Shetland Islands - 52 Attractions You Must Visit

St. Ninians Isle beach is a large tombolo on the west coast of Shetland. The beach here is a long spit of fine sand connecting the small isle of St Ninian’s to Shetland. Made up largely of shell sand, the symmetrical curve sandbar can be seen from high ground, such as the Ward of Scousburgh. The beach is in a rural farming region, with an archaeological site located on St. Ninians Isle.

Stanydale ‘Temple’ is the only truly megalithic structure surviving from prehistoric Shetland. It comprises a wall of large boulders enclosing a wide oval area, which would have originally been enclosed by a great timber roof. There is uncertainty about the original purpose of the building, but its unusual size indicates some communal purpose, or that it was possibly the home of an important person.

The Knab is a south pointing ness in Lerwick, next to the town’s cemetary. When visiting the Knab, you’ll get a fabulous view of Bressay and the shipping coming in and out of Lerwick harbour. Below the Knab is a Torpedo tube platform which formed part of Lerwick harbour’s WW2 defences.

The Lodberries were merchant's private wharfs, extending out into the Bressay Sound, and represent some of the oldest buildings in the town. The name is thought to derive from the Old Norse hlaðberg meaning a natural quay. The most notable Lodberrie, at 20 Commercial Street, dates from the later 18th century and has been A-listed since 1971. Previously lodberries were also found along the northern continuation of Commercial Street.

The Crofthouse Museum takes visitors back to a time where life’s essentials were of a bare minimum. The property is presented in the style of how it would have looked in the 1870s. Smell the peat fire, discover the box beds and try to set the traditional Shetland mouse trap. The crofthouse also has a lovely garden.

The Skidbladner is a full size replica of the Gokstad ship, found in a Viking burial mound in norway in 1880. The original ship is thought to have been built during the reign of Harald Fairhar. This type of Viking ship was suitable for a variety of purposes including trade, warfare and general travel. Visitors can board the ship and feel what it was like to have been aboard a Viking vessel. It now sits alongside the re-constructed longhouse as a permanent visitor experience.

Unst, the most northerly island in Britain, is thought to be the first foot-fall of Vikings in the North Atlantic. There are the remains of at least 60 longhouses, the highest density of rural Viking sites anywhere, including Scandinavia. The primary aim of the project was to increase understanding of Viking Norse settlement, and interpret and display excavated sites for public access.

Trondra is a small, narrow island that is sparsely populated. Both islands are very green and the scenery is gentler than much of Shetland. It was made up of steeply inclined dalradian rocks; mainly quartz and mica rich schists but with some crystalline limestone in the north which provide fertile soils around Cauldhame and Cutts.

Uyea is an uninhabited island, lying south of Unst in Shetland, Scotland. The island was inhabited as early as the Bronze Age, and a chambered cairn can still be seen. In the twelfth century, Saint Olaf's chapel overlooking Brei Wick was built. The island was the home of Sir Basil Neven-Spence, who was the Conservative Member of Parliament for Orkney and Shetland from 1935 to 1950.

An independent commercial fine art gallery, run by Polish émigré Dorota Rychlik. It shows well-documented artists from the 19th through the 21st Centuries, including Shetland contemporary landscape and British marine artists. All media are represented, including wood engravings, etchings, watercolours, oils, acrylics, drawings, sculptures and constructions in wood and bronze.

Vementry is an uninhabited Scottish island in Shetland on the north side of the West Mainland, lying south of Muckle Roe. The island is known for its well-preserved chambered cairn. The well-preserved remains of a Neolithic heel-shaped cairn about 10 metres in diameter and rising to over 1.5 metres in height. There is no ferry service to the island, although the shepherd on the mainland farm occasionally makes the short trip to work with stock on the island.

The West Voe of Sumburgh is one of the four Shetland beaches that have won a Seaside Award from Keep Scotland Beautiful. The beach is situated alongside the archaeological site of Jarlshof, which includes remains from the Stone Age through to medieval times. The beach is backed by marram grass sand dunes and has some spectacular views and closeby attractions.