Shetland

Are you in Lerwick on a cruise or independently.

If it's a cruise , then unless you are one of the rare ships which berths at Holmsgarth or Mairs Pier you will be anchored off Bressay and tendered ashore to the town centre, which means that the time you get ashore is uncertain.
Very small cruise ships berth on the Victoria Pier where you will be tendered to.
When berthed at Holmsgarth or Mair's Pier a free shuttle bus takes you into town.

If you were berthed or there independently I would suggest the Mousa Boat- https://www.mousa.co.uk/

If tendering, given the uncertainties over timing I would suggest going down to Sumburgh Head lighthouse- there is a good bus service as the airport is close to Sumburgh.

You also shouldn't miss the excellent Shetland Museum.

The other easily accessible place is Scalloway (the original Capital of Shetland), now well known for it's strong connections with the Shetland Bus operation in WW2.

I follow a former Rick Steves tour guide's FB page. He does little vignettes of historical people who lived in the areas his tours visit and recently did a little short one on The Shetland Bus. I'd never heard of this til his post but I'm visiting in August so I can't wait to find more about it!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/284251339675804/search/?q=shetland%20bus

Pam - The Shetland Bus is a fascinating story. 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, which is now a B&B

The Scalloway museum has information and arefacts. Have a read of this article. There is also a lovely memorial in Scalloway. The rocks taken from the birthplaces of the 44 Norwegian crewmembers that died during the operation of the Shetland Bus. Their names can be found on the plaque at the base of the sculpture.

You may also enjoy this one too.

There are also two other Shetland Bus memorials in Scalloway- a mural on the external side of the Williamson's building and the Prince Olav slipway.
By now there should be a new, replacement, replica WW2 boat cradle at the Prince Olav slipway- one was provided originally in 1991 but was in a very poor state of repair, and beyond restoration. In June 2022 £50,000 was given by Norway to assist in the renovation. Work was planned to be completed by Spring 2023.
I forgot about this work when in Aberdeen the other week or would have nipped up on the overnight ferry to check on progress.

Unless you got a taxi (on any day of the week) you wouldn't be able to get to Lunna. Apart from the house there are another 4 external Shetland bus memorials at the former Kirk (closed in 2022). It is hoped that the Community will buy the Kirk as a community building- a developing story.

UPDATE 6 AUGUST 2023- Although Lunna Kirk was due to close at the end of 2022 I have just noticed that there was a baptism there this afternoon, and looking back at the service schedules there is still a service there every few weeks for the time being, while the sale of the Church is discussed.

jwstahl49

Lerwick is a lovely small town and is easily explored on foot. Don't miss Clickimin Broch on the edge of the town and Fort Charlotte in the centre oif the town. Both are free and open 24/7. Shetland Museum is well worth visiting. If it is a nice day, this walk is well worth doing, The views from the Nab are very good.
All of this will easily fill several hours.

You could also catch the ferry to Bressay - it takes seven minutes and you can see the timetable here. Bressay is a completely different feel to Lerwick. Depending on time available, go for a wander up and down the road overlooking Bressay Sound, or else take the road towards Noss to really get to the middle of nowhere. Have a look at the map here.

Thanks for the extra information isn31c. It is a few years since we were in Shetland - I keep saying I must get back... I do hope the community manage to buy the Kirk. It is such an evocative building.

We also saw whales just off the coast at Lunna - a brief glimpse as they were blowing before disappearing under the waves.

Apologies to the OP for my continued chatter on your thread, lol....BUT

Huge thanks to Wasleys and isn31c for all the additional information. The Haworth book on The Shetland Bus is available on Kindle and since today is some kind of double points or other nonsense, just downloaded that. I watched the clip from the documentary on the Scalloway Museum website and will watch the rest before I leave. Good to know there are other memorials as well.

Scalloway Castle has been closed for essential conservation work for a few years now, and their website doesn't provide any info about re-opening. You can walk around the outside and visit the small town down the hill.

Yes… been there twice. My ancestors came from Shetland. Mark has a brilliant tour. One day is not enough. Yes shetland bus is very interesting., I bought the book at the museum. All suggestions above are great. Jarlshof at sumburgh, puffins down at sumburgh. Boat ride around bresssy, St Ninians isle, Eshaness cliffs are a few more ideas

Kim

I’m in Shetland at the moment on holiday and while usually a contributor of advice here, this time I’m the beneficiary of the wonderful tips shared on this thread. We are staying in Bigton overlooking the tombolo beach at St Ninian’s. have enjoyed kayaking around the bays and voes. Scalloway was interesting especially the excellent museum. Castle still closed for roof repairs. Also enjoyed a walk around the coast at Hamnavoe. Jarlshof was fantastic until the cruise ship bus hoards arrived……
Much still to explore, but already planning a future visit. The overnight ferry was great too.

Skyegirl...I loved that tombolo beach at St Ninian's! What a gorgeous stretch. We happened to hit it on a sunny day which was awesome.

If you have a chance to drive north a bit, so a quick stop at Mavis Grind for the story there...It was a Viking portage spot from the Atlantic to the North Sea.

I thought that small museum at Scalloway was excellent as well. The gentleman on the desk the day we were there was so interesting and mentioned the Queen of Norway had visited about 6 weeks ago on a private (non-state) visit. The islands have such a strong link to Norway that I found very interesting.

Agree about the sights being easier to manage when there was not a cruise ship in.

Pam,
We were told the story about the Queen of Norway too. Love the low key approach that she took, such that she could wander around without being bothered or recognised.

Yes the Viking porterage spot was cool. We stopped there today on a visit to the North Mavine part of Mainland. We had delicious fish n chips (me) and scallops (my husband) at Frankie’s in Brae before continuing north west, taking in the spectacular coastal scenery and the lovely museum at Tangwick Haa

For those interested in the Shetland Bus I can confirm that Lunna Kirk is open. It’s a wonderful wee Kirk and there are graves of unknown Norwegian mariners in the graveyard as well as a memorial stone to David Howarth whose ashes were scattered in the bay. Lunna Kirk on Undiscovered Scotland. It also looks as though the community buy out has been agreed, as per this article in the local paper Shetland News

I am keeping a close watch on Lunna Kirk (and also Skerries Kirk, another one which has a delayed closure) due to it's war memorials, and should hear from the Presbytery when both do eventually close. Now Lunna has started the final closure process I am much more relaxed on the future of the war memorials there than I was.

I will breathe a huge sigh of relief when the Church closures are finished- a process which has been dragging on for what feels like about 5 years.