Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
18th-century blacksmith who inoculated several thousand people against smallpox using a
self-devised serum. The
böd
is 3.5 miles east of Eshaness.
CAMPGROUND
SBraewick Cafe & Caravan Park£
(
01806-503345;
www.eshaness.shetland.co.uk
; sites for 1/2/wigwams £5/7/36;
10am-5pm Mar-Oct; )
Decent tent pitches and tasty light meals served in a cafe
(Thursday to Monday, dishes £3 to £10), with stunning views over St Magnus Bay and its
weird and wonderful rock formations, are on offer here. Much of the food is sourced from
the owners' croft next door. It also has 'wigwams' - wooden huts with fridge and kettle
that sleep four (six at a pinch). It's at Braewick on the road between Hillswick and
Eshaness.
Getting There & Away
Buses from Lerwick (once daily Monday to Saturday, evening departure) run to Hillswick
(1¼ hours), Eshaness (1½ hours) and North Roe (1½ hours). There's also a morning bus
Monday to Saturday from Brae to Hillswick.
WILDLIFE-WATCHING IN SHETLAND
For birdwatchers, Shetland is paradise - a stopover for migrating Arctic species, it hosts vast seabird breeding
colonies.
Of the 24 seabird species that nest in the British Isles, 21 are found here; June is the height of the breeding sea-
son. Every bird has its own name here: rain geese are red-throated divers, bonxies are great skuas, and alamooties
are storm petrels. The RSPB (
Click here
)
maintains several reserves around the islands. There are National
Nature Reserves at
Hermaness
(where you can't fail to be entertained by the clownish antics of the almost tame
puffins),
Keen of Hamar
and
Noss
.
Fair Isle
also supports large seabird populations.
But keep an eye on the sea itself: killer whales are regularly sighted (as are other cetaceans), as well as sea ot-
ters. A useful website for all species is
www.nature-shetland.co.uk
,
which details latest sightings.
Held over a week in early July, the
Shetland Nature Festival
(
www.shetlandnaturefestival.co.uk
)
has guided
walks, talks, boat trips, open days and art and photography workshops celebrating Shetland's wildlife and geo-
logy.
The North Isles
Yell, Unst and Fetlar make up the North Isles, connected to each other by ferry.
