📌 Lerwick, Shetland Mainland
★★★★
A trip to the Isle of Noss is an unmissable part of any holiday in Shetland if you’re at all interested in birds, marine life or coastal scenery – and if you’re not, why are you here? Although it’s possible (via two short ferries) to walk on the island itself, perhaps the best place from which to view the island’s coastline – its star attraction – is from the sea below. The 180-metre cliffs on the east side of Noss are home to 25,000 gannets and thousands of other breeding seabirds every summer, with seals basking on the surrounding skerries. Round-the-island trips generally depart from Lerwick and circumnavigate the larger island of Bressay (also with decent scenery) as well as Noss. We had an absolutely superb trip with Seabirds-and-Seals, complete with a remote-controlled, submarine camera returning close-up video of underwater life and tight corners the boat couldn’t access, but other companies are available.
🌍 Location
📌 Noss cliffs – the tour highlight – are on the east side of the Isle of Noss
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: HU 554398
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 60.139019,-1.003867
💬 Ferries usually depart from Victoria Pier, Lerwick central harbour, Shetland Mainland, 🧭 HU 478414 / 🛰️ 60.153929,-1.141975
🚌 Bus to Lerwick | 🚢 Lerwick main ferry terminal (1 mi)
🚗 Victoria Pier car park (charge)
📝 Key info
⌚ Generally a few times daily, April to October – check official websites
🎫 £60+ adult / £25+ child depending on trip type & operator
💬 Operators include Seabirds-and-Seals (🔗 seabirds-and-seals.com) & Shetland Seabird Tours (🔗 shetlandseabirdtours.com)
