Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
of 5000 years' worth of culture, people and their interaction with this ancient landscape.
Comprehensive but never dull, the display covers everything from the archipelago's geo-
logy to its fishing industry, via a great section on local mythology - find out about the
scary
nyuggles
(ghostly horses), or use the patented machine for detecting
trows
(fairies).
Pictish carvings and replica jewellery are among the finest pieces here; the museum also
includes a working lighthouse mechanism, small art gallery, and a boat-building work-
shop, where you can watch carpenters restoring and re-creating traditional Shetland fish-
ing vessels. There's also an archive here for tracing your Shetland ancestry.
MUSEUM
Böd of Gremista
(
01595-695057;
www.shetlandtextilemuseum.com
; Gremista Rd; noon-4pm Tue-Sat
May-mid-Sep)
This house was once a fish-curing station, and also the birthplace of Arthur
Anderson, who founded P&O. The friendly custodian will show you around two rooms
restored to how they were 200 years ago, as well as an exhibit on the history of the white-
fish industry. The building also houses displays on the knitted and woven textiles and pat-
terns that take their name from the islands. The
böd
(fishing booth) is a mile north of the
town centre.
ARCHEOLOGICAL SITE
Clickimin Broch
This fortified site, just under a mile southwest of the town centre, was occupied from the
7th century BC to the 6th century AD. It's impressively large, and its setting on a small
loch gives it a feeling of being removed from the present day.
FORTRESS
Fort Charlotte
(Charlotte St; 9.30am-sunset)
Built in 1781, this occupies the site of an earlier fortific-
ation built in 1665 to protect the harbour from the Dutch navy. The five-sided fortress
never saw action, but today houses local volunteer units and provides excellent views over
the harbour.
TOURS
TOURS
Shetland Geotours
