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Northern Isles · Region

Shetland

Nearer Bergen than London, and light all night in June.

A hundred islands, sixteen of them lived on, at the top of Britain. In June the sun barely sets, and the cliffs at Hermaness and Noss are loud with gannets and puffins.

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The old stone lodberries of Lerwick standing at the water's edge above a small sandy beach
Lerwick, Shetland

Shetland

The simmer dim.

Shetland is closer to Norway than to Edinburgh, and its place names are Norse. In midsummer Lerwick has nearly nineteen hours of daylightverify, and the twilight in between, the simmer dim, never quite becomes night.

It is one of the great seabird places in Europe. Gannets, puffins, guillemots and great skuas nest on the cliffs at Hermaness on Unst, Noss and Sumburgh Head, from about May to Augustverify.

Further out are Fetlar, for red-necked phalaropes, and Fair Isle, halfway to Orkney, with its knitting and its bird observatory.

Common questions

Shetland, answered.

Read the full guide ↓

When are the puffins there?

Usually from late April or May until early August. They leave suddenly.

Is it cold?

Rarely very cold, rarely warm. Wind is the thing to dress for.

Routes

Routes through Shetland.

All routes
Standing stones of the Ring of Brodgar in Orkney silhouetted against a red evening sky
Ring of Brodgar, Orkney

10–12 nights · Sleeper · Orkney · Shetland

Sleeper to the Northern Isles

One sleeper · Three NorthLink crossings · No flights

  • The Caledonian Sleeper from Euston to Inverness
  • The north coast to Scrabster and the ferry past the Old Man of Hoy
  • Four nights on Orkney with an archaeologist
  • Shetland in the simmer dim, then the overnight boat to Aberdeen

Suggested10–12 nightsTailored to your dates · no package price

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Experiences

Private days in Shetland.

All experiences
Two puffins at a burrow entrance on a Shetland cliff ledge
Sumburgh, Shetland

Shetland

Shetland in the simmer dim

Seabird cliffs at Hermaness and Noss, and nights that never get dark.

Where to stay

Stays in Shetland.

Placeholders: the kind of place we would suggest, until our specialists confirm the houses and hotels we use.

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Illustration

Hotel

[PLACEHOLDER] A country house on Mainland Shetland

On a voe, with long light in the evenings.

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Illustration

Self-catering

[PLACEHOLDER] A lodberry flat in Lerwick

Built into the sea wall of the old town.

Daylight by month, LerwickJAN 6 h 41 min, FEB 9 h 10 min, MAR 11 h 44 min, APR 14 h 34 min, MAY 17 h 11 min, JUN 18 h 52 min, JUL 18 h 07 min, AUG 15 h 42 min, SEP 12 h 55 min, OCT 10 h 13 min, NOV 7 h 32 min, DEC 5 h 53 minJANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDECLongest day18 h 52 minLerwick

Best time to visit

The Shetland year.

May to August for birds; late January for Up Helly Aaverify in Lerwick. Daylight shown for Lerwick, the nearest Light calendar station; the best months are in bold.

  • Puffins and seabirdsMay · Jun · JulShetland, Orkney, the Treshnish Islesverify
  • MidgesJun · Jul · AugWorst on still evenings on the west coastverify
  • Aurora likely on clear dark nightsJan · Feb · Mar · Oct · Nov · DecShetland, Orkney, Lewis, north-facing coastsverify
  • Up Helly AaJanLerwick, last Tuesday in Januaryverify
  • Spirit of SpeysideApr · MaySpeyside, late April or early Mayverify
  • Fèis ÌleMayIslay, late Mayverify

Month by month on the Light calendar

Shetland

Your guide to Shetland.

Getting around

Shetland’s islands are linked by short council ferries. A car is the easy way. A local guide for the bird days is worth it.

Unst

The northernmost island in Britain, with Hermaness, Muckle Flugga lighthouse and the Unst bus shelter. Two ferries from the Mainland.

Getting there

Aberdeen Lerwick, Shetland NorthLink
Kirkwall, Orkney Lerwick, Shetland NorthLink

The overnight ferry from Aberdeen has cabins; we book the good ones. Sumburgh airport has flights from the mainland. Routes and operatorsverify pending a specialist check.

Photographs

Shetland, in pictures.

Two puffins at a burrow entrance on a Shetland cliff ledge
Sumburgh, Shetland
A puffin among sea campion and thrift on a Shetland clifftop
Shetland
Grey stone houses of Lerwick above a sandy cove and still blue water
Lerwick, Shetland
Lerwick Town Hall's clock tower above the rooftops at sunset
Lerwick, Shetland
A Shetland settlement on a grassy hillside above a sound, in black and white
Shetland
A puffin on a steep grassy slope among sea campion in Shetland
Shetland

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