Lerwick Question

I am trying to figure out where in Lerwick the tender boats drop passengers. Would anybody know? I looked at the port web site and it shows that our ship will be anchored in the "Inner Harbor" but that's about all I can figure out. I am trying to determine if we will be dropped off near the Victoria Pier or if not, where it is likely to be. Does anyone know? If not, I can email the very friendly tourist office, but thought I'd try here first.

Also, does anyone know how far of a walk it is from the tender drop point to the Northlink ferry and the Lerwick Ferry Terminal?

I do not know the name of the pier but we docked there but it was on an R-ship so maybe makes a difference

Thanks. We're on Marina, which I notice is just a little too big to dock! Those R ships always get the best spots. In Helsinki last summer, one was docked right by the Market area while we were out at one of the port areas! At least we weren't at the far port (can't spell the name)! Anyway, I'll keep looking and asking about Lerwick. (By the way, were you greeted by tourism reps dockside as the port video shows? I am coming with a lot of information already, but a live person to ask is always nice, since I often do ports independently.) Thanks for the reply.

Oceania usually have a tourist rep onboard in the morning ..but the lines can be long for getting info so the more prepared you are the better

Warning DO NOT pet the Shetland ponies ...they will BITE :eek:

We did a ship's tour to Jarlshof if you are interested in archaeological digs

Have fun

Lyn

Hi there have just picked up your thread this evening. I'm a Shetlander and will endeavour to help out with any questions you may have on our islands.

The cruise tender pontoon is now installed and is on the north side of Victoria Pier in the Albert Dock. The distance to the ferry terminal at Holmsgarth is approximately 1 mile, roughly a 15-20 minute walk depending on agility.

I have posted lots of info about Lerwick on this thread in the past.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1684078

Again please feel free to ask and i will get back to you

Regards

Richard :)

Richard, thanks! I've been learning a lot about Lerwick and Shetland, and now it's getting closer to the time where I have to pick some things to do and not try to do or visit it all! I'm thinking of renting a car and have found someone to rent from. It appears that one rental company concentrates on the ferry visitors, which is why I was trying to figure out how far we would have to walk to get the car from the ferry port. The other company, however, will bring it to the dock, which I assume is the one that is shown in the Lerwick Town Center webcam. If we get a car, we want to at least go down to Jarlshof and Sumburgh, but also spend a little time in Lerwick. I'd love to go to Eshaness and around there, but have a feeling that will be too much for one day if I try to go south as well! Also, if it's really cloudy or rainy, we may not want to drive all the way up there.

Also, I would absolutely love to see puffins, but have the feeling that by the first week in August, there won't be many, if at all, to see. Lerwick's tourism site says that they basically are present through the end of July, so I'm probably going to be out of luck. In the mean time, I've been looking at the Cliff Cam on the Lerwick site, watching the puffin on her nest! I've also been checking out the Lerwick town center webcams quite a bit - very fun, and as early August gets closer, it will give me an idea of what people are wearing. (Do you think you'll be wearing light jackets by then rather than the medium ones I see a lot of now?)

So I have some questions:

The blue and white ferry I see on the webcam is the one that goes back and forth to Bressay, right?

Regarding the Knab: At first I thought I could just walk down there to view it, but was having trouble finding specific instructions. (I get lost easily.) Then I went on Google Earth and saw the road that leads down to a roundabout near there. Would you happen to know if from there you can can walk/hike a little closer to see the Knab? Also, I assume nobody can park there in the roundabout or on the road close to it, right?

Before I went to bed last night (4:30 PM your time) I noticed it was very light in Lerwick. Is that the "simmer dim" I've read about, or does it just get light there quite early?

Thanks for the information on the pontoon. I'm not totally sure what that is, since most of the time we've anchored out in the water and been tendered to shore, we end up on a dock somewhere. However, just knowing we'll be at or near Victoria pier helps a lot to let me know what to expect. Also, I did go back and read your previous posts about Lerwick - thanks for the link, and for being available to answer questions/provide advice.

Hi again,

Let me start with the pontoon. The pontoon on Victoria Pier has a double gangway attached and is only a 5 minute or less tender trip from the inner anchorage in the harbour. This lands you right in the town centre at the top of the pier.

