Shetland’s Fire Festival Season lasts from early January until late March each year, with fiery celebrations held in 11 different communities, attracting visitors from around the world. As well as watching a spectacular Up Helly Aa, anyone visiting at this time of year can experience much more and make long-lasting memories. Catherine Munro spoke to tourists at Lerwick Up Helly Aa who shared their tips for other things to do during Shetland Fire Festival Season.
Every year, on the last Tuesday of January, Lerwick is home to one of Europe’s biggest fire festivals, Up Helly Aa. Taking place around a month after the winter solstice, the event celebrates light’s return and the promise of summer.
The highlight occurs when around 1,000 people dressed in elaborate costumes carry flaming torches through the town.
At the culmination of the parade, these torches set alight the wooden galley. After the burning, the squads of guisers visit twelve halls, performing at each one. This party continues into the early hours.
After a day of blue skies and winter sun, as darkness fell the wind gained momentum. Along the Hillhead crowds gathered, huddled again the chill in layers of jackets, scarves and hats.
There was an air of anticipation as folk chatted and took photos of the strange assortment of Vikings, Watermelons and cartoon characters that wandered through the streets in small groups. At the end of the street the Galley stood, its beard blowing in the wind, surrounded by some Vikings patiently answering questions about the spectacle that was about to begin.
While we were waiting for the procession to begin, I chatted to some visitors about what brought them to Shetland and some of the things they planned to do during their stay. Here are their tips ...
Frederika and her husband were visiting from the Netherlands. Having previously been to several parts of Scotland, it was seeing television footage of Up Helly Aa that drew them to Shetland to experience the drama.
She described how friendly she finds the place. "The owners of the cottage we are staying in got us tickets for one of the [Up Helly Aa] halls and leant us these", she gestured to her coat and hat , "because we did not have enough warm clothes with us."
The previous day they had explored Unst, the most northerly of the Shetland Islands. With its rich Norse heritage it is a perfect place to spend time before Up Helly AA.
The remains of at least 60 Viking dwellings have been discovered, the highest density of such sites anywhere in the world. There is also a full size replica longship, the Skidbladner, modelled after a boat discovered in Norwegian burial mound. Next to her is a recreated longhouse, a perfect place to get a feel for history while getting a little shelter from our winter weather.
Peter lives in Aberdeenshire and his work has brought him to Shetland several times so he had heard a lot about Up Helly Aa but this was his first chance to experience it.
He said he always enjoys working here because it is such a unique landscape. "I travel from Lerwick to Scalloway regularly and that view as you come over the hill, and see the village, sea and islands, it is breathtaking". He also loves walking along the knab and exploring the lanes and Lodberries.
His family were visiting while he was here and he was looking forward to showing them around. Top of his list was the North Mainland Where he planned to take them exploring and for a meal at Frankies, the UK's most northerly fish and chip shop.
The scenery of the North Mainland is dramatically different from the south. The spectacular cliffs at Eshaness are part of an ancient volcanic landscape where you can see a cross section through layers of ash and pyroclastic rock. It is an incredible place whatever the weather. In the sunshine, merging of red rock and blue sea create an otherworldly vibrancy while a gale from the west sends the sea into a fury, with white tipped waves crashing over the cliffs.
Carol and her two sons were visiting from Boston. They first heard of Up Helly Aa through watching the 'Shetland' detective series and when they found out it was real wanted to visit. Their accommodation was near the Lodberries – made famous by the television drama, as the home of DI Jimmy Perez.
They spent their first few days in the islands exploring around the town. "It is nice to walk in the places we see on tv, there’s so much atmosphere in the town, everyone is very friendly and welcoming."
Carol and her family were planning to visit Jarlshof which is one of Shetland’s most famous archaeological sites. The area has seen thousands of years of human inhabitation and you can see homes from the Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Viking long house and the homes of Scottish Lairds.
Very close to Jarlshof is Old Scatness, an Iron Age settlement where some buildings have been reconstructed to give visitors a feel of what life would have been like. Both sites are being considered for UNESCO world heritage status due to their international archaeological significance. Although normally closed during winter, both have additional opening hours in the time around Lerwick Up Helly Aa.
Louise and Bill have friends and family in Shetland and have visited regularly to attend the folk festival but this was their first time here for Up Helly Aa.
One of their favourite places is St Ninian’s Isle where a 500 metre golden sand tombolo connects the island to the mainland. If you walk across this beach you can explore the island, taking in spectacular views of sea and cliffs.
During summer puffins and other seabirds are regularly spotted. Perhaps what makes the island most famous there is the treasure discovered there by a Lerwick schoolboy in the 1950s. Twenty eight pieces of Pictish silver, dated to the eight century, were found in the chapel ruins.
The treasure is housed in the National museum of Scotland, with replicas in the Lerwick museum but the chapel site is always accessible to the public.
Rick was from Maine and this was his first visit to Shetland. He was visiting for Up Helly Aa because he is fascinated by the islands' Norse history having discovered several Viking connections through doing ancestry tests.
"I wasn’t prepared for how beautiful it would be. I have had lots of walks by the sea, it is a beautiful coastline. Each little village has so much character. I have been looking in the little graveyards by the sea, looking at the names. I will be back, maybe this summer, I want to do some family history."
Visiting Shetland Museum and Archives was one of his highlights. He particularly enjoyed how it tells all of Shetland's story, from the geological and earliest inhabitation right up to more recent social history.
During the winter months, Shetland Museum is a focal point for several special Up Helly Aa related activities including exhibitions, activities, and a visit from the Jarl's Squad on Lerwick Up Helly Aa day.
If Up Helly Aa is on your bucket list, why not start planning your visit to Shetland today?