Shetland Isles Accommodation

Bressay & Noss Shetland Islands Birdwatching Holidays Cruises Boat Trips

Bressay & Noss are Shetland islands lying to the east of Mainland. Bressay shelters Lerwick on Mainland has meant the town has grown up around the natural harbour in the Bressay Sound between the two islands.

Noss is renowned for being home to some of the world's largest colonies of seabirds. Thousands of birds come here to nest on the craggy cliffs during spring and summer including guillemots, kittiwakes and puffins. The island is accessible by small ferry or boat trips for good views of birds, seals and otters. Coastal walks around the island takes you through some spectacular Sheltand scenery.

Featured Scotland Accommodation

Loch Lomond Lodge - Loch Lomond

A three bedroom self catering holiday lodge on a gated estate at Rowardennan, beneath the peak of Ben Lomond, on the shores of Loch Lomond

£400 to £800 Per week (seasonal)

Bressay Island Shetland Tourist Guide

Bressay is the large island to the east of Mainland that forms the natural harbour for Lerwick. It is easily accessible from Lerwick harbour and is one island where it is more feasible to visit for a day trip. Most of the settlements are on the western side of the island. The south is dominated by Bressay's highest hill, Ward Hill, at 744 feet.

Around four hundred people currently live here and you can take you're car across on the ferry. The island has a shop, post office, hotel and pub and heritage centre. The Bressay Heritage Centre just above the car park for the ferry is run by the Bressay History Group. There are changing displays and exhibitions on archaeological finds on the island, its wildlife, local artwork. The Centre also acts as a research base and community information point. Bressay Heritage Centre, Maryfield, Bressay, Shetland Isles. Tel: 01595 820368. Email: bressayhistory@btinternet.com

Gardie House nearby, built in 1724, is where Sir Walter Scott stayed on his travels around Shetland. He is reputed to have rowed around Bressay and Noss. The gardens cover 30 hectares and are well noted as an example of formal 18th century landscape and are a lush contrast to the usual Shetland landscape. Check Historic Scotland's "Gardens and Designed Landscapes" for more information.

There are several coastal walks around Bressay taking in archaeological and World War II sights as well as the Bressay coastal views including those over to Lerwick. Heading south of the ferry terminal is a walk to Stevenson designed Bressay Lighthouse. For a different type of holiday accommodation you can even stay in the lighthouse!. Check the links right for suggested walks.

Noss National Nature Reserve Shetland Birdwatching

The island of Noss is a National Nature Reserve managed by Scottish Natural Heritage. It was first settled by Neolithic peoples followed by the Vikings in the 8th century. Later it was used as a stud to breed Shetland Ponies for work in the coal mines of North England. Unfortunately there are no Shetland ponies on Noss these days. More recently it has become world renowned as one of the best sites for nesting seabirds who populate the cliff in their thousands during spring and summer.

The dramatic coastline is with its sheer, craggy cliffs are ideal nesting sites for gannets, guillemots, kittiwakes, puffins, razorbills, black guillemots, shags and skuas. From the cliffs or on a boat you can get up close to see them diving for fish or chattering on the cliffs. Inland the moorland is home to the skooty alan, the arctic skua. These birds furiously defend their nests and young by swooping at any imposters who get too close. They rarely make a direct hit, but if you do find yourself being swooped at holding a stick above your head deters them - there's no need to hit back. The increasingly rare "bonxie", the great skua also nests on the island in numbers that make the colonies on Noss the fourth largest in the world. The southern coast of Noss is home to families of otters and seals are often spotted around the coast.

The island plant wildlife is also interesting with moorland of heather and bog in the centre dotted with heather, crowberry, common cotton-grass, lousewort, heath-spotted orchid and sea milkwort. The cliffs harbour smaller, hardy flowers out of reach of the sheep such as roseroot, red campion and sea campion.

The best time to visit for breeding birds is mid May to mid July. You can see seals, otters and flowers until late August. Spring and autumn bring a variety of migrants to the island. There is a Visitor Centre and toilets on Noss and waymarked paths circumnavigate the island. It takes 3-4 hours to walk the whole path. Check the SNH website for more information including a downloadable leaflet on the reserve and its wildlife. (Click the the "Related Publications" button).

Bressay Ferry - Scottish Island Hopping

Bressay is accessible by car and passenger ferry from Albert Buildings in the centre of Lerwick, Mainland Shetland, near Fort Charlotte. These run roughly hourly over to Bressay for six days of the week with slightly fewer sailings on Sundays. Journeys run from early in the morning to late in the evening up to around 11 pm. You can't book journeys in advance - just turn up and get on! The journey takes about seven minutes.

Bressay Ferries Information: Voicebank: 01595 743974. Ferry services general information: 01595 743970.

Check the Inter-Island Ferry Service website, weblink right, for the up-to-date timetables and fares (there are downloadable files and a map showing the ferry routes). Different timetables run in summer than winter. Fares are very reasonable or you can buy multi-journey tickets if you're planning to do a bit of Scottish island hopping.

Bike hire is available from Lerwick from Grantfield Garage Ltd, North Road, Lerwick, Shetland Islands ZE1 0NT. Tel: 01595 692709. Fax 01595 695017. Email: admin@grantfieldgarage.co.uk

Noss Ferry & Wildlife Birdwatching Boat Trips

Noss is accessible by ferry from Lerwick or by boat excursions. During the summer the ferry operates five days-a-week (not on Mondays and Thursdays). You first have to take the Bressay ferry from Lerwick then walk thee miles across Bressay island to the Noss Ferry car park. A small inflatable boat is operated by Scottish Natural Heritage for a small charge which will take you to the Isle of Noss. Check the Noss freephone number 0800 1077818 before setting out as the weather can affect the running of the boat.

Alternatively there are regular boat trips from Lerwick which take you around Bressay and Noss which gives you the best close-up views of the seabirds on the cliffs. Seals and Seabirds Cuises have a colour television on deck which shows pictures taken from underwater so you can also experience marine wildlife as you sail around the island.

It is best to book in advance via the Tourist Centre, Market Cross, Lerwick Tel: 01595 693434, (out of hours mobile-07831 217 042), Email: dunter@seabirds-and-seals.com.

Check the links right for more information on the boat trips.

Featured Scotland Accommodation

Loch Lomond Lodge - Loch Lomond

A three bedroom self catering holiday lodge on a gated estate at Rowardennan, beneath the peak of Ben Lomond, on the shores of Loch Lomond

£400 to £800 Per week (seasonal)

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