Unst is the most northerly inhabited island of the Shetland Islands, north of mainland Scotland, with a population of 632 in 2011. Life here was traditionally based on herring fishing: the herring now are sparse but small-scale fishing continues, along with sheep farming. The oil boom on Mainland Shetland passed by Unst. There's a straggle of small settlements along the main road, notably Baltasound with probably the world's most sumptuous bus shelter, and Haroldswick with a museum and display of old boats. The star attraction is Hermaness, the nature reserve on the north-western tip of Unst, where thousands of seabirds nest and wheel and screech above the sea cliffs.
Get in
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By boat is the only way, there's no air service. From Mainland Shetland you first take the ferry from Toft to Ulsta on Yell, then cross that island to Gutcher, as described for Yell#Get in. A day trip is simple by car but not possible by bus; join an organised tour from Lerwick if you lack your own transport.
1 Gutcher has ferries to Unst and Fetlar: queue in Lanes 1 / 2 for Unst. The Bluemull ferry takes 10 min to cross from Gutcher to 2 Belmont on Unst, M-Sa sailing every 30-60 min, Su every 90 min to 2 hours, from 6:15AM to 10:15PM. However five or six ferries per day follow a triangle: from Gutcher to Hamar's Ness on the island of Fetlar (20 min) then onward to Belmont, or the reverse pattern. Assuming you started from Mainland Shetland that day, your ticket is already paid; if you started from Yell it's the same as the Mainland-Yell fare.
The ferry terminals at Gutcher and Belmont are basic, just small waiting rooms with toilets and a timetable.
By bus the timetable is designed for day trips from Unst and Yell to Lerwick, so that residents can do what they need to in town and get back, but a day-trip out from Lerwick is not possible. Bus 24 leaves Lerwick M-F at 2:30PM to reach Yell at 3:45PM and Unst at 4:40PM. Bus 28 then takes you up Unst as far as Baltasound, Haroldswick and Saxa Vord. The southbound bus sets off from Baltasound to Lerwick at 7:30AM. Bus 28 makes three other runs the length of Unst, so you can reach the ferry to Yell or Fetlar but with no connection to Lerwick.
Get around
[edit]The main road A968 is two-lane and well-maintained. The other roads are single track with passing places, also in good condition, but the last stretch of lane from Burrafirth to Hermaness is very narrow and steep. Watch out for stray sheep and ponies.
Bus 28 runs four times M-Sa up the main road from Belmont via Uyeasound, Baltasound and Haroldswick to Saxa Vord, with the late afternoon run being the through-bus from Lerwick and therefore the busiest. A few more buses run part route. Those timetabled as DAR are Dial-a-Ride and have to be booked before 4PM the previous day by calling ☏ +44 1595 745745. No buses reach Burrafirth or Hermaness: Haroldwick 3 miles away is their closest approach.
By bike as elsewhere in Shetland can be wonderful in good weather. It's utter misery in the winds and slashing rain, and with the clock ticking down to your vital ferry.
Bike hire is available from Saxa Vord Resort, see "Sleep".
See
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- Belmont House near the ferry pier is a Georgian mansion that's nowadays self-catering accommodation.
- 1 Clivocast Stone or Uyea Breck Stone is by the lane to Muness. It's 3 m tall, of slate and lichen-clad so it looks wooden; a smaller stone lies 360 m southwest. Of its various legends, the one where witches used it as fire-tongs is no sillier than the rest.
- 2 Muness Castle. Always open. Fortified mansion or "fortalice" built in 1598 for Laurence Bruce of Cultmalindie (1547-1617), a terrible despot who had reason to fear his half-brother, the even more murderous and tyrannical Earl of Orkney. The castle survived attack by the Earl but burned down some years later. An inscription in Shetland dialect above the doorway prays for no one to harm the castle, in answer to which, it's now in the care of Historic Environment Scotland. It's not locked; there are torches behind the information board. Free.
- 3 Bordastubble Stone is a massive megalith that's been likened to a whale's flipper.
