Everything you need to know...SHETLAND

Hi everyone,

If you are booked on a cruise to visit Shetland or you are contemplating visiting our islands i thought it would be a handy thing to pull together all relevant info/Links on our islands under one thread instead of having them scattered around the site.

To start with

http://www.lerwick-harbour.co.uk/webcam

http://www.lerwick-harbour.co.uk/assets/files/cruiseships.pdf

Local attractions (Lerwick)

http://www.shetland-museum.org.uk/

http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/shetland/fortcharlotte/

http://shetlopedia.com/The_Lodberries

http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/shetland/clickimin/index.html

http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/p/m/2130c0/

http://www.seabirds-and-seals.com/

http://www.shetlandheritageassociation.com/members/central-mainland/bod-of-gremista

Souvenir shops

http://www.shetlandknitwear.com/Home.aspx

Local attractions (Scalloway)

http://www.scallowaymuseum.org/home/

More to be added soon

Richard

Thank you for all those links. I appreciate your work at gathering this all together!

Thank you!

Wonderful , so looking forward to our visit to Shetland.

Thanks so much!

Wonderful! Thank you!

Thanks for the links!

Hi. I just googled Lerwick and tried to figure out where we were likely to be tendered to. We are scheduled to drop anchor in the inner harbor. Do you think we will be tendered close to the Victoria Pier or somewhere else? Thanks for any help/guesses you can give me!

Hi. I just googled Lerwick and tried to figure out where we were likely to be tendered to. We are scheduled to drop anchor in the inner harbor. Do you think we will be tendered close to the Victoria Pier or somewhere else? Thanks for any help/guesses you can give me!

Just trying to bump this up - still wondering where we are likely to be tendered to in Lerwick, as there seem to be a number of possibilities.

Thank you for providing this information.

Keith

Thanks for the links to things to see in Lerwick. Is everything walkable from the dock? (presuming we are tendered at this port)

Hi everyone,

 

If you are booked on a cruise to visit Shetland or you are contemplating visiting our islands i thought it would be a handy thing to pull together all relevant info/Links on our islands under one thread instead of having them scattered around the site.

<snip>

 

Richard

Thanks for this post Richard - I found it by Accident. I looked at the bus tour that RCI is offerent and it has NO PHOTO STOPS or STOPS of any kind for 2 hours. Sure isn't my idea of a scenery tour, especially if not by a window seat. I'd love to see the country even though we are only in from 11am to 6pm at end of July. Trip advisor had no recommendations for cruise folks.

Do you know of any private bus tours of - say two hours - WITH photo stops?

Thanks!

musicismylife hi i assume you are on Eurodam next month? If so you will indeed tender. Lerwick is very easy to get around, from your tender drop off all things are within easy walking distance.

The Knab coastal walk is longer and there is a slight climb to get to the top, however the scenery from there is really pretty. The more adventurous can continue off the path at the Sletts, and follow the main road out to Clickimin Broch at Clickimin Loch.

I get married on the 26th July so if you see a chap in a kilt it will most likely be me. :)

Steve there are private tours that go around the isles here are some of them. (Subject to availability )

http://www.seeshetland.shetland.co.uk/

http://www.island-trails.co.uk/walks-and-tours

http://www.shetlandtours.co.uk/

http://www.shetlandtaxis.co.uk/guided-tours

Richard

Will look for you and toast you if I do! Thanks for the links. I did email a few of the companies to get quotes.

Hey, while I'm here - though we often go bacvk to the ship for lunch (we will be on the Brilliance) I like to try the local foods I would get at home. So?? What are the must have snacks to eat there and take home (if packaged) and where is best place to buy them?

Steve

Shetland fudge is always a popular one to take home, it depends on what your after really. Shetland cheese started up also a few years ago. If you fancy lunch a little gem is the fort cafe, without doubt the finest freshly cooked fish & chips in town...absolutely fantastic! But it has only got space for 20..

We are going to Lerwick on August 2, so I've been doing a lot of research. Here's some stuff I have read that might help, in addition to the links provided before:

There are different places where you might dock or be tendered to, depending upon size of ship and where port assigns the ship. We are tendering (ship with 1250 pax) and the tender place is right near Victoria Pier, which is maybe 5-10 mins. from the square with the tourist information center (TI). If you go to the webcam below, you can see Victoria Pier, where cabs come, and then it will change to the square that has the TI, which is on Commercial Street, close to the pier. Watch the webcam and it will change from one to the other view. Keep in mind that Scotland is 5 hours later than east coast U.S., so viewing in the morning or afternoon is best! Here's webcam: http://visit.shetland.org/lerwick-town-centre-webcam

There are other webcams at that site, too, including a "cliff cam" showing a puffin on a nest. Most puffins leave at the end of July, unfortunately - wish they'd stick around for me!

From my understanding, some of the sites around Lerwick aren't far from Victoria Pier, and others are about a mile up north, with some in between! There are also buses (see http://www.leaskstravel.co.uk/bus-timetables/sumburgh.shtml) down to Jarlshof (pre-historic site) and other attractions outside the city. We are renting a car while there - fairly reasonable rates from Bolts Car Hire, or if you're docking up near the ferry terminal, Star Car Rental.

http://www.shetland.org is a good site for info. There's also http://www.visitscotland.com/ebrochures/en/where-to-stay-what-to-see-and-do/shetland/

It's 1am there now but you can clearly see the pioer and traffic on the webcam!

