Shetland.org

Travel

Despite its northern location, Shetland is well-connected to the rest of the United Kingdom. Most passenger and freight traffic to and from Shetland passes through Aberdeen, which is served by a nightly ferry and up to five air services on weekdays. There are also air links twice daily to Orkney, Inverness and Edinburgh and once daily to Glasgow, with a wide choice of onward connections. Services are less frequent at weekends.

External Travel: Sea

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The 'Hjaltland', one of the two modern ferries that serve Shetland.

The overnight ferry service between Shetland and Aberdeen runs every night of the week in both directions. Some crossings call en route at Kirkwall in Orkney. Direct crossings take twelve hours southbound and twelve and a half hours northbound. Crossings via Orkney take thirteen and a half hours southbound and fourteen and a half hours northbound. NorthLink Ferries Ltd operates the ships. Shetland residents benefit from substantially lower fares.

The cost of a ferry trip will vary according to the season, the accommodation you choose on board, whether or not you qualify for any further concessions and whether or not you choose to take your car with you. It doesn’t vary, though, according to how far you book ahead, except in the sense that if you book very late the kind of accommodation you prefer may not be available. For example, a student can travel from Shetland to London by ferry and bus for between about £13 and £18 one-way; the Shetland-Aberdeen ferry component of that trip, travelling in January and sleeping in a sleeper seat, would cost £11.24 one-way. A family of two adults and two children, using a four-berth cabin and taking their car with them, would pay £200.48 for a return trip in low season or £309.76 for a return trip in peak season; adding a car to the ticket would cost a further £121.38 return in low season or £163.24 return in peak season. There is also a mid season rate.

External Travel: Air

Loganair operates most air services on behalf of British Airways. As with most air tickets, the lowest fares are available for those who book early. Through the air discount scheme, island residents obtain a 40% discount on the core fare (i.e. on the seat price but not on other taxes and charges) when flying to Scottish airports. The British Airways website has full information on flights. Bookings can be made on-line; a special BA site offers the discounted fares. Sumburgh, 25 miles south of Lerwick, is Shetland’s main airport. Its code is LSI or SDZ.

Booking well in advance under the Air Discount Scheme, a return fare to Edinburgh in February with British Airways might cost in the region of £98. A typical return ticket from Shetland to London Gatwick at the same time of year would cost from around £147, though special offers can sometimes bring this down to around £135. A British Airways return ticket to Glasgow in July would cost from £134.

Internal Travel

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If you’re coming to Shetland for an interview, or for a reconnaissance visit, you may arrive either by ferry or plane. The ferry terminal lies about a twenty-minute walk north of Lerwick’s town centre. Alternatively, taxis are normally available in the terminal area when the ferry docks at 7.30 each morning. Arriving by air at Sumburgh, you can take the airport bus for the 25-mile, 50-minute journey to Lerwick. The fare is approximately £2.70 (one way) and the timetable is available online. Alternatively, you can take a taxi, which will take 30 to 40 minutes and cost in the region of £40 (one way). It’s best to book in advance and there’s an independently-provided list of taxi phone numbers here. It’s also possible to pick up a rental car at either Sumburgh Airport or in Lerwick; again, it’s best to book in advance. Car hire companies include Bolt’s and Star.

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Ferries like these allow easy travel between islands.

Despite the fact that our population is spread over 15 islands, travel within Shetland is surprisingly straightforward. The road network is excellent. Most main roads are wide, well-maintained two-lane carriageways built during the past 30 years. Frequent Council-operated vehicle ferries serve most of the islands and smaller passenger and freight vessels serve Foula and Fair Isle. Ferry fares are low compared with those charged elsewhere in Scotland. You can find out more about the internal ferry service on the Shetland Islands Council ferries webpage. Bus services run to and from Lerwick and are designed to allow commuting and shopping trips; more details are available on the ZetTrans website.

The outlying islands of Fair Isle, Out Skerries, Foula and Papa Stour are served not only by ferries but also by air services, operated by the Council. If your job involves travel within Shetland, visiting these tiny, beautiful islands is one of the things that makes working in Shetland so special.