The blue & white ferry is indeed the Bressay ferry which runs fairly regularly across the harbour. The crossing is 5 minutes and at the moment cost £5 return each per person. Fares here: http://www.shetland.gov.uk/ferries/documents/2013A4FaresDomestic.pdf

As i say at peaks times the ferry runs every 15 minutes stretching to half an hour outside of these.

I'm not sure regarding the rest of Europe but Scotland had had in coldest Spring since 1979 and as you may have seen the locals still have to wrap up at the moment from biting East-Northerly winds that have persisted for quite some time. I think in August it should be fine for you to get away with a lighter jacket, however i would strongly advise taking a waterproof jacket just in case of rainy weather.

The puffins do tend to thin out come the end of July but you maybe be lucky to still catch some when you visit.

If you are describing the roundabout leading down from the Knab i guess this would be the one at the bottom of Knab Road. If you take this road straight up to the very top you could park your car up on the top of the Knab (next to the Cemetery) Another option would be to drive your car along past the Queens Hotel and Lodberries, along Twageos Road until you get to the Cemetery gate. There is a car park there to leave your car whilst you to the walk.

The Simmer Dim is a local term given to the twilight up here in mid summer. The effect sees the Sun dip below the horizon briefly but the sky keeps a golden look to it and it never truly gets "dark". At the moment (and given that we are still a few weeks away from the summer solstice) it is light here at half ten at night , and light again about 3.30/4am.

Hope this helps

Richard

Thank you, Richard. This is excellent information.

This weekend it is a bit cold where I live, too. It is Memorial Day weekend, when traditionally pools open and people start going to the beach. It is supposed to get to 70 degree F today, which is nice, but not exactly what it normally is this time of year!

Yes, the roundabout I was referring to is the one at the end of Knab Road. I DID see the cemetery on the way to the Knab during my perusal of Knab Road on Google Earth. That might be an excellent place for me to park - thanks. Also, yes, I do plan to drive or walk by the Lodberries.

Hi,

I would like to know from recent HAL passengers to Lerwick how far before departure was your All Aboard in Lerwick? We are set to leave at 6pm, but with it being a tender port, I know itineraries vary in their Last Tender/All Aboard times.

THANKS!

I'm not on HAL, but I know I have worried about onboard times in tender ports for the cruise line I generally use (Oceania). In almost every tender port we've used, Oceania has always scheduled the last tender for a half hour prior to departure time. Whether this is typical in Lerwick or on HAL, I don't know. You are scheduled to anchor at a slightly farther area than we are, so I'm not sure how long it will take to get the tenders back and forth compared to what our tender trip is likely to be (10 minutes from what I've heard).

I have found that the Lerwick tourist information folks are very helpful. While they are not located right at the dock, and certainly can't speak for HAL, they might be able to give you an idea of what they've heard or observed so you are a little closer to having an answer. I think the link is http://visit.shetland.org. Port site is easy to google.

The port site says that this is the first time Eurodam has called on Lerwick, so not a lot of info is available on the HAL section of Cruise Critic for this port. However, you could pose a general question on the regular HAL board and see if anyone replies - never know when/if someone will reply!

Yes Eurodam is down for the Breiwick Bay anchorage off the Knab headland. But if it is good conditions she will easily come further into the inner harbour. In recent years Norwegian Jewel, Brilliance of the Seas, Jewel of the Seas, Costa Luminosa, Costa Pacifca, & Crown Princess have all successfully dropped anchor right off Victoria Pier.

However it's really is up to each master on the day, but hopefully it will be a nice day and it will be possible. (It better be for my wedding at 3pm!)

Richard

Wow, Richard. You are a great source of information; thanks for helping all of us out here!

I looked at the web cam today, and it looks quite nice in Lerwick today - at least sunwise. I hope "your day" and your wedding are as nice!

Thanks you for that, yeah we all have our fingers & toes crossed for the 26th.

It is a lovely sunny day here today if somewhat breezy. Yesterday the Azamara Quest arrived to clear blue skies, warmth, & sun, then it went to heavy rain, then cloudy but dry for sailing in the space of 6 hours, really funny sort of day.

