A slow week in Shetland with Promote Shetland
This post is in paid partnership with Promote Shetland. All thoughts and opinions are my own, unedited and unaltered as always.
I had high hopes for Shetland. I mean, really high hopes.
When I was about eight I watched a tv programme about it and I was in awe of how close the presenters got to orca whales. They were right there by their boats. I wanted to go and see those whales more than anything.
We didn’t go on holiday in those days. Horses took up all our money and holidays were scarce. When I asked mum to take me to Shetland she looked puzzled and replied ‘we can go abroad for the same price and then we’d at least get a tan’. I knew better than to challenge my mum on the tan front so I pocketed Shetland as one of many future adventures I hoped to go on one day.
When Promote Shetland offered to partner up I obviously didn’t have to think very hard. The hardest decision was making sure I got out to see everything Shetland has to offer instead of sitting by the sea on constant orca watch. I made sure I joined the Orca sightings Facebook group though – locals post sightings on here so everyone gets a chance to see them.
Getting there
We took two tiny planes to get there. Neither were as bad as my anxiety was telling me. LoganAir even sent complimentary Tunnock’s Caramel Wafers down the cabin which quickly took my mind off things and affirmed them as my new favourite airline. You can fly to Sumburgh direct from Manchester but the dates didn’t quite match up for us so we flew via Aberdeen (a great little airport btw for fellow airport snobs).
We picked up the keys to our hire care as we passed the star car hire on our way off the plane and we were on our way. I always worry about driving on unfamiliar roads, forever worried we’ll end up getting lost or having one of those arguments over each other’s direction skills, but Shetland’s quiet open roads with beautiful scenery around every bend made us feel at home in no time. Everywhere is signposted and it’s an island, so there’s only so far you can go wrong anyway. If you don’t drive there are busses that go all over the island.
Where we stayed
We’re getting into this accommodation hopping thing lately and I really enjoy moving on to a new home after a few days. I feel like it’s a great way to see more of a place without spending all your time driving around. We got to experience a lovely mix of town living and countryside living while we were there.
Waddle – a cosy croft house with a view of the water. Fiona and her family live next door and she was the perfect host, she even brought us a hamper down on our first night when she realised we’d not had time to call at the shops for the essentials. Tiny personal touches like that made us feel right at home. We loved our little croft. I loved sitting in the window watching the world go by, walking down to the water first thing in the morning to look for seals (we saw plenty!) and I loved how cosy the place was.
Sea Winds – a beautifully renovated townhouse dating back to 1760. Ruth, who owns the place, is an artist and her creative flair filters through the whole place. It’s full of wabi sabi style imperfections that add oodles of character and charm. Waking up to the sound of the sea right outside my window was like a dream. You can park outside and easily walk to Lerwick’s harbour, cafes and shops. Orcas were spotted in the bay you could see from the windows that week but we were always too late to spot them.
Things to do
Take it easy – as soon as we landed we couldn’t help but inhale the slowness of the island. The wide open landscapes, little villages dotted around, quiet streets and calm beaches can’t help but breed slow. Make the most of this island lifestyle and don’t rush your time. There are so many tiny details to pay attention to.
Hire a car and go for a drive – the Shetland roads are aching to be explored. They’re well signposted (a feature my grandad would’ve very much appreciated), pot hole free and they loosely wind in such a way that you never know what’s going to be just around the next corner. Driving on them feels like a real adventure.
St Ninian’s Isle – the most beautiful beach I’ve ever seen in the UK. If you turned up the temperature, raked the beach and set up sun loungers you’d have a beach not too dissimilar to those in the Maldives. We saw lots of seals and porpoise playing in the waters here. Again, orcas were spotted just off the coast but we were on the other side of the island at the time. So close!
Beach clean – Stopping the car to find our way down to secluded beaches we’d spotted from the road became a regular feature for us. One beach in particular had a lot of plastic on it so we spent 15 minutes cleaning it up. It was a grounding experience to see the effects plastic is having on our beaches but it also felt good to have helped out when we could. Litter picking is a popular community activity in Sheltand and tourists are encouraged to chip in too. Hashtags like #projectlittercritter and #2minutebeachclean mean you can put your creative stamp on what you create from your collections.
Lerwick – Shetland’s only town nestled in a little bay, it’s peppered with old cobbled streets, beaches, beautiful buildings, shops and cafes. We found ourselves returning to it regularly for things like the supermarket, breakfasts and the local craft fair. Sheltand is packed with creatives and creative businesses alike. Their wool week has become really popular, but sadly we missed it.
North Isles – the most remote parts of the island and arguably the most beautiful lie in the north. I felt like we’d escaped the entire world driving around these parts. We saw a lot of seals and wild shetland ponies on our drives up here. You can take your car on the ferry and go even further north onto Unst if you like, which is a separate but inhabited island that looked beautiful. I heard there were plenty of wild Shetland ponies there too.
Places to eat and drink
Eat at home – if Shetland lacks one thing it’s eateries. I’ve picked out my favourites below but a lot of the time we cooked in our Airbnb. I wish I’d planned ahead a bit more and collected a few recipes to try though. A stay here is the perfect opportunity to try those recipes you can tear out of the Sunday newspapers or your favourite magazine. I wish I’d started collecting some in the build up to our trip so I could’ve taken the opportunity to try some out.
The String – this place oozes cosiness and they’ve got a great menu for lunches and dinner. Check the opening times before you go. It’s just around the corner from the harbour in Lerwick.
The Dowry – we were regulars here during our trip. The booths by the window with a view of the boats was my favourite spot. The granola with milk and honey was particularly delicious.
And that’s a wrap. My mum had well and truly underestimated Shetland as I’m sure many others do – but it was everything I’d hoped it would be. It was particularly refreshing to be somewhere that hasn’t been Instagrammed to death (you know the places I’m talking about). It felt like a hidden gem, the perfect place for those of us that like to get away from it all, take things slow, enjoy exploring nature and cosy cafes too. We didn’t see any orcas this time but there were plenty of sightings that week so I guess we were just unlucky.
It’s always nice to have something to go back for right? I’m not giving up on my orca spotting dream just yet.
