Finding Home in Shetland: A Deep Travel Guide from Scotland’s Edge
What does deep travel look like when it’s rooted in ancestry, purpose, and the pull of home? For Genevieve White, a local, the answer is Shetland, Scotland’s northernmost archipelago. Here, rugged landscapes, creative communities, and centuries-old traditions offer a powerful antidote to hurried travel. In this personal guide for One Planet Journey, Genevieve shares how Shetland reshaped her idea of travel, belonging and place, and how it might just do the same for you. Insider tips on festivals, how to prepare, when to go, and what to do in Shetland.
With deep travel rooted in purpose, what could be deeper than returning to an ancestral home? Not just to reconnect with the past, but to feather the nest for a child not yet born?
This is my own, personal deep travel story, rooted in heritage, family, and connection to place. It’s also an invitation to see how Shetland could become part of yours.
Travelling north to Shetland
After years of roaming Europe, the traveller in me didn’t feel ready to stop. I still craved the unfamiliar, the next road. My husband, meanwhile, longed to return to Scotland and put down roots. We pulled in different directions: one toward home, the other to the horizon.
One day, poring over a map of Scotland, my eye fixated on some far-flung islands scattered in the North Sea. Shetland. And just like that, I was back in a memory: a rainy afternoon with my dad, hearing stories of Up Helly Aa, Lerwick’s famous fire festival.
A spark lit inside me.
Could returning to our roots also offer the thrill of deep exploration – and the promise of a whole new adventure?
I first heard about Shetland from my dad, as he shared an old essay written by my grandfather, a Shetlander I’d never met. A reflective piece, it had become a kind of family legend. In it, the exiled islander wrote of peat hills and homely gales, of rugged wildness and stern beauty. Of how his heart belonged to “a little group of isles somewhere away in the north” – the spot on which he would choose to rest his heart.
And so, after years of flitting around Europe like restless moths, we landed in Lerwick with our first baby on the way. Our journey had begun.
A deep travel guide to Shetland: nature, culture, and community
After crisscrossing an entire continent, Shetland seemed tiny. Add to that the reality of life with two young children, and my travel wings felt well and truly clipped. No more spontaneous weekends in Budapest, Belgrade or Brasov. Even getting to Aberdeen meant a 12-hour ferry crossing (often bumpy) or a flight that you couldn’t always rely on during the frequent misty days in summer when fog clung to the island’s tip.
So I turned my gaze inward. Unable to travel far, I would travel deep. And the more I paid attention to Shetland, the more it gave back.
These islands are for those who want to look closely. The landscape shifts daily. Wind reshapes the beaches. A familiar view looks utterly new in a different light. The islands reward repeat visits and quiet observation.
When I really began to see Shetland, its wild, weather-shaped beauty opened up before me.
A haven for nature lovers: wildlife watching in Shetland
What Shetland lacks in trees it makes up for in endless skies and dramatic geology, with bird cliffs, sea stacks and wild, treeless moorland. For those with a love of nature, there are clownish puffins, elusive otters, and countless sea birds – making wildlife watching in Shetland a rewarding experience year-round.
Each season offers something different. Springtime brings noisy seabird colonies, lambs on the hills, and swathes of wildflowers, like marsh marigolds and cuckoo flowers. You might spot returning migratory birds like wheatears and arctic terns.
Come in summer and you’ll see carpets of sea pinks clinging to the cliffs, bursts of colour along the roadsides, and, if you’re lucky, pods of orcas patrolling the coastline – all under the simmer dim, that magical stretch of weeks when the sky never really gets dark and twilight stretches into dawn.
Visit in autumn and you’ll find rare birds passing through – red-backed shrikes, yellow-browed warblers and even the occasional vagrant from across the Atlantic.
Come in winter and you’ll have the chance to spot otters foraging in the quiet bays, while skeins of overwintering wildfowl criss-cross the grey skies.
For sea lovers, Shetland is best explored by kayak. Paddle into sea caves, drift through sunlit kelp forests, and watch seals pop up beside you. Or take a bracing dip with one of the island’s wild swimming groups – a great way to meet locals and feel alive in the cold.
Shetland – One of Scotland’s most inspiring creative travel destinations
Artists come for the light. It shifts constantly – minute by minute, season by season – making every scene look like a fresh painting. There are chocolatey peat hills, steel-blue seas, and never-ending skies. Even in winter, when daylight is fleeting, it casts a magical, low-hanging glow.
Shetland also has a lively, creative community. You’ll find everything from art exhibitions and gigs to craft workshops and writing groups. Pop into Mareel (the islands’ arts centre), the library, or the Shetland Museum and Archives, and it will blow you away how much is going on.
For years, I ran a weekly well-being creative writing class through the dark winters. Occasionally, a visitor would join the regulars who, without fail, welcomed guests with tea, biscuits and encouraging remarks. It always moved me, how touched they were by the hospitality. But that’s Shetland for you. If you’ve made the journey and arrived with an open mind, you’ll experience the same.
