Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sumburgh) with the odd one from Lerwick (one-way per person/car and driver £4.10/19.10, three hours), running
on Tuesday and Saturday year-round plus Thursday from May to early October.
North Mainland
Northern Mainland is very photogenic - jumbles of cracked, peaty brown hills, blending
with grassy pastureland, extend like bony fingers of land into numerous lochs and out into
the wider, icy, grey waters of the North Sea.
VOE
Lower Voe is a pretty collection of buildings beside a tranquil bay on Olna Firth.
In previous incarnations,
Sail Loft
(
01806-588327;
www.camping-bods.co.uk
; dm
£10)
, by the pier, was a fishing shed and knitwear factory, but it's now a camping
böd,
with power, coin-operated showers and fuel for sale. Opposite, welcoming
Pierhead Res-
taurant & Bar
(
01806-588332; Lower Voe; mains £8-16)
has hearty home cooking
supplemented by daily local seafood specials. Eat in the convivial bar or the upstairs res-
taurant.
Buses go from Lerwick to Voe (35 minutes, four to six daily Monday to Saturday).
BRAE & AROUND
Accommodation is the reason to stop in Brae; there are several guesthouses. Book in ad-
vance, as they mainly cater to oil workers.
Sleeping & Eating
HOTEL
Busta House Hotel££
(
01806-522506;
www.bustahouse.com
; s/d £99/115; )
Genteel, characterful
Busta House has a long, sad history and inevitable rumours of a (friendly) ghost. Built in
the late 18th century (though the oldest part dates from 1588), its refurbished rooms - all
individually decorated and named after islands in Shetland - are compact but retain a
classy but homely charm. Rooms with sea views and/or four-poster bed cost a bit more.
There are excellent dinners with local produce for £35.
