Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sumburgh Head
he Mainland comes to a dramatic end at
Sumburgh Head
(262ft), which rises sharply
out of the land only to drop vertically into the sea. he clifftop
lighthouse
was built by
Robert Stevenson in 1821, and the road up to it is the perfect site for watching nesting
sea birds such as kittiwakes, fulmars, shags, razorbills and guillemots, as well as gannets
diving for fish. his is also the easiest place in Shetland to get close to
pu
ns
: during
the nesting season (May to early Aug), you simply need to look over the western wall,
just before you enter the lighthouse complex, to see them arriving at their burrows a
few yards below with beakfuls of sand eels or giving flying lessons to their offspring.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
SOUTH MAINLAND
By plane
Sumburgh airport, at the southernmost tip of
South Mainland, is Shetland's main airport. There's a bus
service to Lerwick (Mon-Sat 5-6 daily, 4 on Sun; 45min) or
else it's a £25 taxi ride.
By bus
There are regular buses from Lerwick to Levenwick
(Mon-Sat 6-8 daily, 4 on Sun; 30min); Sandwick (Mon-Fri
8-10 daily, 6 on Sat, 4 on Sun; 25min); Sumburgh (Mon-
Sat 5-6 daily, 4 on Sun; 45min).
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Betty Mouat's Cottage
Scatness
T
01595 694688,
W
camping-bods.com.
Next to an excavated broch and
not far from the airport, this stone-built cottage is a
camping b
öd
w
ith two bedrooms and a solid fuel stove.
April-Oct.
£10
/person
Levenwick Campsite
T
01950 422320,
W
levenwick.
shetland.co.uk.
Small, terraced campsite run by the local
community with hot showers, a ten
nis
court and a superb
view over the east coast. May-Sept.
£6
/pitch
Ì
Mucklehus
T
01950 422370,
W
mucklehus.co.uk.
A lovely B&B in a former Master Mariner's house built in
1890 near the beach in Levenwick, 18 miles south of
Lerwick; the rooms are small, but stylish and there's free
wi-fi.
£80
Setterbrae
T
01950 460468,
W
setterbrae.co.uk.
A
stone's throw from Spiggie Loch, this comfortable modern
B&B has a residents' lounge
and
conservatory, lots of books
on Shetland and free wi-fi.
£70
Spiggie Hotel
T
01950 460409,
W
thespiggiehotel.
co.uk.
Hotel with a popular bar serving real ales and a
restaurant with great views and, if you're lucky, incredible
sunsets. Bar meals are priced around £10, or you can have
well-presented dishes such as lobster or whatever the local
catch is, à la carte in the restaurant (mains £12-18).
Food
served Mo
n & Tu
es 6-10pm, Wed-Sun noon-2.30pm
& 6-10pm.
£110
16
Fair Isle
Marooned in the sea halfway between Shetland and Orkney,
Fair Isle
is very different
from both. he weather reflects its isolated position: you can almost guarantee that it'll be
windy, though if you're lucky your visit might coincide with fine weather - what the
islanders call “a given day”. Fair Isle's population had tumbled from 400 to 44 by the
1950s, at which point evacuation was seriously considered. he laird,
George Waterston
,
who'd set up a bird observatory in 1948, passed it into the care of the NTS in 1954 and
rejuvenation began. Today, Fair Isle supports a community of around seventy.
he north end of the island rises like a wall, while the Sheep Rock, a sculpted stack of
rock and grass on the east side, is another dramatic feature. he croft land and the island's
scattered white houses are concentrated in the south. Fair Isle has two
lighthouses
, one at
either end of the island, both designed by the Stevenson family and erected in 1892.
Fair Isle Bird Observatory
April-Oct • Free •
T
01595 760258,
W
fairislebirdobs.co.uk
he most significant building on Fair Isle is the
Bird Observatory
(FIBO), a large
building just above the sandy bay of North Haven where the ferry from Shetland
arrives, which houses an exhibition on the island past and present. As well as providing
accommodation and food to visitors, it's one of the major European centres for
ornithology. As a result, the island is a haven for twitchers, who descend on the island
