Shetland - The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands - page 390

than elsewhere. Foula's population peaked at two hundred at the end of the nineteenth
century, and today numbers around forty.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE FOULA

By plane Directflight ( T 01595 840246, W directflight.co
.uk) flies from Tingwall (Mon 1 daily, Tues, Wed & Fri 2 daily,
15min); tickets cost around £70 return.
By ferry Be sure to book and reconfirm your journey by ferry

(Tues, Thurs & Sat; 2hr; T 01595 5840208, W bkmarine.org),
which departs from Walls (Tues, Sat & alternate Thurs; 2hr) or
Scalloway (alternate Thurs; 3hr 30min). The ferry arrives at
Ham, in the middle of Foula's east coast.

INFORMATION AND TOURS
Tourist information Foula has its own resident part-
time ranger, who usually greets new arrivals and offers
local advice (mid-April-Oct). It's also possible to arrange
for guided walks with the ranger (Wed & Fri; T 01595
753236, W foulaheritage.org.uk), or you can download

self-guided walk leaflets from the website. There's no shop
on the island, so bring your own supplies.
Boat trips Day-trips are not possible on the regular ferry,
but Cycharters ( T 01595 696598, W cycharters.co.uk) do
boat trips on Wednesdays from Scalloway.

ACCOMMODATION
Leraback T 01595 753226, W originart.eu/leraback
/leraback.html. The only accommodation on Foula is at this

B&B near Ham. Fortunately, it's a great place to stay; full b oard
only, and they'll collect you from the airstrip or pier. £80

North Mainland
he North Mainland , stretching more than thirty miles north from the central belt
around Lerwick, is wilder than much of Shetland, with almost relentlessly bleak
moorland and some rugged and dramatic coastal scenery. It is all but split in two by the
isthmus of Mavis Grind : to the south is Sullom Voe , Shetland's oil terminal, and Brae ,
the area's largest town; to the north is the remote region of Northmavine , which boasts
some of the most scenic cliffs in Shetland.

8

Voe
If you're travelling north, you're bound to pass by VOE , but if you stay on the A970 it's
easy to miss the picturesque old village, a tight huddle of homes and workshops down
below the road around the pier (signposted “Lower Voe”). Set at the head of a deep,
sheltered, sea loch, Voe has a Scandinavian appearance, helped by the presence of the
Sail Loft , painted in a rich, deep red. The building was originally used by fishermen and
whalers for storing their gear; later, it became a knitwear workshop, and it was here that
woollen jumpers were knitted for Edmund Hillary's 1953 Mount Everest expedition.
Today, the building has been converted into a large camping böd .
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING VOE

Pierhead Restaurant & Bar T 01806 588332. The
former butcher's in Voe is now a cosy wood-panelled pub
with a real fire, occasional live music and a good bar menu,
a longer version of which is on offer in the upstairs
restaurant, featuring local scallops and the odd catch from
the fishing boats (mains £12-18). Mon-Thurs & Sun

11am-10pm, Fri & Sat 11am-1am.
Sail Loft T 01595 694688, W camping-bods.com.
Originally a giant storeroom, this enormous böd is situated
right by the loch and has hot showers, a kitchen and a
solid fuel fire in the smaller of the rooms. April-Oct.
£10 /person

Lunnasting
Lunnasting is the area to the northeast of Voe, on the east coast. The main town is
VIDLIN , departure point for the Out Skerries (see p.397), three miles east of Laxo,
the ferry terminal for Whalsay (see p.396).