound very impressive, and I will add it to my ever-growing list!

Maria, I will do that—thanks.

In terms of Orkney, because of the size and the quality of the roads - you can tell Orkney Islands Council had good budgets in days of yore, anywhere on Mainland and the Churchill Barrier Islands is a good place to find a base. It is really your choice based on the accomodation. I agree with spending the last night on the ferry at Stromness as it would be so different. Steve Marsh I think did it on his YouTube channel.

By the way there are actually 4 memorials to the Shetland Bus at Scalloway, four at Lunna and one at Burghead (a town), Moray on the mainland- because Burghead was the mainland base for the operation.

At Scalloway you have the cairn, the slipway, the Roll of Honour in the Museum (technically not a memorial, more a museum interpretative display) and the 4 painted murals on the Williamson's building (painted by Scalloway School pupils in 2002)

At Lunna there is the brass plaque inside Lunna House, the external plaque at the Kirk to David Armine Howarth, the grave side cross to Nils Nesse- the first Norwegian killed in the operation (he was from Bremnes on the island of Bømlo south of Bergen). He was killed on 28 October 1941, when German aircraft attacked the Siglaos on its way to Shetland from Norway. Nesse was buried at Lunna but repatriated home in 1948.

There is also a churchyard plaque to 2 unknown Norwegians buried at Lunna- The first was an unknown sailor buried on 5 February 1940. He is thought to have been from the cargo ship Hop, which had left Bergen on 2 February 1940 and was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine. The second man was buried on 9 June 1942. He was found drifting in the sea by a local crofter, the circumstances of his loss are unknown.

You also possibly missed the statue of Leif Andreas Larsen in Bergen, near the Fish Market. His medals are at the North Sea Maritime Museum at Televåg, Sotra Norway- the scene of an associated tragedy. and brutal German reprisal. That museum also has a display about the wider Shetland bus operation (an easy day trip by bus or car from Bergen).

Don't worry Mardee - you'll still see the Old Man of Hoy from the morning ferry but the light is wrong to take good photos of it...

On our first trip to Shetland, to which we flew direct from home MFR/SEA/LHR/EDI/LSI, we took the 10pm boat trip to Mousa to be at the Broch at midnight (twilight) when the storm petrels fly in to roost in the cracks in the broch rocks. A really special experience. Comparable to the bats swarming out of Carlsbad Caverns. Needless to say we slept in the next morning after the marathon. A little research should reveal if they are there in April.

Mardee could be a bit early for this as the storm petrols are usually there mid May - mid July. Agree they are an amazing sight.

MC-Glasgow: MC, I remember watching one of the episodes of Shetland and thinking how nice their roads look compared to those of some of the Hebridean islands. And thanks for your comment about spending the last night on the ferry. I'll have to look at his video. I need to go over there anyway and just plow my way through it because I'm sure he has a ton of stuff on the Northern isles.

Stuart, Oh, that's great information about the four Shetland Bus memorials. I will try and find all of them if I can. And I actually did see that statue with the identification, but didn't know who it was, so thank you for that. I walked out there one day just because I was out by myself and headed down to the end of the pier to check it out.

jjgurley and wasleys: I checked, and it looks like the boat doesn't even start going out there until the end of May, so I think I'm out of luck. Too bad; I'm sure it's amazing.

Mardee, These were our favorite hikes:

Orkney Mainland

1) Coastal walk by Yesnaby Cliffs — this is absolutely stunning

2) Brough of Birsay — This is a tidal island so you have to hit the tides right. Very cool.

Rousay

1) hike up Faraclett Head — very isolated

Westray

We took a full day tour, so we didn’t hike, but areas we loved were:

1) The Scaun — absolutely wild with crazy winds and crashing waves when we were there. Freezing (in July!) but fun.

2) Noup Head — lots of birds

Papa Westray

Again we took a tour. I didn’t make any notes on the areas we saw, except for Knap of Howar, a preserved stone building even older than Skara Brae. No one else was there, which will not be the case at Skara Brae (still not to be missed). Oh, and the 2 minute flight is a lot of fun!

Shetland Mainland

1) hike on St Ninian’s Isle — You walk over the tombolo beach to get there. Go as far as you want; it’s all good. Wonderful views and hardly any people.

2) Eshaness Cliffs — I think I said this was on Unst. It is not. It’s on the NE coast of the mainland. Really spectacular.

Unst

1) Hermaness National Nature Reserve — wonderfully scenic hike. We just did a day trip to Unst, so this is all we had time for. (We also had time to stop at Bobby’s bus stop. The story is sweet, but seeing it was kind of meh for me.)

Mardee

MC-Glasgow is certainly right about Steve Marsh's You Tube channel. We are hooked on it and eagerly await each week's new video. He did indeed do North Link B&B in Orkney. He has also done Aberdeen to Lerwick many times, including on the little known (and basically unadvertised) freight only ferry. I haven't been able to persuade my co-traveller that this would something we should try. He is too attached to the executive cabins and Magnus lounge on the 'normal' ferry to Shetland.

Jacqui

Mardee, yes the roads in both Shetland and Orkney are excellent in condition.

Orkney if you drive when you come down into Caithness, the roads in the far north feel really rutted in comparison.

Carroll, thank you very much for the list of hikes! They look wonderful! I'm glad you had fun on the Papa Westray flight—I'm looking forward to that.

Jacqui, I love Steve Marsh—I first started watching him when I traveled to Scotland in 2023, and I've been so swamped that I haven't had much time to watch any of his videos, except one or two so far. But I will be heading there soon, and will watch the NorthLink B&B and the Aberdeen to Lerwick video. I've heard of the freight ferry but wasn't sure what it was—now I will definitely have to check it out!