Hi Richard, we have decided to rent a van for our party of 7. What would you say are the "must see" sights in mainland Shetland? Also, how far is it from Lerwick to Sumburgh and Lerwick to Voe (just trying to get an idea of how far we can travel in our day)? We will be on the Norwegian Star on 23rd September so hope we are able to tender!

Hi Richard, we have decided to rent a van for our party of 7. What would you say are the "must see" sights in mainland Shetland? Also, how far is it from Lerwick to Sumburgh and Lerwick to Voe (just trying to get an idea of how far we can travel in our day)? We will be on the Norwegian Star on 23rd September so hope we are able to tender!

I'm not Richard, but have rented a car in Lerwick and done some research which may be helpful to you. It seems like most guided tours go either northwest to Esha Ness (cliffs and wilder country) or south to Sumburgh. I've decided to go easy and just do south of Lerwick (Jarlshof, Sumburgh Head and lighthouse, Scalloway, fishing village of Hamnavoe, and perhaps a little detour to Sandwick to get a glimpse of Mousa Broch. Then I will spend some time in Lerwick. It's only about an hour or less to Sumburgh Head and pretty easy from Lerwick. (I'm planning to head south of Victoria Pier down to Church Road to Scalloway Road.) I considered taking the car over to Bressay Island just because I like untrampled places, but I think it will be too much to cover in one day without slighting Lerwick, which has some nice things I'd like to explore. Also, some of the roads on the island aren't the best, and I don't know if I can drive a rental car down them without worrying or doing something not allowed by the contract. I'm a photography, lighthouse, and bird nut, so those things drive my planning, so if Richard tells you to drive all the way up to Unst, forget what I've said!

Things I found helpful, besides Richard's personalized information, were http://www.shetland.org, including the Lerwick town map on that site, the webcam for shetland town center (forget the link, but probably reachable from the URL I just gave, and information on a couple tour guide websites (http://www.shetlandtours.co.uk/ or http://www.seeshetland.shetland.co.uk/). I also looked at my cruise ship's shore excursions for ideas. (They mostly go on walking tours of Lerwick, go to Mousa Broch, Jarlshof and Scalloway Castle.)

I'm planning to ask the person staying at our house to tune into the webcam at 4pm Lerwick time on the day we're there so we can stand in the middle of the square and wave at them!

Have fun!

I'm not Richard, but have rented a car in Lerwick and done some research which may be helpful to you. It seems like most guided tours go either northwest to Esha Ness (cliffs and wilder country) or south to Sumburgh. I've decided to go easy and just do south of Lerwick (Jarlshof, Sumburgh Head and lighthouse, Scalloway, fishing village of Hamnavoe, and perhaps a little detour to Sandwick to get a glimpse of Mousa Broch. Then I will spend some time in Lerwick. It's only about an hour or less to Sumburgh Head and pretty easy from Lerwick. (I'm planning to head south of Victoria Pier down to Church Road to Scalloway Road.) I considered taking the car over to Bressay Island just because I like untrampled places, but I think it will be too much to cover in one day without slighting Lerwick, which has some nice things I'd like to explore. Also, some of the roads on the island aren't the best, and I don't know if I can drive a rental car down them without worrying or doing something not allowed by the contract. I'm a photography, lighthouse, and bird nut, so those things drive my planning, so if Richard tells you to drive all the way up to Unst, forget what I've said!

 

Things I found helpful, besides Richard's personalized information, were http://www.shetland.org, including the Lerwick town map on that site, the webcam for shetland town center (forget the link, but probably reachable from the URL I just gave, and information on a couple tour guide websites (http://www.shetlandtours.co.uk/ or http://www.seeshetland.shetland.co.uk/). I also looked at my cruise ship's shore excursions for ideas. (They mostly go on walking tours of Lerwick, go to Mousa Broch, Jarlshof and Scalloway Castle.)

 

I'm planning to ask the person staying at our house to tune into the webcam at 4pm Lerwick time on the day we're there so we can stand in the middle of the square and wave at them!

 

Have fun!

Thanks for your suggestions. I also had thought of Jarlshof and Scalloway (the WWII Shetland Bus fascinates me).

