Driving in the Shetland Islands

I recently came back from our second visit to the lovely Shetland Islands. On our first visit in 2013, we took a private tour which gave us an excellent introduction to the islands and some historical and cultural background. We visited a croft house, feed ponies, saw the Eshaness Cliffs and visited a wildlife sanctuary.

We visited again last month and decided to do a self drive tour since we had already done a guided tour.

My husband had never driven on the "opposite" side of the road and we though the Shetlands would be a good place for a beginner since there is less traffic. We were right! After some initial trepidation, he passed with flying colors.

We rented a small car for our family of five from Bolt Car Hire. They delivered the car at the pier ( they were waiting with a sign when we disembarked).

I had requested a GPS... And they did not have one. She said we would not need one. I was a bit wary, but she was right.

Our first stop was Clickimin Broch, which is in the city limits of Lerwick. We were the only people there and it was full of wildflowers. Very well preserved and a great stop.

You can get a nice visit in about 20 minutes.

Entrance is free and there are signs with historical info

After the Broch, we headed for Old Scatness Broch and Iron Age Village. It is fascinating because you must drive over the airport runway to get there.... It is like train tracks with a security gate that goes up and down and you can see airplanes land and take off quite close!

And right across the road is a nice beach with a beautiful view.

Old Scatness has a little museum and some interactive learning experiences. It is free but they request a donation which we gladly gave. We dressed as an Iron Age family, made iron age coins and explored the village and broch. Wonderful!

My little viking

Making the coins

After visiting this historic locale, we headed to Sumburgh Head, a 100m rocky point topped by a lighthouse. It offered spectacular cliff views and charming puffins. There is a delicious café offering stunning views and a historical overview of the lighthouse.

Puffins

Cliff views

The lighthouse

More cliffs

Abudant wildflowers

Closer shot of the lighthouse

A very beautiful place

We then continued on our journey... We decided to wing it a bit and stop by the road when we saw something nice.

A beach scene

An abandoned boat

Jarlshof

The ever present sheep

My husband really got the hang of driving and we were almost alone in the countryside, with Shetland's evocative landscapes.

We then decided to go to St.Ninian's Isle, which is a small tied island connected by the largest active tombolo in the UK to the south-western coast of the Mainland, Shetland.

There was only one other family there. It was windy and a bit cold but very nice.

We live in Brazil, so not the balmy kind of beach... But we enjoyed ourselves.

A nice stop and we saw a small village with horses and children playing in their yards

Finally, we headed back to Lerwick after this relaxing and interesting day. Driving on the islands is very easy and economical. We have a lot more to do and see if we are privileged enough to have another opportunity for a visit.

Lerwick, of course, is the capital. An excellent example of Victorian architecture, it offers quaint shops and restaurants and is very easy to stroll about on your own.

View from the harbor

Stone facades

Some of the island

Lerwick

Alleyways

I would be happy to answer questions if needed.

Thanks for posting an informative review of the area. I very much enjoyed your photos.

Thanks for posting an informative review of the area. I very much enjoyed your photos.

Thank you! Hope it encourages people to explore the area on their own.

Thank you for posting your pictures.

It brought back wonderful memories of our visit to Shetland last year.

We visited many of the places you did (although we had a private tour arranged through another Cruise Critic member).

Loved the lighthouse and the puffins!

Maybe next time, we'll rent a car. Thanks for the inspiration.

We rented a car last time we were in Shetland and followed a very similar route to you, except we went further west after the lighthouse into an even more remote area. Great to see your photos, so thanks for posting.

Enjoyed your photos very much - a very easy place to drive and very beautiful.

We rented a car last time we were in Shetland and followed a very similar route to you, except we went further west after the lighthouse into an even more remote area. Great to see your photos, so thanks for posting.

As I mentioned, last visit we went north with a private tour and this time south.

We need to return and go west then! What was additional things did you see there? I love the Shetlands!

Thank you Morgan and Puppy...I appreciate it!

Reminds me of the time I visited Shetland a few years ago.