Ha ha, your co-traveler obviously has a taste for plush travel!!

MC-Glasgow, I don't think I'll be driving from Caithness. I'm just going to take the train or bus from there to Inverness and then rent a car there. But good to know.

Thanks, Skyegirl; I reported it as it sounds like self-promotion.

Mardee, the Far North Line is one I want to do. Meanders all over the shop, has random stops in the middle of nowhere, but no where else like it, one to sit back and enjoy the ride

Is that a train route, MC?

Yes, the Far North Line is the railway from Thurso and Wick down to Inverness.

The 'problem' with the train is that coming off the early ferry you have missed the two morning trains, so the next train leaves Thurso at 1306, arriving at Inverness at 1708.

Whereas there is a direct connection at Scrabster ferry terminal into either the Stagecoach/soon not to be Citylink code share X99 or the Ember Bus which leave 10 minutes apart from each other.

Now you could use that as a good excuse to join the train at Wick at 1234, while it goes through Georgemas Junction station twice on the way to Thurso and back, before heading to Inverness.

Slightly frustratingly the morning Thurso to Wick bus via John O'Groats arrives in Wick 2 minutes after that train has left, but there are also direct buses between the two towns.

Equally you could argue that gives flex time in case the ferry is delayed by adverse weather, so pluses and minuses.

It's the same northbound with the train- the afternoon train from Inverness should connect with the evening ferry and does if its on time. There used to be a special connecting bus from Thurso Station to Scrabster. If the train was really late the ferry would wait for that bus. Although the train time hasn't changed with no bus the connection is not guaranteed if the train is late and you take a taxi down to the port.

So even if you were on a through rail ticket to Stromness I suggest taking the morning train from Inverness, for comfort of mind.

I suspect that most foot passengers now just take the bus to and from Inverness, sadly, because of the ease of use.

The Far North Line is still the 'undiscovered' railway line in Scotland. I've happy memories of doing it in steam days - including one memorable journey when the steam loco broke down 4 miles from the nearest station at Altnabreac which is literally in the middle of nowhere. The guard had a long walk to the nearest signal box to call for help, as they didn't have radio communication in those days. I seem to remember it took nearly 5 hours before they could get a relief loco to us and it was 3-4am by the time we staggered back into Inverness station.

I'm always intrigued by the 'top' section of the line as it travels through the Flow Country of peat bogs and lochans . It's an interesting run as it drops down to the coast at Helmsdale before looping back inland after Golspie to rejoin the coast again along the Dornoch Firth to Dingwall. It may lack the dramatic scenery of the West Highland Line or the Kyle Line, but it has its own beauty.

What a great thread! Looks like someone is going to have a great time!

Happy travels!

Riding the train from Inverness to Thurso was definitely one of the highlights of our trip to Orkney- amazing scenery, and one of the few times in the UK I’ve been on a line with request stops!

Stuart, thanks for that information. I was looking at this year's timetable, and I guess May is considered peak. According to that, it says that they have three ferries a day: 6:30, 11:00 and 16:45. But if I want to do the B&B thing, which I do, I would need to go with the morning ferry.

So as much as I hate to miss that train as I think it would be a wonderful ride, I am also anxious to get to inverness without too much delay. But like you said, it's a good buffer just in case the ferry is delayed. I wonder why the train doesn't time it with the ferry? It seems like that would be a good opportunity to pick up passengers.

David, I hope that someone is me! 😊

wasleys, the train sounds fascinating, and I wish I could take it. It's frustrating, but I know I wouldn't be happy sitting around waiting, even if I walked into Thurso and spent some time there. Once I'm on the move, I want to get to where I'm going. I'm surprised I'm forcing myself to stop in Inverness for the night rather than just plowing on.

Cat, I guess I'll just have to come back for another trip so I can ride the train! 😂

Mardee,
Last night I spent almost an hour writing a long answer on the train question, then deleted it on the point of posting, because it was too technical.
So I will try to write a simpler answer.
If you are really wanting to take the train from Thurso to Inverness then it is theoretically possible, leaving aside my deep misgivings from experience.
The ferry berths at Scrabster at 0800, the train leaves from Thurso Railway Station (2.2 miles away) at 0834.

On a Sunday morning that is a 5 to 7 minute drive in a pre booked and waiting taxi. On a weekday morning with school traffic probably a bit longer (but at least there isn't Dounreay works traffic at 0800).

Officially the connection doesn't exist any longer but I've gone back 20 years in the timetables to when it did. Crucially you can't produce an itinerary from modern retail systems, as if you ask for Stromness to Inverness the systems produce an itinerary from Aberdeen to Inverness.

So the minimum connecting time at Scrabster from ferry to taxi (or cancelled bus) is 10 minutes- https://www.brtimes.com/!board?stn=SCB
The 'fixed link' [bus or taxi] minimum connecting time from Scrabster to Thurso Station is 15 minutes
and the minimum connecting time from the fixed link to the train at Thurso Station is 5 minutes- https://www.brtimes.com/!board?stn=THS&date=20260831

A total of 30 minutes, giving you 4 minutes in hand, officially.

So, if this was an air connection at MSP airport from Duluth (using adjacent gates on a through ticket), with the same connecting times, you could book it. Whether you would is a different question.

So that is, hopefully, a shortish technical but also a realistic answer.

Now what you could do is to pre reserve for free a seat on the train using TPE or GWR, but only buy the travel ticket in the taxi or on the platform if you are on time.

Then also book a seat on the Ember bus (from Thurso town centre) as you can cancel that for free up to 10 minutes before the scheduled departure time. So once you are (if you are) on the train cancel the Ember booking. If the ferry is late get the taxi to drop you in Thurso town centre instead.

Belt and braces.