Lerwick Question

[trickyoat]

Ruth it has been an absolute pleasure to help out in some small way, and i thank you for taking the trouble to visit Shetland as it isn't the easiest place to get to in the world!

 

So glad you had a great holiday, and all the very best to you

 

Richard

[roothy123]

Richard, if you're still following this, and have time, you might want to check out my photos from Lerwick and around the mainland, which are posted here: http://www.pbase.com/roothy123

 

The 2nd album contains a lot of photos from our day in Lerwick, and there are a few more in the "UK/Norway Cruise - More Photos" album a little later.

Edited August 19, 2013 by roothy123

[trickyoat]

Ruth, Thank you so very much for the link, the photos are just amazing!.

 

I especially love the photos of the Tammie norries as we Shetlanders call them (Puffins). Have to say they are some of the best i've ever seen...

 

Also the rest of the photos from your summer travels are great too, guess you may need a holiday to recover from these travels this summer. :)

 

Richard

[roothy123]

Thank you Richard - I really appreciate the words of praise about the tammie norries. I love those pictures, probably more than any I took in my short 2 weeks in the UK and Norway.

 

Yes, I've had quite a summer, but traveling is what I wanted to do most once I retired, and so I'm doing it while my health and money are good! I guess your summer was pretty exciting too, with your wedding. Enjoy your new life together!

Ruth

[trickyoat]

Thank you for that kind word Ruth, yes it's been a hectic summer.

 

Having the wedding and all the family around for it made it extra special. It will definitely live long in the memory that's for sure :)

 

Regards Richard

Edited August 28, 2013 by trickyoat

[calmac]

Thanks for all the help you give to visitors to Lerwick, Richard.

 

We'll be on the Norwegian Star next month and have hired a minivan for the day but would like to finish the day with a visit to a pub in Lerwick. Where can you recommend that sells draught local or at least Scottish beers? We want our American and Canadian friends to sample some good beers!

[trickyoat]

Hi Calmac thank you for your kind comments.

 

Yeah there's no shortage of pubs in Lerwick that's for sure. I would suggest either The Lounge bar up the lane at the tourist office at the Market Cross or Captain Flints which is right opposite Victoria Pier above D G Leslie's shop (that has yellow Premier signing), next to the TSB bank.

 

They both should sell locally brewed beers on tap.

 

Looking forward to seeing Norwegian Star IF the weather behaves itself....we had Caribbean Princess cancel on Saturday and Crystal Symphony is due Thursday and the forecast remains unsettled for the next few days..

 

Richard

[calmac]

I'd just like to thank you again, Richard. We were on the Norwegian Star and our party of 7 really enjoyed our visit to Shetland even although the weather was a bit dreich. Only one of our group refused to try some of my husband's haggis supper!

[trickyoat]

Glad you enjoyed your visit to our wee islands, and yes it was a bit of a raw day weather wise, but hopefully you got to experience some of Shetland during your stay!

 

Cheers

Richard

[DWAliaschief]

Richard - We will be visiting the Shetland in August 2014 on the ms Eurodam, in port from 0800 - 1900. As a first timer, I'm having difficulty deciding on whether to go north or south!. Not into museums (unless small and unique) but love scenary, history, culture, food (not so much birds).

Suggestions for where to go and what to see?

Edited November 7, 2013 by DWAliaschief

[trickyoat]

Hi there so sorry for not getting back to you sooner.

 

If you are not so interested in birds i would consider going west to Whiteness & Weisdale, where you could still go further north if you so desire.

 

The scenery in this area is stunning, the view from the top of the hill as you come into Whiteness is amazing with all the little skerries, islands and views across the west side of Shetland.

 

The road (A971 on a map) then follows the glacial Voe of Whiteness where at the end of you can continue further north towards the village of Voe, or head west towards Walls, Aith etc.

 

Richard

[Emmasoma]

Richard, I hope you are still reading our posts. We will be visiting on August 2 and don't want to rent a car. Other than the ship's excursions is there a way to see the island? Does the tourism office have day tours for hire?

We just wish to ride over as much as we can to experience the scenery.

Can't wait for our visit.

[trickyoat]

Hi Emmasoma,

 

Yes i still keep an eye on the threads now and again, and will pick up on your questions..

 

If you want to see the Islands at a cost effective rate, the local bus service will be of interest for you. The service down to Sumburgh Head/Jarlshof/Old Scatness down at the Southern tip of Shetland is regular and reasonably cheap, well cheaper than travelling on an official excursion!.

 

Once this year's timetable are out i will put a link on here for everyone.

 

Richard

[trickyoat]

Hi again everyone, here is the latest timetables for bus services in Shetland.