I was flying in and had contacted one of the local car hire companies to arrange a car from the airport for a week.

No problem they said, it will be in the airport carpark, unlocked with the keys under the mat. Just pop in to our office sometime during the week to do the paperwork.

Thank you for posting this. I've enjoyed looking at your photos and hearing about your experience. I'm a Shetland girl born and raised and love our islands. I'm glad you enjoyed your time here. Lots more to see and do so do come back and visit!

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Reminds me of the time I visited Shetland a few years ago.

 

I was flying in and had contacted one of the local car hire companies to arrange a car from the airport for a week.

 

No problem they said, it will be in the airport carpark, unlocked with the keys under the mat. Just pop in to our office sometime during the week to do the paperwork.

They told us to just leave the keys in the car and leave it in the parking lot on return. So simple. And nice.

Rasmie, your islands are wonderful... I even looked at the website about moving there , lol. True story

Thanks for sharing your adventure - I would love to return to Shetland too!

But if we drove ourselves we would missing hearing the wonderful stories from a local.....

Thanks for sharing your adventure - I would love to return to Shetland too!

 

But if we drove ourselves we would missing hearing the wonderful stories from a local.....

Michele....since we had a private guide the first time, we were able to enjoy many wonderful stories about life on the Shetlands. I always like having a guide on a first visit exactly for that reason. It is such a pleasure to have first hand accounts from a resident of the country.

But the second time offers a nice opportunity to explore in a different way! That is way it is always fun to go back to nice places! A third time would be a charm!

Fantastic photos - thank you for taking the time to post. We will be on a TA next year which stops in Lerwick and are planning on renting a car. Do you recall how far in advance you booked with Bolts?

Fantastic photos - thank you for taking the time to post. We will be on a TA next year which stops in Lerwick and are planning on renting a car. Do you recall how far in advance you booked with Bolts?

I contacted them in January and we sailed in July. I have a tendency to be a "suoerplanner" and do things way ahead of time. There did not seem to be a great demand for rental cars from fellow cruise passengers. They were very responsive and punctual.

I contacted them in January and we sailed in July. I have a tendency to be a "suoerplanner" and do things way ahead of time. There did not seem to be a great demand for rental cars from fellow cruise passengers. They were very responsive and punctual.

Thank you for the excellent information. I am a super planner too - our cruise is not until the end of next August! Guess I don't have to worry about booking a car just yet. :)

You would have driven past my house ( on the way down to Sumburgh)...Anyhow, car hire, Grantfield Garage ( with whom I have no connection) are very good. They are a short walk from where the Ships dock, and are so accommodating. So pleased you saw the puffins and St Ninians Isle. BTW, don't overlook the visitors centre in Hoswick, they do a proper pot of tea and a fine piece ( cake)

Thank you for posting your beautiful pictures of Shetland. I got very teary going through them. We were there in August and something happened to me that I don't understand. I really didn't want to leave.

Like you, we rented a car and went to Sumburgh head to look for puffin. Unfortunately there was not a puffin in sight (I thought I saw one far off, but then decided it probably wasn't). But we did see something very unexpected.. Orcas! A group of 5 with a young one. I was so delighted that all disappointment about the puffins was instantly erased. How I love surprises!

I am ready to go back to Shetland. I know I will someday. :)

Bigdasher...

We had some absolutely lovely cakes at the Sumburgh Lighthouse Café. Really yummy!

Deb0702,

I know how you feel. Even though we have visited the Shetlands twice, I would happily visit again. I often tell my husband we should move there and I am not really joking. You are so lucky to have seen Orcas!! We saw many puffin on Heimaey in Iceland. Very nice.

Here a few photos from our first visit

Eshaness Cliffs

Landscape

Shetland Ponies

Croft House

Thank you so much for posting your photos and telling us a bit about your independent day on Shetland. I am so excited that our cruise is stopping there in July...and your post gives me the encouragement I need to rent a car so that my hubby and I can toodle around on our own while we are in port. Thank you again!