We're not anticipating problems driving round Shetland as we live in Scotland and frequently drive round country roads, albeit not in a 9 seater minibus/van!

Further to Roothy123's excellent summary i would say that yes Unst would be very ambitious so i would stick to the south end of the island and try Jarlshof, Old Scatness site, Sumburgh Head Lighthouse (puffins will sadly have moved on come September).

A lovely wee gem is the Shetland Crofthouse Museum at Boddam, north of Sumburgh where you can experience the way Shetlanders used to live and the conditions they endured..

http://www.shetlandheritageassociation.com/members/south-mainland/the-croft-house-museum

Also on the way back to Lerwick a detour to view St Ninians Isle is worth a look it has a world famous tombolo, and where the famous treasure was found in 1948 by a local schoolboy.

http://www.shetland-heritage.co.uk/st-ninians-isle

Also on the way back up to Lerwick is the Hoswick visitor centre in Sandwick. There are also the views from Sandwick of Mousa Broch.

http://www.shetlandheritageassociation.com/members/south-mainland/hoswick-visitor-centre

So that's just some things for you to think about.

Richard

Also on the way back up to Lerwick is the Hoswick visitor centre in Sandwick. There are also the views from Sandwick of Mousa Broch.

 

http://www.shetlandheritageassociation.com/members/south-mainland/hoswick-visitor-centre

 

So that's just some things for you to think about.

 

Richard

Actually, Richard, would you happen to know where the best location is in Sandwick to look across the water and view the Mousa Broch, or is it basically anywhere in Sandwick, as it's a small place?

Generally anywhere along the Sandwick area you will be able to view it, there are side roads where a better views may be achievable directly across from the broch, although they may be at best a dirt track as i have not been down them myself and can't guarantee tarmac!

Just on a side note opposite Mousa Broch on the mainland is the remains of the Broch of Burraland, those opposed to Mousa Broch are total ruins.

Combined with the broch on Mousa it made for a fairly stout defensive line in the olde days. :)

Hi,

I would like to know from recent HAL passengers to Lerwick how far before departure was your All Aboard in Lerwick? We are set to leave at 6pm, but with it being a tender port, I know itineraries vary in their Last Tender/All Aboard times.

 

THANKS!

Just wanted to give an update on the All Aboard time in Lerwick. It was 1/2 hour prior to departure in Lerwick, as with all other ports on this itinerary (for the Eurodam). For whatever it's worth, getting to shore was about the longest of any I've ever experienced. Not because of the tenders, necessarily, but because Immigration authorities insisted on personally seeing each passenger, which took a long time (and they didn't even stamp passports :o!) Because it was a tender port, it was decided the authorities would come aboard and process passengers before tendering. Our captain was wonderful and informative throughout the process, though the delays were out of his control. He requested more immigration officials aboard, but there were only 4!

So just a word of warning to those with independent plans: you may not get to shore for a while! (I believe we arrived ashore at 11:30am, with a set arrival at 10am). We didn't delay, but went as soon as they allowed us (they called Deck 1 on up in order, so it took a while to be called).

On another note: it was extremely foggy that day! We'd independently booked the "Seabirds and Seals" boat trip for 2pm. We wondered how we'd be able to see anything with the fog, but it was an AMAZING journey! Saw 20,000 gannets, lots of puffins, and a variety of wildlife in this 3 hour trip. The captain even had an underwater camera with a feed to the boat and we stopped toward the end to take some time to see the creatures under the water. Well worth it! One of the highlights of our entire cruise! I will never forget that day.

Wow, that's interesting! Other than when we disembarked in a port at the end of the cruise (forget which one), I've never had to personally clear immigration face to face! I was just in Lerwick (though on Oceania's Marina) and the ship was cleared pretty quickly. Of course, it was our 3rd stop in Scotland, so maybe that made a difference. We did not do the Seabirds trip, but someone reported back later, saying that the water was just too rough that day and so they didn't get to where they were supposed to go. I don't know how often that happens, or what is done about it (refund?) but I know it was disappointing. However, Lerwick IS pretty far up north, and the weather is pretty unpredictable from what I understand, so if Mother Nature hands you lemons, you must make lemonaide!

