St Ninian’s Isle tombolo

📌 Bigton, Shetland Mainland
★★★★

A slender finger of sand connects St Ninian’s Isle to the southwest side of Shetland Mainland, close to Bigton village. This is one of the Northern Isles’ most popular beaches, and with good reason; it’s the UK’s largest tombolo, boasting superb white sand and featuring in multiple episodes of the Shetland BBC crime drama. The beach can therefore become reasonably busy by Shetland standards, so consider arriving early or late in the day during peak summer months to be assured of a space in the car park. During exceptionally high tides – and more frequently during winter – the tombolo (or ayre, to use the local word) becomes submerged; this should be borne in mind if you intend to explore the island itself.