LERWICK, SHETLAND ISLANDS, SCOTLAND

Lerwick became the capital of the Shetland Islands in 1708 and is the chief town of Scotland’s Shetland Islands, an archipelago lying 130 miles north of the Scottish mainland. Lerwick is both the most easterly and most northerly town in the Shetlands, situated on a natural harbor on Bressay Sound.  

 

Lerwick has a population of about 7,500 – although about half of the islands 22,000 people live within 10 miles of Lerwick.

 

Lerwick would be another tender port for the Norwegian Star.  Our arrival was on Sunday June 5, 2023 at 7:00am.  Weather forecast was for a high of 59 degrees and cloudy. The ship was cleared by 7:30am and I boarded the tender at 8am.  Unfortunately with our arrival into Lerwick on a Sunday so there were very few things open.  

I walked to Fort Charlotte, a 5 sided artillery fort, the first part of which was built in 1665 during the second Dutch war.  Admission was free and it did provide a nice view of the water.

 

Then it was off to the Shetland Museum and Archives, unfortunately it was CLOSED.  A sign in the window indicated it would open at 2:00pm so I proceeded to the Sound and Light Show which is right next door to the Shetland Museum and Archives. They do 1 presentation daily and it was at 1:30pm.    The admission cost for the Sound and Light Show was 10GBP, about $12.84USD as of the writing of this article.  The show lasted 30 minutes and was nothing like I had expected.  I felt it was poorly presented and couldn't recommend it.  I would certainly not pay to do it again.  

 

 

After the Sound and light Show it was time to head back to the Shetland Museum and Archives as it was now just past 2:00pm. Highlights of the Museum include the North Boats Collection, Landscapes Collection, FishingCollection, TransportCollection, TextileCollection and Crofting Collection. 

Being unable to find anything else open, I proceeded back to the pier to catch the next tender back to the ship.  I found myself back in my cabin just before 3pm.  My step meter for the day registered 9,291 steps for 4.0 miles.