And the brochure is great too!

Will share with our Roll call:

Steve

Yep, I've been hooked on the web cams. I have seen the street that runs along the dock resurfaced, the Bressay ferry (blue and white) come in and depart, and people walk by and into the tourist office. We're actually planning to take a sign with large lettering (perhaps saying "Hi" or something) with us and tell the people who are staying at my house while we're gone to check the web cam at 11 AM on the day we're there. We plan to stand at that thing in the middle of the street and wave! The music they play is great, too - quite a variety from rock to heavy-duty Scottish to talk.

I think Lerwick is going into the period of the year that they call "simmer dim" - it stays light a LONG time, which is probably why the sky is still fairly light right now.

If you're going to Dublin I know of a great webcam in the Temple Bar area, which is touristy but apparently a big bar scene, especially at night. It's fun to check that at night (Ireland time) as you can hear the chatter of people there as well as see them. One time when I viewed it, there was a band playing outside the bar, which was extra fun. If you're interested I'll send the link. I've also found at least one web cam each for Edinburgh, Weymouth/Portland, Belfast, and Hellsylt, Alesund and Geirganger (last 3 are Norway). Not sure where you're going, but if you want links for those, let me know. Shetland ones are my favorite, though....

There is also the time lapse webcam at the Shetland Museum at Hay's Dock. At the moment it gives you an idea of when it's sunny, as an example here around 3am.

http://visit.shetland.org/hays-dock-last-24-hours

My photo of Silver Explorer arriving around 10pm last night, with a simmer dim sky.

http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss5/trickyboat/100_9493.jpg

Richard

Thanks for the information. :)

For all passengers landing by tender in Lerwick's Albert Dock there will be from tomorrow onwards a floating accommodation barge moored in the dock. For anyone wishing to get public buses the red bus shelters where you pick up the buses are directly behind the barge, which is obviously obscuring it, this is just to let people know in case anyone has trouble locating it.

For all passengers landing by tender in Lerwick's Albert Dock there will be from tomorrow onwards a floating accommodation barge moored in the dock. For anyone wishing to get public buses the red bus shelters where you pick up the buses are directly behind the barge, which is obviously obscuring it, this is just to let people know in case anyone has trouble locating it.

Thank you, tricky oat! I will be there in 5 weeks, and yesterday I noticed that big thing on the Lerwick web cam! I had never seen anything like that before (very impressive, although I suppose some might possibly say an eyesore!). I just HAD to find out what it was, of course, and found an article about it in your local paper. Thanks for the information on the bus stop as yes, we are tendering, and yes, I may use the bus!

One question if you don't mind: I am still a little confused as to where the tender pontoon is. I know it's not a big deal, and that when I come in, I'll know exactly where to go, as I've watched that wonderful web cam, and looked at maps a lot. However, can you tell me, just out of curiosity's sake, where the tender take you in relationship to that round building I see right on the dock, which I assume is an information/rest room of sorts? I'm talking about the small building near the street, where the taxis line up. Are passengers dropped near there?

Thanks much for any information you can give me, and thanks again for the bus "heads up."

The round small building at the taxis is actually a pumping station for the sewer in that part of the town, it has a mural on it to make it less obtrusive to locals and visitors alike. Not exactly glamorous but it serves a purpose.

When you look on http://www.lerwick-harbour.co.uk/dashboard and the camera pans round to the visitor pavilion on the pier you will see yachts currently berthed on the cruise ship pontoon. On days the pontoon is required for liners the yachts vacate it.

The accommodation barges (the other one at Holmsgarth) are definitely ugly that's for sure and will be here for around 1 year. A new gas terminal is being constructed at Sullom Voe oil terminal for Total, and the workforce are being housed on these barges so as not to put to much strain on available beds in hotels etc on the islands during the process.

Wonderful information. Thanks for taking the time to gather it all and make it easy for visitors.

Hi everyone,

 

If you are booked on a cruise to visit Shetland or you are contemplating visiting our islands i thought it would be a handy thing to pull together all relevant info/Links on our islands under one thread instead of having them scattered around the site.

 

To start with

 

http://www.lerwick-harbour.co.uk/webcam

 

http://www.lerwick-harbour.co.uk/assets/files/cruiseships.pdf

 

Local attractions (Lerwick)

 

http://www.shetland-museum.org.uk/

 

http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/shetland/fortcharlotte/

 

http://shetlopedia.com/The_Lodberries

 

http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/shetland/clickimin/index.html

 

http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/p/m/2130c0/

 

http://www.seabirds-and-seals.com/

 

http://www.shetlandheritageassociation.com/members/central-mainland/bod-of-gremista

 

Souvenir shops

 

http://www.shetlandknitwear.com/Home.aspx

 

Local attractions (Scalloway)

 

http://www.scallowaymuseum.org/home/

 

More to be added soon

 

Richard

What a useful tool. Many thanks Richard.