Things to do in Shetland

We’re often asked by visitors to the brewery about what things there are to do in Shetland. The answer is ‘lots’, and there really is something for everyone. We decided to put together a list of some of our recommendations for things to do in Shetland. There’s probably a part two coming as we couldn’t really fit everything in to just one blog post!

Burra and Scalloway

Shetland ponies are famous worldwide, and we have a special affinity for them given we have one as our logo! The Shetland Pony Experience is a great way to learn about these fascinating animals, which you’re sure to see all over the island.

Burra has some beautiful beaches, with both Bannamin and Meal beach’s white sands making them look like something you’d see in the Bahamas.

On the way to Burra, you pass Scalloway, which is a relatively large town by Shetland standards, and is well worth a stop by, especially for the castle and museum. Unfortunately, the castle is closed for the foreseeable but it’s still impressive to see from the outside and museum is filled with fascinating information about the history of Scalloway and its people.

Unst

A trip to Unst is a must! If you’ve taken the time to visit the most northerly isles in the UK, you may as well travel to the most northern of them all. Unst is home to the excellent Shetland Reel distillery who make a wide range of gins and whisky inspired by their island home. They offer tours and guided tastings if you book ahead. There are plenty of other sites to see including the famous Bobby’s Bus Shelter and Hermaness Nature Reserve at the very north of the island.

Lerwick

Being Shetland’s largest town, Lerwick is buzzing with things to see and do. Lerwick’s town centre is filled with independent shops selling gifts, locally made items and lots of Shetland wool and Fair Isle knitwear. If you walk to the end of the Commercial St, then you’ll come across The Lodberries, home of detective Jimmy Perez of the ‘Shetland’ TV series. They are a series of stone buildings that jut into the sea and were originally built this way to allow ships to easily load and unload cargo in and out of them.

The Clickimin Broch is an ancient settlement with evidence of people living there for over 1,000 years. Just to the south of the town centre, you can walk about and see the structure and imagine what it would have been like to live there 100s of years ago. If you like history, the Shetland Museum and Archives is also a must.

And not that we’re biased but we’ve heard that Lerwick Brewery tours and gift shop is also a must, with a 5 star rating on Trip Advisor…

North West

A trip to Shetland wouldn’t be complete without seeing the incredible Eshaness Cliffs. Shetland has some pretty spectacular coastline, in fact you’re never more than 5km from the sea at any point on the island, but the cliffs at Eshaness are really something to behold. Collapsed sea caves and huge boulders thrown up by the sea can be seen as you follow the coastal walk past the Grind of Navir – where the sea’s immense power has smashed a hole through a cliff wall and thrown thousands of stones through it to create a stone beach effect.

On the way to Eshaness from Lerwick, you pass the Dore Holm, an impressive looking islet just south of Eshaness which has been described as looking like a horse bending down to drink water.

The South

Last and by no means least, the south end of the island.At the very southern tip of the mainland is Sumburgh Head, famous for its abundance of puffins and other seabirds. There’s also the lighthouse and visitors centre, and a café with incredible views over the sea and coastline of the south mainland.

Jarlshof is another must for history lovers. This ancient settlement has been recorded to have had its first Neolithic settlers in 2700 BC and remained in use until 1600AD.

You might have seen pictures of St Ninian’s Isle if you’ve been doing any research into coming to Shetland. The largest tombolo in the UK, this stretch of sand connects the mainland to St Ninian’s Isle and is pretty impressive to see. It’s also a great place for stone skimming!