Getting Here

Shetland is about 200 miles north of Aberdeen in Scotland and a similar distance from Bergen on Norway’s west coast.
The daily overnight car ferry from Aberdeen, operated by Northlink, arrives in Lerwick and all flights arrive at Sumburgh airport at the southern tip of Shetland.  The airport is a 50 minute drive from Holmfield.

You can find further information on getting to Shetland by visiting the Promote Shetland website.

The ferry to and from Aberdeen also calls in at Orkney several times a week enabling you to have a longer holiday in both island groups.  The car ferry takes 12 or 14 hours to Aberdeen and has comfortable cabins or reclining seat/pod accommodation.

There is a choice of eating in the restaurant or the Magnus Lounge.

Early booking is recommended for travel during the summer season and during school holidays.

Regular flights throughout the year connect Shetland directly with Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Kirkwall and Dundee, which links to London.  There are direct flights to Bergen in Norway during the summer.

Loganair serves Shetland, and it operates code share arrangements with British Airways and other airlines enabling you to make onward connections.  Aberdeen and Bergen are under an hour flying time, Kirkwall just 30 minutes and Edinburgh or Glasgow around an hour and a half.

Getting Around

Although it may look small on a map Shetland is surprisingly big and extends over a large area from Sumburgh in the south to the northernmost point of the British Isles at Muckle Flugga.  Spread over a wide area of ocean the isles benefit from a network of very good roads and frequent, efficient and affordable ferries.

Buses connect most areas although to fully explore the islands a car is recommended.

Most islands can be visited on a day trip by ferry. It’s a 50 minute drive to Toft, where you can take ferries to the north isles of Yell, Unst and Fetlar. Fair Isle and Foula can also be visited by small plane from Tingwall Airport near Lerwick.

Cycling is becoming increasingly popular on the quiet roads but beware of the hills and headwinds and dress appropriately!

We can help you plan your visits and advise that you book inter-island ferries during busy periods. Don’t leave visits to the outlying islands until late on you trip.  It’s not unknown for weather to close in resulting in unexpected overnight stays on Fair Isle or Foula.

Weather can impact on travel arrangements and we recommend that you have travel insurance to cover unexpected delays, cancellations and additional overnight stays.