Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
www.thespiggiehotel.co.uk
;
s/d £55/120, self-catering s/d from £70/80; )
, with com-
pact rooms, self-catering annexes and tasty seafood and bar meals (lunch Wednesday to
Sunday, dinner daily). The rooms and dining room boast great views down over the local
loch.
SUMBURGH
With sea cliffs and grassy headlands jutting out into sparkling blue waters, Sumburgh is
one of the most scenic places to stay on the island. There's a tourist office open daily at
Sumburgh airport.
Sights
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE
Old Scatness
(
01950-461869;
www.shetland-heritage.co.uk
; adult/child £5/4; 10am-5pm Sun-Thu
late May-Aug; )
This dig brings Shetland's prehistoric past vividly to life; it's a must-
see for archaeology buffs, but fun for kids, too. Clued-up guides in Iron Age clothes show
you around the site, which is still being excavated - it has provided important clues on the
Viking takeover and the dating of these northern Scottish sites.
There's an impressive broch from around 300 BC, roundhouses and later wheelhouses.
Best of all is the reconstruction of one of these, complete with smoky peat fire and work-
ing loom.
Jarlshof
(HS; 01950-460112;
www.historic-scotland.gov.uk
;
adult/child £5.30/3.30;
9.30am-5.30pm Apr-Sep, 9.30am-4.30pm Oct-Mar)
Old and new collide here, as Sum-
burgh airport lies only a few metres from this picturesque and instructive archaeological
site. Various periods of occupation from 2500 BC to AD 1500 can be seen, and the com-
plete change that occurred upon the Vikings' arrival is obvious: their rectangular long-
houses present a marked contrast to the brochs, roundhouses and wheelhouses that pre-
ceded them.
Atop the site is the 16th-century Old House, named 'Jarlshof' in a novel by Sir Walter
Scott. There's an informative audio tour included with admission.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE
Sumburgh Head
BIRDWATCHING
