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By Promote ShetlandMarch 4th 2022

Blogger Bethanie Wardell visited Shetland with her young family as part of our Find Your True North campaign. She explains why winter is a special time to visit and why they fell in love with the islands…

When we told friends and family we were going to be visiting Shetland, they responded with the appropriate “oh wow” and “that is our bucket list destination”. But this was swiftly followed by, “you’re visiting in winter?”

Well, we did. And we would encourage others to visit at this time of year too. What’s more, we travelled with three young children in tow. Now we are home I can confidently report that we had a blast.

We experienced all the seasons within five days, learnt about the history of the most northern part of the UK and encountered a real adventure in the True North.

We flew from Edinburgh airport, which is a two-hour drive from our home in Northumberland. The Loganair service was the perfect flight to take with kids. The airline staff were attentive, and the flight took a little over an hour, which is exactly what we needed when flying with a baby who had just learnt to walk.

We spent five days in Shetland and followed an itinerary that meant we got to see as much of Shetland as possible, incorporating plenty of activities suitable for the winter months. We picked up a hire car from the airport which made travelling around the island nice and easy.

To learn more about the itinerary and activities that Bethanie enjoyed, read her blog post in full at Girl About Travel.

The kids are excited to return to school and tell their friends about their winter adventure, exploring the unique and stunning Shetland Islands.

Visiting Shetland with children

Based on various conversations in Shetland, it became clear that families are very welcome. In fact, people seemed to be encouraging young children to visit and we were made to feel at home. Our guides were patient and great with the kids, making the information exciting and interesting.

I wasn’t really expecting to come away having learnt much, but it was a very informative experience, and the kids were excited to return to school and tell their friends about their winter adventure, exploring the unique and stunning Shetland Islands.

Wondering what to pack for a winter visit? Check out our handy guide.