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Walks and nature
in Shetland.

It’s 01:40 in Shetland.
Shetland Islands

Ravens' pools, sea arches and Ronas Hill.

Shetland's nature is close to the surface, in its rocks, its burns and its seabirds. On Fetlar, the cliffs from Funzie run out to a sea arch, with stacks and nesting birds along the way. In the Westside near Aith, a moorland burn tumbles over a rock shelf into a dark pool, named in Norn for the ravens that once nested on its banks. Ronas Hill looks down on a long shore of red shingle that few people ever reach. On Noss and at the top of Unst, the cliffs fill with gannets and puffins from May. Bring binoculars, and keep well back from the cliff edges.

Kergord Woods→
Isle of Noss→
Fair Isle→
Hermaness National Nature Reserve→
Place of the dayJust now

Isle of Noss.

A seabird island off Bressay with 180-metre cliffs, reached by a three-minute inflatable ride; May to August.

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Newly discoveredJust nowShetland IslandsDa Lang AyreWalkShetland IslandsScalloway MuseumAttractionShetland IslandsKnab coastal walkWalkShetland IslandsThe Snap, FetlarWalkShetland IslandsFethalandAttractionShetland IslandsKeen of HamarAttraction

Some good places to go, newly added to the site.

The newest places on our pages on Shetland.

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From our guideJust now

Burn of Lunklet.

A short path beside a moorland burn near Aith leads to one of Shetland's best-loved waterfalls. Its old Norn name, Ramnahol, means the pool of the ravens, and the burn tumbles over a rock shelf into a dark, peaty pool between steep banks. The walk is only about 1.2 kilometres there and back, with some steps and a few muddy stretches. Go after heavy rain, when the falls are at their fullest. Keep to the path near the water, as the banks are steep and slippery, and watch out for ravens and mountain hares.

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LunchJust nowShetland IslandsMareel8.3 milesShetland IslandsPeerie Shop Café8.5 milesShetland IslandsThe Dowry8.5 miles

Lunch near Kergord Woods.

The three good places closest to it: Mareel, Peerie Shop Café and The Dowry.

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From our guideJust now

Hermaness National Nature Reserve.

Hermaness is the northern tip of Unst, a headland of moor and high cliffs looking out to the rocks and lighthouse of Muckle Flugga, with only the Out Stack further north in all of Britain. In summer the cliffs hold thousands of gannets, fulmars, kittiwakes and puffins, which land beside their burrows on the clifftop grass. A boardwalk crosses the moor from the car park, about an hour each way. Great skuas, the bonxies, nest on the moor and are famous for their dives, so you may want a hat. Come between mid-May and mid-July, when spring squill and thrift colour the grass.

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From our guideJust now

Keen of Hamar.

At first the Keen of Hamar looks like a slope of bare, stony scree. Look closer and you will find rare plants holding on among the stones. The rock here is serpentine, which poisons most plants, and the few that cope with it are special. The star is Edmondston's chickweed, a small white flower found on Unst and nowhere else in the world. The reserve sits just beyond Baltasound, with a small car park and an easy 200-metre walk. Come between mid-May and early July, and get down low, as most of the flowers are tiny.

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From our guideJust now

Fair Isle.

Fair Isle lies alone in the sea halfway between Shetland and Orkney, and getting there is part of the adventure. The mailboat Good Shepherd IV sails from Grutness, near Sumburgh, in about two and a half hours, and small planes fly from Tingwall in around 25 minutes. The National Trust for Scotland has owned the island since 1954, and around 60 people live here. Seabirds breed on the cliffs and migrants stop on their way across the sea. The rebuilt Bird Observatory reopened in 2025 after a fire, and the knitting that carries the island's name is still made here.

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