Meet the locals: hospitality and tradition in Shetland
Shetland might not be overflowing with fine dining options, but what it lacks in Michelin stars, it more than makes up for in warm, community-rooted experiences.
Sunday teas are a summer institution. Held in village halls across the islands, they offer homemade sandwiches, bakes and the opportunity to mingle with locals enjoying a Sunday drive and getting “oot and aboot”.
Then there are the cake fridges. You’ll find them tucked away in some of the islands’ most scenic spots – honesty-box fridges stocked with traybakes, soup, sandwiches and drinks. No queues, just homemade food and the quiet confidence that no one’s going to pull a fast one.
And if you feel the need to offset all that indulgence with a bit of movement, you could always join the UK’s most northerly parkrun. Probably the only one that requires a ferry to get to the start line, this Bressay-based 5k sees locals and visitors run (or walk) their way around the island before gathering in the community café for well-earned bacon rolls and yet more homebakes. Some days, the wind adds an extra level of resistance training, but you’ll have worked for every bite.
Shetland’s winter traditions: Up Helly Aa and other fire festivals
If you visit in winter, you will understand why Shetlanders make a big deal out of Up Helly Aa. It’s not just a festival. It’s a fiery farewell to winter. Locals in Viking dress parade through the streets with torches, eventually setting a replica galley boat alight. The smell of paraffin, the heat of the fire, and flame-lit faces of the crowd are unforgettable.
Lerwick hosts the largest version, but other rural communities hold their own, and each has its own charm. If you time your visit right, you’ll get a front-row seat to one of the most unique festivals on the planet.
How Shetland Teaches You to Travel Differently
I’ve come a long way since stepping off the boat that bracing April morning. Back then, the early stages of pregnancy, and the combination of morning sickness and a choppy crossing had left me feeling somewhat fragile.
I remember limping into the sharp chill of a Shetland spring. My husband turned to me, his face anxious.
“What do you think?” he asked.
What did I think? Although I’d grown up in Scotland, this felt entirely unfamiliar. The wind-scoured treeless landscape and that vast, unbroken sky seemed a world away from the Edinburgh I knew. Looking around, I realised I didn’t know how I felt. Not yet.
But slowly, Shetland worked its way into me. Twenty years and three children later, we’re still here.
At times, I see my old self reflected in the baffled faces of new visitors to Shetland. On a sunny day, it might remind them of the Mediterranean, with sparkling seas and basking seals. On a stormy day, it’s more like the edge of the world. That’s the beauty of it.
Shetland is not a place for rushing. It rewards slowness, asking you to watch, to walk, to talk to people. It doesn’t have to be 20 years, but give it enough time and Shetland will change you.
Planning your deep travel experience in Shetland
When to Go
Spring: Seabirds return, lambs dot the hills, and wildflowers bloom. It’s also when the Shetland Folk Festival brings international and local musicians together in village halls across the islands.
Summer: Puffins nest, orcas patrol the coast, and long daylight hours under the simmer dim make it perfect for exploring late into the evening.
Autumn: A quieter time with rich light, fewer visitors, and passing migratory birds. Ideal for walking, reflection and slow travel.
Winter: Watch for the Mirrie Dancers (Northern Lights) shimmering across dark skies. Otters are easier to spot, and the changing light offers brilliant opportunities for photographers. Up Helly Aa fire festivals light up the season.
How to Get There
Ferry: NorthLink Ferries run overnight sailings from Aberdeen to Lerwick. Book early if you want a cabin.
Air: Regular flights from Edinburgh, Glasgow or Aberdeen to Sumburgh Airport, about an hour from Lerwick.
How to slow travel in Shetland h3
Shetland is an ideal place to experience slow travel in Scotland where quiet moments often turn out to be the highlights.
Walk coastal paths, explore by kayak or take your time on the quieter roads.
Join local events such as Sunday teas, knitting groups or live music in the village hall.
Stay in small B&Bs, guesthouses or self-catering cottages owned by locals.
Support local producers. Look out for honesty boxes, cake fridges and craft stalls.
Observe wildlife from a distance. Don’t feed or approach animals.
Where to find local culture in Shetland
Sunday teas (summer): Homemade cakes and warm welcomes in village halls.
Mareel: Arts centre with film, live music, exhibitions and a café with amazing views of the harbour.
Shetland Museum and Archives: Explore Shetland’s history, heritage and daily life.
Bressay Parkrun & café: Friendly and encouraging. Visitors always welcome.
Creative communities: Join a writing group, wild swim or craft workshop – especially active in the winter months.
Have you travelled to Shetland? Anywhere else in Scotland? Let us know in the comments. Subscribe to our newsletter and benefit from travel guides, sustainable tourism and luxury travel tips, insightful interviews, and inspirational places to visit. One Planet Journey – The World’s First Deep Travel Magazine.
