St. Ninian's Isle and a tombolo, Shetland (VisitScotland)
Looking for some Great British adventure inspiration? You're in the right place. Here you'll get an independent, ad-free lowdown on Britain's top 50 adventure locations - the online yin to the paper yang of our Joyously Busy Great British Adventure Map.
Why Go To Shetland?
Shetland: the end of the line! Just some of things you can do in Shetland that you can't do anywhere else...
Get to the northern end of Britain, and be smug in the knowledge that you made it - most Brits won't ever get to see Shetland
Catch the northern lights, if you're lucky
Be closer to Norway than Edinburgh, and experience a culture shaped by a unique location - as events like Up Helly Aa prove
Want to find out more? Read on for great photos, articles, videos, top tips and other content to fire up your adventure appetite. Got a question? Ask away.
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Around 100 islands, of which 16 are populated, half way to Scandinavia both geographically and culturally. Britain's northernmost point (Out Stack), Foula’s ginormous cliffs, Fair Isle (the remotest inhabited part of Britain), Papa Stour's sea-cave tunnels stretching under the island, the northern lights in winter, 1,700 miles of coastline and many golden sandy beaches: highlights all. Britain's best bus shelter is pretty tidy too. Highest point: Ronas Hill (450m).
Ponies with exemplary 80s coiffure on the remote island of Foula, Shetland (VisitScotland)
The essential journey on Shetland is simply getting to the northern end. Simply. It's a trek!
The Viking celebrations of Up Helly Aa take place every January...
Getting To Shetland, Maps & Guides
Getting there: NorthLink ferry from Aberdeen (or Orkney) to Lerwick - 12 hrs overnight. Frequent daily flights to Sumbergh from Glasgow (1.5 hrs), Edinburgh (1.5 hrs), Aberdeen (1 hr) and Inverness (1.5 hrs) airports.
Travel times from where you are: See Shetland on Google Maps.
Maps: Find the right Ordnance Survey maps and / or get a month's free subscription to their excellent OS Maps app.
Guidebooks: Rough Guide to the Highlands & Islands or the Lonely Planet Guide to the Highlands & Islands.
Walking route guidance: WalkingHighlands.
Tourist board: Visit Shetland.
Even More Shetland Adventure Inspiration
The very northern end of Britain - some sheep, Muckle Flugga lighthouse and, beyond, Out Stack (Humphrey Butler/Marvellous Maps)
What Next?
Click here to see 49 other Great British adventure locations and tell us about your adventures, plans and suggestions for these pages.
Britain's Best Outdoorsy Bits... Mapped!
Liking what you see, but fancy keeping it old school with an actual paper map? Our Joyously Busy Great British Adventure Map features all of Britain's best outdoorsy bits (including the Top 50), plus some enjoyably random and vaguely useful stuff too. Available either as a 2-sided fold-out map or a framed wall map (office furniture and fake plants not included).