 

http://www.zettrans.org.uk/bus/BusTimetables.asp

 

This second link refers to the service that will get you to Sumburgh Airport, Sumburgh Head, Old Scatness, & Jarlshof archaeological sites

 

http://www.zettrans.org.uk/bus/SouthMainland.asp

 

Regrds

Richard

[tartanexile81]

Hi Richard

Although I'm a Scot we've never visited Shetland so we're very much looking forward to our visit in September on Ruby Princess. We've decided to hire a car so we can see as much as possible.... but there is so much to see.

 

SO my question is what would you suggest as a possible itinerary if we were to be away from the ship say from 10 - 4. We're more interested in views, buildings and wildlife than ancient history and would like to stop for a light lunch somewhere with a view. Hope you can help,

Rhona

[trickyoat]

Rhona hi there well i can suggest a few and see what you think...

 

(1) Would be a trip to the south end of Shetland, Sumburgh Head. (24 miles from Lerwick). The con to this would be Puffin's (which nest at the cliffs there) may be sparse or all gone by September. En-route you have the croft house museum, Sandwick visitor centre at Hoswick amongst others.

 

(2) Is a trip to the West Side of Shetland, namely Scalloway (6 miles from Lerwick), across to Burra over the bridge, or even Whiteness & Weisdale (around 10 miles). Views to the West showing the many islands and inlets are beautiful, Scalloway Castle is available to look around, and you could even grab lunch there too.

 

If i think of anything to add i will let you know.

 

Richard

[tartanexile81]

Thanks Richard. I assume you mean we should choose one of them.

 

As a local which one do you think would be better for first-timers to give an overview of the islands. We're inclined to #2 with the views of the other islands but it seems quite close to Lerwick where we dock. We imagine it would take half a day???

Rhona

[trickyoat]

Rhona with the time you have available both are achievable, both have their scenery, saying that tour 2 lets you get more of a feel for the landscape of the islands for me personally.

 

Main roads on Shetland are excellent.

 

This thread i helped out with last year has lots of info..

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1840985

 

Or this site gives you an idea of what kind of landscapes are in various places

 

http://www.shetlandheritageassociation.com/

 

Best Wishes

Richard

Edited April 18, 2014 by trickyoat

[trickyoat]

Just to say i noticed i gave a link to this thread (duh).

 

Search Lerwick/Shetland and there are plenty of threads giving additional information.

 

Richard

[tartanexile81]

Richard

 

We'll combine your ideas with the info from the Shetland Heritage website to plan our trip in more detail. Will look out for you on 11th September!

Thanks for your help.

Rhona

Edited April 21, 2014 by tartanexile81

[trickyoat]

Rhona no problem, glad to help out...:)

 

Richard

[Emmasoma]

Thanks for posting the bus schedule. My husband and I are just planning to ride the bus and had just planned to ride down to the Sumburgh area and back to Lerwich, but were wondering if we would also have time to ride to Scalloway? What would you recommend? We just wanted to ride around your island to get a feel for things and we enjoy riding local buses and seeing the people and towns. If you were doing this what would be your plan for the day? Any advice is much appreciated! We did want to have some time to visit Lerwich, though and don't want to spend all our time riding.

[trickyoat]

Hi there - Whilst riding on a bus to the South end of the island (Sumburgh) and Scalloway are achievable, i think it might leave you with little time to do both.

 

The Sumburgh run takes 45-50 minutes each way, some 48 miles return. This route takes in some lovely sea views on the way including the island of Mousa, where you can actually see the iron age broch clearly from the bus itself.

 

The route also goes through the village of Sandwick and generally takes in views of the moorland and hills, giving way to the greener, lusher more fertile end of the island down near Sumburgh.

 

Giving the time ashore i would take the Sumburgh option, as they also have recently opened the Sumburgh Head lighthouse as a visitor attraction, with quite literally stunning views. Jarlshof & Old Scatness are also nearby too.

 

Richard

[monkey@cruise]

Hi Richard:

We are coming to Shetland next year and looking for a tour guide to take us around for mainly scenery and landscape with some history and culture to add to the mix. Could you recommend some good tour guides or companies? Thanks very much!

 

Suzie

[scluvsrain]

Hi Richard,

 

We will be on the Eurodam on 30 August and are looking at a day tour with Shetland Nature called Mainland Biodiversity tour. It appears to explore Sumburgh Head, the lighthouse there, then to Loch of Spiggie, St. Ninians Isle, then over to Tingwall valley, loch of Tingwall, through Kergord valley then up north to Voe and Brae, lunch stop, then Eshaness lighthouse finally down to Ronas Hill and back to Lerwick.

 

What do you think of this itinerary and does it provide us with a nice overview of the island, is it too much or too little? I can customize it more, according to the tour company.

 

Thanks for any help/advice you can offer!

--sherita