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Shetland (1 Viewer)

Pancho85

Pancho85

Well-known member
Hi again,

I've been thinking to go to the Shetland Islands 3 or 4 days (surely 3), so I need your advice again to know which routes and which places are the best ones to watch birds, and to know if there is something else interesting to see as well.

I was thinking to go there in one week, so I will try to buy the ferry tickets and pay for the accommodation before next Sunday.

Thank you in advance!!

Pancho
 
Oooooh yes... that'll be a wonderful trip Pancho.... though you'll wish you went for longer;) I don't think you'll have time to fit Fair Isle in. We went to Fetlar for 3 days and stayed 6!

There's lots of great information on the Opus articles.

Will you have a car?
 
Most places will be good to some extent. Seabirds are generally abundant and things like breeding waders and Red-throated Divers are also quite common. I'd recommend a couple of boat trips. First there's the night time trip to Mousa broch for Storm Petrels:
http://www.mousa.co.uk/storm-petrel-trip
Then there's the seabird trip to Noss:
http://www.seabirds-and-seals.com/
That goes from Lerwick, so is easy to do even if you don't have a car. It's also possible to visit Noss by land.

I'd also recommend a visit to the northernmost islands, particularly Fetlar. That's the place for Red-necked Phalaropes.
 
My intention is to hire a car in the islands!! Now I have no time to check everything you said, but later on I will! Thanks!
 
Access and Facilities
Fetlar can be reached by car-ferry from Unst or Yell, which is best booked in advance. The reserve is open all year but during the summer visits can only be made by arrangement with the warden who will escort parties.
Click to expand...

Does it means I cannot visit Fetlar if I am not with the warden? How can I make the arrangement?

And what about midges? Are there midges in the islands?

Do you recomend something for the Accomodation knowing I am quite poor? xD
 
Pancho85 said:
Does it means I cannot visit Fetlar if I am not with the warden? How can I make the arrangement?

And what about midges? Are there midges in the islands?

Do you recomend something for the Accomodation knowing I am quite poor? xD
Click to expand...

There's more up-to-date information here:
http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/f/fetlar/accessibility.aspx
I think the areas where the Phalaropes nest is understandably sensitive but you should be able to see them elsewhere with patience. Every else in Fetlar is easily accessible.

I've never had problems with midges in Shetland - it's usually quite cool and windy! I think there's a campsite in Fetlar. The 'Camping Bods' may be a good solution for accommodation in Shetland on a budget:
http://www.camping-bods.co.uk/
 
Hi Pancho

It's the RSPB reserve which has the restricted access (and is an area at the top of the island), the rest of the island is virtually free access. If you sit beside your car at the edge of Loch of Funzie, you will have Phalaropes by your feet!
 
I wrote a blog about each of my seven days there in 2012, it might give you some inspiration or ideas of where to visit. Here's day 1: http://jtweedie.wordpress.com/2012/06/12/a-week-in-shetland-day-1/

My personal favourite location was Hermaness right up at the top of the islands, overlooking Muckle Flugga, the most northerly point in the British Isles. The walk to Hermaness takes you across moorland (on boardwalks) past nesting great skuas and lead up to quite stupendous seabird cliffs.

The Nature in Shetland website (and their associated Facebook page) is really good for very up to date sightings. http://www.nature-shetland.co.uk/

There's also a chance of seeing cetaceans, particularly minke whales, but killer whales are often seen too.

If you're interested in anything botanical, then Keen of Hamar is a must as it contains orchids as well as an endemic flower. http://www.nature-shetland.co.uk/snh/hamar.htm
 
Last edited:
Great JTweedie!! Your trip was very interesting!! And thanks Delia and Andrew for the information.

I'm afraid that finally I cannot go next week as everything is already full. I only can spend 2 nights in Unst, and the first night I would have to sleep in the car...do you think is it possible or it will be too cold and uncomfortable?:-C
 
Pancho85 said:
I'm afraid that finally I cannot go next week as everything is already full. I only can spend 2 nights in Unst, and the first night I would have to sleep in the car...do you think is it possible or it will be too cold and uncomfortable?:-C
Click to expand...

That depends on your own personal levels of what you can put up with, and the actual design of the hire car seats you get. Some cars the seats can go down almost flat, and can be quite comfortable, others not so good. I just spent 10 nights sleeping in the car in Iceland (my tent was rubbish), so temperature shouldn't be a problem I'd think as long as you are already equipped with a sleeping bag. If it's just the one night and you don't have a sleeping bag you can always run the car engine and heater for a bit during the night if it happens to be a cold night.
 
Dantheman, you are right, maybe it's not really bad.

Anyway, finally I won´t go there. No cars available to hire, and averything is a bit messy, I would need more time to plan the trip well, as I will be working away till thursday. Anyway, I will keep in mind all your advices for further on.

Thank you all for your help. I will try to do the trip some other week.
 
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