📌 Sumburgh, Shetland Mainland
★★★★★
At the time of writing, this is the only walk out of several hundred featured on this website to incorporate two attractions with a five-star rating – the ancient settlement of Jarlshof and the puffin colony at Sumburgh Head. The route itself easily deserves the same classification and it’s therefore no exaggeration to say that it should be on every visitor’s checklist. The full circuit of Shetland Mainland’s southernmost peninsula boasts fascinating coastal scenery: the western cliffs grow in stature on the outward tramp, whilst the east coast return traverses shattered slopes which are slowly slipping into the sea below – you can see why they’re called The Slithers. The Sumburgh Hotel at the start serves food.
📷 Chronological photo guide
🌍 Location
📌 Start / finish at Jarlshof, off A970 at Sumburgh Hotel, Sumburgh, Shetland Mainland
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: HU 400096
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 59.869291,-1.288057
🚌 Bus stops on A970 | 🚢 Grutness ferry terminal (0.5 mi) if coming from Fair Isle! | ✈️ Sumburgh Airport (1 mi)
🚗 Car park
📝 Key info
▶ 6 km / 4 mi | ▲ 320 m | ⌛ 2-2.5 hr
Features: 🏚️ Jarlshof ★★★★★; 🌊 Sumburgh Head ★★★★★; 🌊 Compass Head
⬤ Moderate | Often pathless turf above cliffs; quiet road at Sumburgh Head and return from Grutness.
Download file for GPS➡️ Anticlockwise circuit. Start – Jarlshof – Sumburgh Head by west coast – Compass Head by east coast – Grutness – start
🥾 On our last visit
Wildlife: Fulmars and hundreds of puffins around Sumburgh Head; sheep and various other seabirds.
Weather: Overcast skies, windy with occasional spots of rain. About 10°C.
May 2014
