Mousa – the Broch and the Seals by Boat
A few hours.
The route
Mousa is a small, uninhabited island off Shetland's east coast, reached by a fifteen-minute crossing from Sandwick.
Its Iron Age broch still stands 13 metres high, seals haul out on the rocks, and in summer Arctic terns, skuas and black guillemots are all about. The boat leaves you ashore from late morning into the early afternoon, time enough for the broch and a walk round the island.
The day
Mousa
A short boat ride, a walk round a small island and a climb inside one of Shetland's oldest buildings. Bring cash, a picnic and a warm layer.
About three and a half hours
The Mousa Boat
The Mousa Boat sails from Sandsayre pier at Sandwick, where the old boatshed is now a small centre about the area's history. From April to the end of September it crosses every day except Saturday, leaving at 11.30am and bringing you back at 2.30pm. There's no need to book, but sailings depend on the weather: check the sailing updates on the Mousa Boat's website two hours before. Fares are paid in cash on board, £20 for adults and £10 for children aged 5 to 16, at the time of writing. The crossing takes 15 minutes. On the island a path leads round to the broch, where a narrow stair inside the double wall climbs to the top. Grey and common seals lie out on the rocks and in the pools: watch them from the path and keep well back. Terns and skuas nest on open ground in summer, so keep to the path. Storm petrels nest in the broch's walls but come in only after dark, on the boat's late trips from mid-May to mid-July, booked ahead.
If it rains
The boat sails in light rain but not in a heavy sea, and on Mousa there's no shelter beyond the broch itself. Bring waterproofs.
Photographs by sheena fegan and Inez Soethof via Google