Lerwick at Dusk – the Lodberrie and a Seat at the Lounge
A few hours, from the Esplanade, by Victoria Pier and back.
The route
Lerwick's old waterfront is at its best as the light goes, when the lamps come on along Commercial Street and the Lodberrie stands with its feet in the sea.
It's a short stroll from the harbour front, and then back up the lanes to the Lounge, the bar where Shetland's fiddlers have played for generations. Nobody announces the music: on a good night it simply starts upstairs.
The day
Lerwick
A slow walk along the old street by the water as the lamps come on, then a seat upstairs at the Lounge with a drink and, if luck is with you, a tune.
About two hours
The Lodberrie
From the Esplanade by Victoria Pier, walk south along Commercial Street, Lerwick's old main street, to the Lodberrie at number 20. A lodberry was a merchant's house and store built with its foundations in the sea, with its own landing so boats could unload straight into it. The name comes from the Old Norse for a landing stone. This one dates from around 1772, when the foreshore was lined with them, and the story goes that smuggled goods went into tunnels under the street. Television watchers know it as Jimmy Perez's house in Shetland. From October to March the sun sets between about 3pm and a quarter to eight, so dusk comes early; in June it hardly gets dark at all. The street is lit, but the shore is not: keep to the pavement after dark.
About 3 min on foot
The Lounge Bar
A drink
Then it's back along Commercial Street and up the lane to Mounthooly Street and the Lounge. There's a plain public bar downstairs and a lounge bar upstairs, and the upstairs room is where local musicians come in with fiddles and guitars, sit down among the drinkers and play. There's no stage and no timetable, so whether a session is on is a matter of luck. It's a bar for a drink rather than a meal, so eat first: No88 on the Esplanade serves food Wednesday to Saturday, 11am to 10pm. There's no food here and no real ale, but Lerwick Brewery's beer is on in cans and on keg. It opens every day from 11am until 1am. The Esplanade bus stops are a few minutes' walk away.
If it rains
In rain, keep the street short and go straight up to the Lounge: the rest of the evening is indoors.