- 4 Halligarth Woodland, Baltasound. A walled small area of trees, planted in the 1830s. This would be nothing special elsewhere, but on this barren treeless island, this is a surprising place. Halligarth House itself is under renovation. Free.
- 5 Bobby's Bus Shelter. What the Baroque Age did for the gilded palaces of Europe, Bobby Macaulay (born 1989) did for this bus shelter. When he began school, he'd cycle here and take the bus, leaving the bike in the shelter. In 1995 the Council intended to remove the shelter but he wrote to them explaining how essential it was. They changed their mind and refurbished it, adding a few comforts, and the improvement took on a life of its own. Volunteers and passers-by added a sofa, curtains, magazines, plants, soft toys and so on, even a phone and laptop computer. It's been styled in different annual themes: 2018 commemorated 100 years of women's suffrage in the UK, 2019 was "Fake Gnus" and 2020 was "20-20 Vision". The sporadic arrival of the Number 28 is a bit of an anti-climax.
- 6 Keen of Hamar is at first glance a barren rocky scree just north of Baltasound, 200 yards (180 m) from the main road. But look closer, especially mid-May to early June, for the unique assembly of wild flowers, which can tolerate the cold windswept conditions and Serpentinite underlying minerals, toxic to many other species.
- The Viking ship and longhouse are reconstructions at Haroldswick, next to the turn-off for Unst Boat Haven. Free, always open.
- 7 Unst Heritage Centre, Haroldswick ZE2 9ED, ☏ +44 1957 711528, info@unstheritage.com. May-Sep: M-Sa 11AM-4PM, Su 2-4PM. Volunteer-run centre with displays on island life, flora, fauna and local crafts. Adult £4, conc £3.
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- Unst Boat Haven, Haroldswick ZE2 9EE (quarter mile south of Heritage Centre), ☏ +44 1957 711809, +44 1957 755282, info@unstheritage.com. May-Sep M-Sa 11AM-4PM, Su 2-4PM. Display of traditional small boats and other items of the fishing trade. Adult £4, conc £3.
- 8 Saxavord Spaceport is designed to launch commercial payloads into low Earth orbit. The first orbital test launch is planned for autumn 2024.
- 9 Skaw croft-house is the most northerly dwelling place in United Kingdom. (Buildings to the north, e.g., the radar station and Muckle Flugga lighthouse, are automated and unstaffed.) There is a small beach and a pleasant walk by the shore. Skaw was one of the last communities to speak Norn, though it persisted on remote Foula until the 20th century.
- Burrafirth is where the B9086 ends, becoming the narrow lane up to Hermaness. It has a good beach at the head of the inlet between Hermaness and Saxa Voe peninsulas.
- 10 Hermaness on the north-western tip of Unst is a nature reserve with thousands of seabirds nesting and wheeling over the spectacular cliffs and sea stacks. There are more than 10,000 pairs of gannets and 25,000 pairs of puffins, together with guillemots, shags and fulmars. You'll hear and smell them before you see them. Most of the birds arrive to nest in late April and are gone by autumn; the reserve is open all year.
- Park by the visitor's centre, which used to be the shore station for Muckle Flugga lighthouse. Follow the good main path straight on into the reserve, ignoring the right turn down a steep peat bank. Never leave the path as you may disturb the birds, and the "Bonxies" are likely to retaliate. At the end of the path take the short spurs left to see the gannet colonies on the Neap (about 1 hour return from the signpost), and right for views of Muckle Flugga, the Out Stack, and the cairn of Hermaness Hill. In wet weather turn around and retrace your steps; the loop path over Hermaness Hill is rough and often very boggy. The loop path takes 3 hours. Take a walking stick for the wet and steep hills. Wear stout boots, and hang onto your hat: it's believed that the UK's top wind speed of 177 mph was encountered hereabouts, but this couldn't be confirmed because the anemometer blew away.
- 11 Muckle Flugga is the small island that ceased to be the UK's most northerly habitation in 1995 when the lighthouse was automated. It was designed by Stevenson, first lit in 1858, after winter storms made short work of its 1854 predecessor.
