📌 Culswick, Shetland Mainland
★★★
This enjoyable coastal circuit heads out to a little-visited single bay southeast of Culswick before continuing to a ruined broch with a superb outlook over the island of Vaila. En route there are several sea stacks to marvel at, from big grassy sails to delicate-looking spires; the return leg passes two lonely lochs and a remote Methodist chapel, still used for services at the time of writing in 2024.
📷 Chronological photo guide
🌍 Location
📌 Start / finish at track junction near public minor road end, Culswick, Shetland Mainland
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: HU 272450
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 60.188162,-1.510906
❌ Extremely infrequent bus to start – probably not frequent enough for use with this walk
🚗 Verge parking
📝 Key info
▶ 6 km / 4 mi | ▲ 120 m | ⌚ 2 hr
Features: 🌊 Culswick / Burga Stacks coastline; ⭕ Broch of Culswick ★★; ⛪ Culswick Methodist Church
⬤ Moderate | Coastal section on grassy clifftops, often pathless. First & last sections on tracks. Two fences to cross – could be easily stepped over using rocks on either side on our visit.
Download file for GPS➡️ Clockwise circuit: start – track to west of Sand Water – bay south of Sotersta – follow coastline to Broch of Culswick – return via track along north sides of Loch of the Broch & Loch of Sotersta, passing Culswick Methodist Church
🥾 On our last visit
Wildlife: Sheep & lambs, seals, greylag geese, fulmars, cormorants / shags, wheatears..
Weather: 12°C, a little hazy sunshine, some wind.
June 2024
Also on this walk
Broch of Culswick ★★
🌍 Location
📌 Just west of Loch of the Brough, 1.5 mi west of Culswick, Shetland Mainland
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: HU 254448
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 60.186798,-1.544025
❌ No public transport within 1 mi
🚗 See info for walk route above
📝 Key info
⌚ Always viewable
🎫 Free
💬 If not doing the whole walk, the quickest way to reach the broch is by following the walk route above in reverse (1.5 mi / 1 hr each way, ⬤ Easy).
