coastal scenery here is superb, with boiling seas throwing up white spray onto the cliffs, and fulmars and kittiwakes riding the airstreams above each wave. Also look out for puffins, guillemots and razorbills, as well as shags and rock doves.
The cliffs soon diminish in height as you make towards the Tromba of Griskerry and the superb little island of Griskerry itself. Continue onwards around Ireland Wick into the village of Bigton.
St Ninian’s Isle is today uninhabited, but there are the remains of a 12th-century church just to the north across the tombolo. In 1958 a large hoard of Pictish treasure was discovered within the church. There were 28 silver objects, including brooches, bowls and a spoon, possibly dating from about 800AD. There are replicas in the Shetland Museum in Lerwick, although the originals are on view at the Royal Scottish Museum in Edinburgh.
Just south of Bigton lies one of the most remarkable coastal features of the walk – the tombolo leading across to St Ninian’s Isle. A tombolo is a narrow spit joining an island to the mainland, and the one at St Ninian’s Isle really is superb. A single strand of white sand and shingle leads you out through nesting arctic terns to the island itself.
The tombolo to St Ninian’s Isle
It is possible to camp discreetly on St Ninian’s Isle, or you can ask at one of the farms in Bigton if you can pitch a tent for the night. Failing that, continue along the coast to Scousburgh and the Spiggie Hotel.
Day 2
From Bigton continue southwards around St Ninian’s Bay to Rerwick, and round into the beautiful Bay of Scousburgh. Here the superb Scousburgh Sands are held in by Northern Ness and the lovely island of Colsay, lying just offshore. Walk along the sands and around Northern Ness, then continue to Fora Ness for the best views of Colsay.
Head southwards to Noup Noss then onwards to Wick of Shunni. Here the long climb to the summit of Fitful Head begins. Follow the top of the cliffs throughout for the best views, over Windy Stacks and out to the headland of Yuxness before turning south again for the top of Fitful Head, known as Scantips at 283m.
Walk onwards to Garths Ness, then pick up a track northwards to Quendale. Hop down onto the sandy beach and follow this around to Hestingott and Toab. Walk along the A970 to Betty Mouat’s Böd on the left, and a little further on a lane leaves the main road and heads south for Scatness. Follow this to its end, then continue along a track to Tonga. A superb and narrow rocky ridge leads with the aid of a handrail out to the Ness of Burgi.
At the Ness of Burgi there is a defensive Iron Age blockhouse sited in a spectacular position on the promontory. This massive blockhouse lies behind two ditches that cut off the promontory from the mainland, and between them is a 6.4m thick stone rampart. The blockhouse was once 22m long, but its south end has been destroyed by cliff erosion. There is a single entrance leading to a stone-lined passage with door-checks and bar-holes. The blockhouse is 1.5m high and there are three cells within its 6m wide walls. The site was excavated in 1935.
Retrace your steps from the Ness of Burgi back to Scatness and out onto the A970. Turn right and down the hill to where the road is backed by sand dunes on the right. A little path through the dunes leads down onto the beach, and you can follow this round to the Sumburgh Hotel and Jarlshof.
Officially described as ‘one of the most remarkable archaeological sites ever excavated in the British Isles’, Jarlshof came to light 100 years ago, when violent storms exposed massive stonework under a grassy mound above the beach at the West Voe of Sumburgh. There are six main levels, dating originally from the Stone Age (perhaps 4000 years old), through to an Iron Age broch and wheelhouses, to a sizeable Viking village and medieval farmstead. The site is owned by Historic Scotland and there is an admission fee.
From Jarlshof you can walk around the coast via a series of cairns, and uphill across close-cropped grass to Sumburgh Head lighthouse and nature reserve.
The cliffs around Sumburgh Head attract thousands of breeding seabirds, including puffins, guillemots, shags and fulmars. Gannets are regularly seen offshore, as well as sometimes whales and dolphins. The site is owned by the RSPB and entry is free.
Walk around the lighthouse and down the access road to a car park. Do not follow the road from here, but stick to the cliff top with the sea to your right. Walk out over Compass Head and down to Grutness where this walk ends.
Fitful Head from Jarlshof
WALK 3
Shetland – Yell
| Start | The pier at Ulsta, on Yell (grid ref HU463795). Unless you actually want to take your car over to Yell you can park in the car park at Toft on Mainland and catch the ro-ro ferry as a foot passenger. There are regular buses from Lerwick to Toft. |
| Finish | The pier at Gutcher, on Yell (grid ref HU449993). Buses from Gutcher back to Ulsta, tel R Robertson and Son on 01957 722253. |
| Distance | 54km (33.5 miles)′ Day 1 – 27km (16.75 miles), Day 2 – 27km (16.75 miles) |
| Total Ascent | Total: 690m; Day 1 – 480m, Day 2 – 210m |
| Maps | OS Landranger sheets 1 Shetland, Yell, Unst and Fetlar, and 3 Shetland, North Mainland |
| Number of Days | 2 |
Apart from Shetland Mainland, the smaller Shetland Islands offer some superb backpacking too. The best of the wild country here lies on the islands of Yell, Unst, Fetlar and Foula, on rugged coasts and rough moorland, and there is certainly plenty of that. Of these perhaps only Yell and Unst offer enough scope to make the long journey here worthwhile. Yell lies in the northeast corner of the Shetland Islands group, just offshore from Mainland, with the islands of Fetlar to the east and Unst to the north.
A coastal backpack on Yell in summer can be as good as you’ll find anywhere in Britain. There’s a lot of wildlife all around, with perhaps a better chance of seeing wild otters than you’ll find anywhere else.
This walk takes you around the south and eastern coasts of the island. It starts along a quiet lane before heading for the highest point, on Ward of Arisdale, then goes eastwards to the coast at Otterswick. The route then follows the coast closely around to Mid Yell and onwards to Gutcher.
Quite a tough walk considering that the high point of the route is just 210m above sea level. It starts out by taking to the very rough moorland on Ward of Arisdale, then heads eastwards to the coast (this is all pathless terrain, and map and compass skills are essential across the moorland). From Otterswick the going is a little easier, taking you around some fantastic coastal scenery to Mid Yell. The route onwards is straightforward, and involves a little road walking to get around big coastal estuaries, but the views throughout are spectacular, and you are not likely to see any other walkers during the entire trek.
It may be possible to get permission to camp at Mid Yell if you ask around at the farms nearby.
On Yell there are shops at the Ulsta ferry terminal, and at Mid Yell. The