- 12 Out Stack, another half mile out, is finally, definitely the most northerly point of the United Kingdom. "Stack" implies a tall stand of rock, but it's a round crag, never inhabited, that's been dubbed "the full stop at the end of Britain." It's said that Lady Jane Franklin came here in 1854 after the loss of her husband Sir John Franklin's "Erebus & Terror" expedition to find the North-West Passage. This story casts her as a Victorian widow grieving in bombazine over the tumultuous northern ocean, but she was a tough explorer in her own right, entirely capable of clambering ashore up the steep rocks.
- Muckle Flugga and Out Stack are both part of Hermaness nature reserve, with similar bird life. You see them from the Hermaness Reserve hiking trail.
Do
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- Shetland Reel Distillery, Haroldswick, Unst ZE2 9EF (by Saxa Vord Resort), ☏ +44 1957 711217. Tours Tu-Sa at noon. Produces "Shetland Reel Gin" in five styles. Tour £20.
- Wildlife spotting trips are available from various operators, mostly based in Lerwick to pick up trade from the cruise liners. The trips are all land based, since a minibus doesn't heave as much as a small boat whenever the wind gets up.
- 1 Unst Leisure Centre, Baltasound ZE2 9DY, ☏ +44 1595 807701. M-F 9AM-8PM, Sa Su 11AM-4:30PM. Has a 12.5m x 5m pool, games hall, squash courts, gym and other leisure facilities.
- Hikes recommended by Walk Highlands are Belmont to Lund, Uyeasound to Muness, Sandwick Beach, Keen of Hamar, and Hermaness.
Buy
[edit]The island shops are at Baltasound. Hendersons is open M-Sa 10AM-6PM, Skibhoul Stores is open M-Sa 9AM-5:30PM, and the post office is open M-F 9AM-1PM, 2-5:15PM, Sa 9AM-1PM.
Eat
[edit]- Baltasound Hotel does nice meals in the evening; see "Sleep".
- Saxa Vord Resort: restaurant & café are open May-Oct, see "Sleep".
- Final Checkout Cafe, Baltasound ZE2 9TW (by Keen of Hamar), ☏ +44 1957 711890. M-Sa 9AM-5PM, Su 11AM-5PM. This shop, garage and filling station has a small café serving breakfast and lunch.
- Victoria's Vintage Tea Rooms, Haroldswick ZE2 9DU (next to Boat Haven), ☏ +44 1957 711885. Tu-Sa 11AM-4PM, Su noon-4PM. Serves lunches, afternoon tea, coffees and other cold and hot food items. Also a gift shop.
Drink
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There are public bars at the Baltasound Hotel and Saxa Vord Resort, see "Sleep". Out of season they may close up early.
Sleep
[edit]- 1 Gardiesfauld Youth Hostel, Belmont, Uyeasound, Unst ZE2 9DW (follow B9084), ☏ +44 1957 755279. Open Apr-Oct, winter if pre-booked. Has dorms, camping and caravan hook-ups. Coin-operated showers and laundry. Hostel is closed in 2022, tent-pitches and electric hook-ups for Caravans available (pre-booking). Camping £8 ppn.
- 2 Mailersta (tel +44 1957 755344) has B&B.
- 3 Baltasound Hotel, Baltasound, Unst ZE2 9DS, ☏ +44 1957 711334, info@baltasoundhotel.co.uk. Standard rooms within the hotel, and family log-cabins nearby. Restaurant open 18:00-20:00: 2 courses £28, 3 courses €36. B&B single £95, double £142.
- Several self-catering cottages are also available.
Connect
[edit]As of September 2024, you're unlikely to get any mobile signal on Unst.
Stay safe
[edit]Natural hazards are the main risk, especially bad weather close to cliff edges. The bonxies (great skuas) will viciously dive-bomb anyone who approaches their nests.
Go next
[edit]The only way is back south by ferry to Yell, perhaps with a side-trip to Fetlar, then to Mainland Shetland.