Hidden Scotland
Sign in

Beaches
in Shetland.

It’s 20:06 in Shetland.
Shetland Islands

Shell sand from Burra to Skaw.

Shetland's beaches are pale, quiet and often empty, with water that turns turquoise on a bright day. On West Burra, over the bridges from Scalloway, there's a sheltered bay of fine white sand by Hamnavoe and a sandy tombolo running out towards Kettla Ness. The South Mainland has a mile of sand under the dunes at Quendale, where surfers find a clean wave, and seals off Rerwick. Further north lie shell sand on Yell, the Drongs out in the bay at Hillswick and Britain's most northerly sandy beach at Skaw on Unst. The water is cold all year, so bring a wetsuit if you plan to swim.

All places to visitCastlesDistilleriesMuseumsLighthousesStanding stonesWalks
Beach of the day18 hours ago

Sands of Breckon.

A shell-sand beach at Yell’s northern end, twenty-one miles from the ferry at Ulsta.

Read about it
Free16 hours agoShetland IslandsSands of BreckonAttractionShetland IslandsMeal BeachAttractionShetland IslandsMinn BeachAttractionShetland IslandsQuendale BeachAttractionShetland IslandsRerwick and Scousburgh SandsAttractionShetland IslandsSandwick Beach, HillswickAttraction

Free to visit.

Beaches, waterfalls, viewpoints and stones: nothing to pay and nobody to ask.

See all the places to visit
From our guide15 hours ago

Eshaness, Shetland.

The cliffs at Eshaness are what is left of a volcano that erupted some 395 million years ago, when Shetland lay near the equator. Today they are black and red walls taking the full weight of the Atlantic, cut by sea stacks, deep geos and blowholes. Park by the lighthouse on the cliff edge and walk north, well back from the drop, past Calder's Geo, where fulmars ride the wind. The highlight is the Grind o da Navir, where storms have smashed a gap in the cliff and flung great blocks of rock inland. The full circuit takes about three hours.

See the place
Did you know13 hours agoWritten byLaurie GoodladRead Laurie’s piece

Rerwick, a beach in Shetland's South Mainland, often has close to 100 seals hauled up on its sand.

‘Rerwick and Scousburgh are two beaches that face each other in the Bay of Scousburgh. Rerwick is a beach best viewed from the road as there are often close to 100 seals hauled up, enjoying the sunshine. It’s best to leave this beach to the wildlife and, after enjoying watching the seals relaxing for a moment from the layby above the beach, head over to Scousburgh Sands.’

Written byLaurie GoodladRead Laurie’s pieceSee Rerwick and Scousburgh Sands · Shetland Islands
Lunch11 hours agoShetland IslandsFjarå Café Bar14.6 milesShetland IslandsPeerie Shop Café15.2 milesShetland IslandsNo88 Kitchen and Bar15.3 miles

Lunch near Rerwick and Scousburgh Sands.

The three good places closest to it: Fjarå Café Bar, Peerie Shop Café and No88 Kitchen and Bar.

See Rerwick and Scousburgh Sands
From our guide9 hours ago

St Ninian’s Isle.

On a fine day the sand bar out to St Ninian's Isle looks more like the Mediterranean than the North Atlantic. A tombolo of white sand some 500 metres long runs from the shore near Bigton to the island, with blue-green water lapping on both sides. Walk across and up to the ruins of a 12th-century chapel. Here, in 1958, a schoolboy helping on the dig lifted a slab and found a hoard of Pictish silver from around AD 800. The treasure is now in Edinburgh, and panels at the chapel tell its story. Look west and you may see Foula on the horizon.

See the place
From our guide8 hours ago

Quendale Beach.

Quendale is a mile of clean sand curving round the head of its bay in the South Mainland, with dunes behind it and the great bulk of Fitful Head rising over the west side. It is a favourite with dog walkers, and with surfers, because this is one of the few places in Shetland with a clean wave. Nothing is built along the shore. You reach it through sheep fields, so close the gates behind you. Bring a wetsuit if you fancy a swim, as the water stays cold all summer. The restored Quendale Mill is a short way inland.

See the place
From our guide6 hours ago

Skaw and Norwick Beaches.

Unst collects Britain's most northerly things, and at Skaw, at the end of the island's last road, you will find its most northerly sandy beach. The road winds over the hill from Norwick, with wide views of the cliffs of north Unst. The beach is fine white sand facing east, sheltered from the prevailing wind, with a meadow of wild flowers behind it in summer. Look at the rocks too, where the Skaw granite holds big pink crystals of feldspar. Norwick, the bay over the hill, makes a second beach for the same trip.

See the place
From our guide4 hours ago

Meal Beach.

Meal is a sheltered crescent of fine, pale sand just outside Hamnavoe on West Burra, and one of the most photographed beaches in Shetland. It faces south, the water is clear, and on a warm day families come for swimming, games and barbecues. Busy here might mean a handful of other people. A car park, toilets and a boardwalk make it an easy one with small children. Minn, a quieter tombolo of white sand, is a few miles further south on the same island, and the two make a lovely afternoon together.

See the place
Did you know3 hours agoWritten byLaurie GoodladRead Laurie’s piece

The Sands of Breckon, at the northern tip of the Shetland island of Yell, are full of tiny pastel shells.

‘Tucked away in the northernmost part of Yell, the Sands of Breckon is a quiet beach. The beach is a wide expanse of white sand, seldom busy, with a rich archaeological past that is still visible today. Hunt for beautiful shells as you walk because Breckon’s sands are teeming with intricate little pastel coloured shells, tossed onto the sand and discarded by the sea beyond.’

Written byLaurie GoodladRead Laurie’s pieceSee Sands of Breckon · Shetland Islands
From our guide1 hour ago

Funzie Beach.

Funzie is a small bay at the end of the road on the east side of Fetlar, the island Shetlanders call the Garden of Shetland. Look closely at the pebbles on the far side of the beach. They were squashed and stretched into rods when an ancient ocean closed, some 400 million years ago, and they look like nothing else on the shore. Funzie is also where the cliff walk round Funzie Ness begins, past sea stacks and two small lochs where otters are sometimes seen. Fetlar's RSPB reserves have a hide for the rare red-necked phalarope.

See the place
From our guideJust now

Bressay Lighthouse.

Arrive in Lerwick by sea and Bressay Lighthouse is one of the first things you see. It stands on Kirkabister Ness at the south-west corner of Bressay, a white Stevenson tower first lit in 1858. The light was retired in 2012, and its old lens is now in the Shetland Museum. Take the short car ferry over from Lerwick and follow the road south to the end of the track. You can't go into the grounds, but the walk is the point, with sea arches, old stone dykes and wide views back across the sound. Go for the sunset.

See the place

You are up to date.

The next post goes up at 21:59, and a new day of them starts tomorrow morning. Or have the best of it in your inbox each morning in the Daily.