Shetland - The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands - page 379

beautifully designed Bonhoga Gallery , in which touring and local exhibitions of
painting, sculpture and other media are shown.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE TINGWALL AND AROUND

By plane Tingwall Airport ( T 01595 840306), about a
mile north of the Loch of Tingwall, is the main airport
for flights to other islands within Shetland (see p.377
for details).
By bus There are buses from Lerwick's Viking Bus Station to

Tingwall (Mon-Fri 7 daily, Sat 4 daily; 10min) and to
Weisdale (Mon-Sat 2-5 daily; 20min). There's no direct
service to Tingwall Airport - you can either walk the half
mile from the crossroads, or pre-order a Dial-a-Ride taxi
( T 01595 745745).

EATING AND DRINKING
Herrislea House Hotel Veensgarth T 01595 840208,
W herrisleahouse.co.uk. North of the loch and a stone's
throw from the airport, this large hotel has a great bar
for a drink or two and some pub food (under £12) . Food
served 6.30-8.45pm.

Weisdale Mill T 01595 745750, W shetlandarts.org.
Weisdale Mill has a very pleasant café, serving soup,
scones and snacks in the south-facing conservatory over-
looking the stream . Tues-Sat 10.30am-4.30pm, Sun
noon-4.30pm.

South Mainland
Shetland's South Mainland is a long, thin finger of land, only three or four miles wide
but 25 miles long, ending in the cliffs of Sumburgh Head and Fitful Head . It's a
beautiful area with wild undulating landscapes, lots of good green farmland, fabulous
views out to sea and the mother of all brochs on the island of Mousa , just of the east
coast in Sandwick . The most concentrated points of interest are in Dunrossness , at the
southern end of the peninsula, with its seabird colonies, crofting museum, and
Jarlshof , Shetland's most impressive archeological site.

8

Sandwick
SANDWICK is a township made up of a number of close, but distinct settlements, about
halfway down the east coast of South Mainland. Most visitors come here to take a boat
from Leebotton to the island of Mousa , under a mile of the coast, which boasts the
most amazingly well-preserved broch in the whole of Scotland.

Mousa
Day-trip April to mid-Sept Mon, Tues & Thurs-Sat 1 & 4.15pm, Wed 10am & 1pm, Sun 1.30 & 4.30pm; takes 25min • £16 return •
Storm petrel trip Mid-May to July Wed & Sat 11pm-12.30am • £20 • T 01950 431367, W mousa.co.uk
If the weather's fine, you could easily spend the whole day on Mousa , watching the
seals sun themselves on the rocks in the southeastern corner of the island, and
looking out for black guillemots (or “tysties” as they're known locally) and arctic
terns, which breed here.

Mousa Broch
Mousa's main attraction is Mousa Broch , which features in both Egil's Saga and the
Orkneyinga Saga , contemporary chronicles of Norse exploration and settlement. In
the former, a couple eloping from Norway to Iceland around 900 AD take refuge in it
after being shipwrecked, while in the latter the broch is besieged by an Earl Harald
Maddadarson when his mother is abducted and brought here from Orkney by Erlend
the Young, who wanted to marry her. Rising to more than 40ft, and looking rather like
a Stone-Age cooling tower, Mousa Broch has a remarkable presence, its low entrance-
passage passing through two concentric walls to a central courtyard, divided into
separate beehive chambers. Between the walls, a rough (very dark) staircase leads to the
top parapet; a torch is provided for visitors.