Sights in Shetland Islands
- Sort by:
- Popular
-
A
Shetland Museum
This modern museum is an impressive recollection of 5000 years’ worth of culture, people and their interaction with this ancient landscape. Comprehensive but never dull, the display covers everything from the archipelago’s geology to its fishing industry, via a great section on local mythology – find out about the scary nyuggles, or use the patented machine for detecting trows (fairies).
The Pictish carvings and replica jewellery are among the finest pieces here; the museum also includes a working lighthouse mechanism, small art gallery, and – what great smells! – a boatbuilding workshop, where you can watch carpenters at work restoring and re-creating traditional S…
reviewed
-
B
Clickimin Broch
This fortified site, just under a mile southwest of the town centre, was occupied from the 7th century BC to the 6th century AD. It’s impressively large, and its setting on a small loch gives it a feeling of being removed from the present day – quite unusual given the surrounding urban encroachment.
reviewed
-
C
Böd of Gremista
This house was once the headquarters of a fish-curing station, and was also the birthplace of Arthur Anderson, who went on to found P&O Ferries. The friendly custodian is a delight, and will show you around two rooms restored to how they were 200 years ago, and an exhibit on the history of the whitefish industry.
The building also houses the Shetland Textile Working Museum, with displays on the knitted and woven textiles and patterns that take their name from the islands. The böd is a mile north of the town centre, overlooking the small-boat harbour.
reviewed
-
Scalloway Museum
After years of delays, Scalloway's museum has finally moved to new, purpose-built premises next door to the castle. The main exhibit celebrates the town's role in WWII's Shetland Bus operation; other displays cover Scalloway's people, industries and maritime history.
reviewed
-
D
Fort Charlotte
Fort Charlotte, built in 1781 during a time of war with France and Spain, occupies the site of an earlier fortification built in 1665 to protect the harbour from the Dutch navy. The five-sided fortress never saw action, but today houses the local Territorial Army (volunteer units) and provides excellent views over the harbour.
reviewed
-
E
Up-Helly-Aa Exhibition
This exhibition provides the background to Shetland's bizarre, annual Viking fire festival, with photos and videos documenting the event, and displays of the galleys and costumes from the last 10 years.
reviewed
