📌 Dale of Walls, Shetland Mainland
★★★
Way out west where nobody goes, there’s a deep, deep dale and spectacular geos. The relentless ups and downs of the coastline north from Mu Ness make for tough going, but the reward is a magnificent series of stacks, arches and huge cliffs plunging into the Atlantic Ocean. Even by Shetland’s high standards coastlines don’t get much more spectacular than this, but the effort required to reach it ensures peace and quiet. A very steep descent to and re-ascent out of Deep Dale is unavoidable if you opt for the moorland return via Ramna Vord, Sandness Hill and Dale Hill, but here sea stacks are replaced by skuas and mountain hare amongst the peat bogs. Surprisingly, this makes for easier going than the outward route.
📷 Chronological photo guide
🌍 Location
📌 Start / finish at minor road junction, Dale of Walls, Shetland Mainland
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: HU 181525
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 60.256071,-1.674753
❌ No public transport within 1 mi
🚗 Car park
📝 Key info
▶ 12 km / 7 mi | ▲ 630 m | ⌛ 4-5 hr
Features: 🌊 Mu Ness to Deep Dale coastline; △ Sandness Hill (249 m, sub-2000′ Marilyn); △ Dale Hill (184 m)
⬤ Tough | Track to Voe of Dale, then intermittent coastal paths to Banks Head, steep and wet in places. Moorland return is pathless on grass and peat bog.
Download file for GPS➡️ Clockwise circuit: start – Mu Ness – Coppa Wick – Sel Ayre – Deep Dale (burn, not bay) – Banks Head – Ramna Vord – Sandness Hill – Dale Hill – Blouk Field – bridge across Burn of Dale at 🧭 HU 183527 – start
🥾 On our last visit
Wildlife: Numerous great skua and mountain hare on the hills; sheep along coast and on descent to finish.
Weather: Heavy rain shower at the start, then dry with sunshine increasingly coming through; moderate winds, temperature in low teens.
May 2014
