Shetland - The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands - page 377

Scalloway Castle
If door is locked, get key from Scalloway Museum or Scalloway Hotel • Free; HS
In spite of modern developments nearby, Scalloway is dominated by the imposing
shell of Scalloway Castle , a classic fortified tower-house built with forced labour in
1600 by the infamous Earl Patrick Stewart, and thus seen as a powerful symbol of
oppression. Stewart, who'd succeeded to the Earldom of Orkney and Lordship of
Shetland in 1592, held court here, reputedly increasing his power and wealth by using
harsh justice to confiscate assets. He was eventually arrested and imprisoned in 1609
for his aggression toward his fellow landowners; his son, Robert, attempted an
insurrection and both were executed in Edinburgh in 1615. The castle was used for a
time by Cromwell's army, but had fallen into disrepair by 1700; what remains is well
preserved and fun to explore.

Scalloway Museum
Castle St • May-Sept Mon-Sat 11am-4pm, Sun 2-4pm • £3 • T 01595 880734, W scallowaymuseum.org
he Scalloway Museum , in an old knitwear outlet, has a café overlooking the adjacent
castle. The displays range from Neolithic finds to the impact of modern aquaculture,
and there's a replica wheelhouse and a longship for the kids to play with, but the most
interesting section tells the story of the Shetland Bus (see box below). There are models
of some of the fishing boats that made the trip across the North Sea, a replica of the
Lewis guns that were hidden in oil drums aboard the ships and a miniature radio
receiver supplied to the Norwegian Resistance.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE

8

SCALLOWAY

By bus There are regular buses to Scalloway from Lerwick
(Mon-Sat hourly, 2 on Sun; 25min) and a less frequent

service from Scalloway to Trondra and Burra (Mon-Sat
2 daily; 20min).

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Scalloway Hotel T 01595 880444, W scallowayhotel
.com. Well-established hotel on the harbour front, with
plain, slightly cramped rooms and a bar that doubles as
the local pub. The menu features lots of local fish and
seafood - try the platter for a roun d £15. Food served
daily noon-3pm & 5-8.30pm. £70

Windward B&B Port Arthur T 01595 880769,
W accommodation-shetland.co.uk. Very comfortable,
modern, wood-clad two-room B&B at the far western end
of the bay, close to the North Atlantic Fisherie s Col lege.
Great views from the conservatory and free wi-fi. £80

THE SHETLAND BUS
The story of the Shetland Bus - the link between Shetland and Norway that helped to sustain
the Norwegian Resistance through the years of Nazi occupation - is quite extraordinary. Under
threat of attack by enemy aircraft or naval action, small Norwegian fishing boats set out from
Shetland to run arms and resistance workers into lonely fjords. The trip took at least 24 hours
and on the return journey boats brought back Norwegians in danger of arrest by the Gestapo,
or those who wanted to join Norwegian forces fighting with the Allies. For three years, through
careful planning, the operation was remarkably successful: instructions to boats were passed in
cryptic messages in BBC radio broadcasts. Local people knew what was going on, but the secret
was generally well kept. In total, 350 refugees were evacuated, and more than 400 tonnes of
arms, large amounts of explosives and 60 radio transmitters were landed in Norway.
Originally established at Lunna in the northeast of the Mainland, the service moved to
Scalloway in 1942, partly because the village offered good marine-engineering facilities at
Moore's Shipyard on Main Street, where a plaque records the morale-boosting visit of the
Norwegian Crown Prince Olav. Explosives and weapons were stored in the castle and
Kergord House in Weisdale was used as a safe house and training centre for intelligence
personnel and saboteurs. The hazards, tragedies and elations of the exercise are brilliantly
described in David Howarth's book, The Shetland Bus ; their legacy today is a heartfelt closeness
between Shetland and Norway.