Lerwick

Lerwick is the largest town and capital of the Shetland Islands.

Get in

The main transport links to Lerwick, and Shetland as a whole are to and from the Scottish Mainland.

• By Air

British Airways [1] provide the only scheduled passenger air service to the Scottish Mainland. This operates from Sumburgh Airport which is located 30 miles south of Lerwick. Flights operate to Aberdeen,Edinburgh,Glasgow, Kirkwall and Bergen (in the Summer).

Wideroe [2] provide a summer service to Norway.

• By Sea

Northlink Ferries [3] provide a daily passenger and vehicle service to Aberdeen which also calls in at Kirkwall in Orkney up to twice a week depending on the time of year.

Get around

• Car Hire

There are a number of car hire firms. They all have offices in Lerwick and all can also arrange for vehicles to be collected either at the ferry terminal or airport.

• Buses

A number of firms operate bus services in Shetland. The local council maintains timetable information [4]

• Ferries

A Number of the islands are connected to each other and the Shetland Mainland by small ferries operated by Shetland Islands Council. Information on these can again be found on their website [5]. Most of these ferries are Roll-on Roll-Off type that can carry vehicles and passengers

• Taxis

There are many taxi firms in Lerwick and all taxis are licensed by the local council. There is a taxi rank located on Victoria Pier which is in the centre of town.

See

• Lerwick Town Hall
• Fort Charlotte
• Clickimin Broch
• Boat Trip to Noss
• Shetland Museum
• Isleburgh Exhibition
• Commercial Street
• "South End"

Events

The annual Lerwick Up Helly Aa [6] is held on the last Tuesday in January. It is a fire festival celebrating the influence of the Vikings on Scotland, culminating in the burning of a Viking galley.

Do

• Clickimin Leasure Complex - Shetland's largest leisure centre has a fantastic swimming pool and is a great place for other sporting activities as well, a great place for the whole family. It is resonably priced. Located next to the Clickimin Loch, it is well signposted.

Buy

Lerwick is renound for having one of the best town centres in Scotland with a great variety of local shops.

• Anderson & Co - Various clothing items, located on Commercial street
• High Level Music - Music, located on Commercial street
• Shetland Fudge Company - Very nice fudge handmade in Shetland, shop located on Commercial street
• The Wine Shop - Various different wines from around the world, located on Commercial street
• Tourist Centre - Touristy items and souveniers for visitors to take away as well as information staff who are happy to give you any information you need about Shetland, located at Market Cross
• The Toll Cross Shopping Centre - Scotlands most northernly indoor shopping centre has a great variety of local shops and is a perfect place to go if the weather turns bad, located on North Road
• Harry's Department Store - Big department store selling a variety of items, located on the Esplanade
• Westside Pine - Sells a variety of items made from pine wood, located on the Esplanade
• Rod and Line - Fishing supplies shop, located on Harbour Street

Eat

• The Peerie Shop Cafe - Located on the Esplanade, North Central Lerwick

Drink

Lerwick has a few pubs and bars. Some are pubs on their own and some are hotel bars that are open to and frequented by non residents:

• Thule

Not the most salubrious of bars but generally always busy at the weekend. Boilersuits and work boots are perfectly acceptable dress!

• The Lounge

This centrally located bar is popular with locals and visitors. There are two parts to it; the downstairs is the "public bar" which is very basic, Upstairs the "lounge" bar is much nicer and far more comfortable. Quite often has impromptu live traditional music.

• The Douglas Arms(Marlex)

Another bar that is really two bars in one. The public bar is again very basic. The Lounge bar half is far more cosy with dark wood tables and a fireplace.

• Captain Flints

A pirate theme bar right in the centre of Lerwick. Can be very busy at times

• Mooneys Wake

Irish Theme bar.

• The Wheel Bar

There are two bars here. The "public bar" is located downstairs and has a pool table and the "lounge bar" has a big dance floor. Visit their website - www.wheelbar.co.uk for pictures and information about this pub

• The Ferry Inn
• Da Noost
• The Queens Hotel
• The Grand Hotel
• Baroc

One of the nightclubs in Lerwick.

• Fort Cafe & Take Away, 2 Commercial Road, Lerwick. The best fish & chip shop in Shetland.  edit

Sleep

• Lerwick Youth Hostel

Get out

• Scalloway, Shetland's ancient capital and second largest town and also home to Scalloway castle, is only a 6 mile drive away.
• Catch the ferry over to Bressay where you can see the Noss nature reserve, a great place to see puffins and even killer wales, as well as several other wild animals such as otters.
• Drive west over to the Burra & Tronda Isles where you will find beautiful surroundings, the nice little fishing village of Hamnavoe, the Bridge End outdoor centre and popular beaches. All these islands are connected by bridges so you won't have to get a ferry.
• Explore the rest of Shetland. Each area is unique and individual in its own way, as well as wonderful scenery, which you can find all over in Shetland.