Scalloway
Scalloway (Old Norse Skálavágr, "bay with the large house") is a village in the Shetland Islands. It was the capital of these islands until 1708 when Lerwick became capital.
Get in
John Leask Buses 4, 4a & 5 run between Lerwick and Scalloway hourly M-Sa, taking about 25 mins. Five buses a day run from Scalloway to the islands of Trondra and West & East Burra.
Get around
ABC Taxis are at Ladysmith Rd, tel +44 1595 880880.
See
Map of Scalloway
- 1 Scalloway Castle, Castle St ZE1 0TQ, ☏ +44 1856 841815. Daylight hours. The former living quarters of Earl Patrick Stewart, built in 1600 by slave labour but ruined after his downfall. The key to the castle is available from the Scalloway Museum (opposite) during normal opening hours, and from the Scalloway Hotel when it is open. The place occasionally gets mobbed by cruise ship tourists, but is otherwise quiet, so you have the agreeable experience of holding the key to a castle and letting yourself in. It's impressive but just a roofless shell. Free.
- Scalloway Museum, Castle Street (opposite castle), ☏ +44 1595 880734. May-Sept M-Sa 11:00-16:00, Su 14:00-16:00. Small museum covering the history of Scalloway, including the "Shetland Bus", a clandestine operation during World War II to land agents and arms in Nazi-occupied Norway and to smuggle people out.
- There's a small 2 memorial to the Shetland Bus on Main Street.
- 3 Tingwall Loch, 2 km north on B9074, is a freshwater loch with bird life, including mute swans. The little promontory at its north end, "Law Ting Holm", was an islet and the site of Shetland's parliament (Thing) until the 16th C, but there's little to see there now.
- The Scalloway Islands are a chain of little islands now linked to the mainland by road. Follow B9074 south, crossing first onto Trondra which is just farmland, then to West Burra which has the village of Hamnavoe (a common placename meaning "sheltered harbour"). There's a B&B here and a couple of self-catering cottages. The lane continues south for a mile then one fork crosses to East Burra to end at Houss, where The Outpost cafe is well-named. The other fork stays on West Burra to end at Papil. There are some nice beaches but all you do here is pootle down the lane till it ends then return towards Scalloway.
Do
- 1 Scalloway Pool, New Rd ZE1 0TN, ☏ +44 1595 807716. M-W 10:00-20:00, Th 12:00-20:00, F 11:00-18:00, Sa Su 10:00-14:00. Small swimming pool north end of the village.
Buy
Eat
- And see listing for Scalloway Hotel.
Drink
As for "Eat".
Sleep
- 1 Scalloway Hotel, Main Street, ZE1 OTR, ☏ +44 1595 880444. Free wi-fi. Well kept hotel, with some rooms having pleasant views over the harbour. Upscale restaurant, critically acclaimed. Also serves bar meals in the pub.
- 2 The Sheiling Shetland, Main Street, ☏ +44 7747694183, thesheilingshetland@btinternet.com. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 10:00. A traditional cottage with an open plan living area, 1 double bedroom, 1 twin bedroom, and a shower room.
Connect
Go next
You don't have to go back to Lerwick to reach other parts of the Shetland Islands, but it's the obvious route.