We rented a car from Bolts (excellent service) and drove around on our own. It was fairly clear when we got off the tender and the person from Bolts suggested we go north for hopefully the best weather. We did, and the Eshaness area was stunning. Around 2pm we headed down to Sumburgh Head to see the lighthouse, possibly puffins, and possibly Jarlshof if we had time. It was getting foggy at that point, and with it being the 7th or whatever of August, I was really not expecting to see puffins. However, I was absolutely thrilled to walk up to where a few others were standing, and wow, there they were! I was thrilled. They were probably only about 15 yards from the wall, although they probably look closer, as I was using the telephoto part of the lens on my point and shoot. I spoke to another person who also visited Sumburgh Head and she told me that she saw a puffin for about a half minute and then it retreated into its burrow. SO - as for the puffins, I guess you just can never tell for sure if you'll see them or not. I suppose that also goes for the immigration officials in Lerwick, too!!

Oh, and as for Ireland, we got a surprise when we looked at our passports while killing time in Heathrow. There was a stamp from the authorities in Dublin, so I guess they actually stamped passports while they did their onboard checks prior to clearance! (Dublin was our first port in the Republic of Ireland.)

I loved Lerwick - between the ponies and puffins, a Lerwick webcam where I waved to the camera while my friends watched at home, and some great places to visit in Lerwick, Eshaness and the Sumburgh area, it turned out to be one of my favorite ports.

Hey guys i'm so glad you both enjoyed your visit to my home island, hope the slightly murky day didn't spoil your visit to much.

The immigration issue has been raised with the UK government as a matter of urgency, and in my opinion it is a complete waste of time and resources doing these checks. Lerwick Port Authority is campaigning hard to get this stopped.

It does seem to affect Lerwick more than other UK ports because frequently the first time a cruise ship hits the UK its at Lerwick, being that we tend to get more vessels from Norway, Germany & other places on the continent rather than a ship that has called at a UK port previously.

The wedding passed off with no hitches, i even was down on the harbour front to get Eurodam arriving in port (helped calm the nerves!) and got my photo of her for my collection. :) The sun even came out for the photos of the bridal party before going again just as it was completed which was a stroke of luck.

Best Wishes

Richard

That's interesting. I didn't know immigration was an issue in Lerwick. No, the slightly murky day did not spoil my day in Lerwick. We had a LOT of fun there - beautiful island, and I saw less than half of it! From getting up early to see Bressay lighthouse in the heavy fog through sailaway in murky waters, it was a great place to stop, and one that many cruisers don't get to see.

There was a wedding on the day we were there. Around 3 or so I went up to the library to use the internet and found a lot of people, and the bride and groom, outside the church on that street. I know it wasn't you, but I thought of you anyway, Richard! I saw a bride and groom on our next day, too, in Alesund, Norway.

I'm attaching a pony picture just for fun. They aren't wearing sweaters, but they sure are cute! I saw them on the way to Scalloway onthe A970 near where it crosses another highway. My husband practically killed me for asking him to stop in the passing spot so I could get a few quick pictures.

Lovely photos!

That ponies actually belong to a family friend of ours in Gulberwick, and from where you took that photo my parents house looks down toward there. I frequently as a kid played in that very area, small world as someone once said!

My bride Deborah with little old me and our parents!

Richard

Lovely photos!

 

That ponies actually belong to a family friend of ours in Gulberwick, and from where you took that photo my parents house looks down toward there. I frequently as a kid played in that very area, small world as someone once said!

 

My bride Deborah with little old me and our parents!

 

[ATTACH]282703[/ATTACH]

 

 

Richard

That's funny about the ponies and the "small world."

That's a great picture of you, Deborah and your parents, and I'm glad the weather cooperated for you. In Aalesund (Norway) it was gray at first and later the sky opened up. I looked over to where I saw a white dress, lights, and what photographers call a reflector, which directs light toward what you're photographing. It looked like the bride and groom were standing under the overhang of the ferry building, with their backs to the water and mountains. They may not have had a sunny day for their wedding, but at least they were making the most of it.

Thanks again for your help. I am drowning in photos but will eventually post them on pbase.com and if I remember, I'll send you a link.

Ruth