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Shetland in October or November

Shetland in October or November

Old Jun 13, 2017, 7:33 am
  #1  
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Shetland in October or November

I'm heading to Scotland in October / November. I don't get a say in when I have my holidays, so that's when it is. I'm also taking some long service leave, so I'll be there from early October until mid November.

I'm considering travelling to Shetland, partly to see the place and partly to catch up with someone I knew when I was young.

I've been told that the sea can be quite rough, especially at that time of year, so flying would be a better option. Is that the general concensus?

I'll need to cross from the mainland to Yell. I've been told that that's generally not too bad, and the ferry still runs, unless the weather's extremely bad. But I wasn't going to travel anywhere else that connected by road.

I know that the days will also be fairly short, but I was wondering how long people thought I'd need to spend there to have a decent look around. I'll have my 80 year old mother with me, so we'll only be going to places that are accessible by road. Do I need to rent a car? Or is public transport good?

I'd be open to any thoughts. I understand that it's not the ideal time of year to be going there, but it is what it is.
weegraeme is offline  
Old Jun 13, 2017, 11:17 am
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You need a car in the Shetland Islands. I would go in October as they'll be more daylight hours, out of town attractions will be open and the weather tends to be better.

Do note that facilities outside of Lerwick are limited and if you want a range of accommodation or eating options then Lerwick is the only place you can go.
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Old Jun 13, 2017, 12:10 pm
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Thank you.

Do you have any thoughts on how to travel there? My mother isn't the world's keenest sea traveller. But having said that, she was surprised at how smooth it was sailing from Scrabster to Stromness and back. I know travel by ferry to Shetland is much longer. i also realise that flying means I'd need to hire a car vs possibly bringing one. I know that weather is often unpredictable and that it could be unseasonably hot, cold, stormy or calm. I'd appreciate your or anyone else's thoughts.
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Old Jun 14, 2017, 7:04 am
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Originally Posted by weegraeme
Thank you.

Do you have any thoughts on how to travel there? My mother isn't the world's keenest sea traveller. But having said that, she was surprised at how smooth it was sailing from Scrabster to Stromness and back. I know travel by ferry to Shetland is much longer. i also realise that flying means I'd need to hire a car vs possibly bringing one. I know that weather is often unpredictable and that it could be unseasonably hot, cold, stormy or calm. I'd appreciate your or anyone else's thoughts.
I wouldn't worry about it being unseasonably hot!

As you say, it's a long ferry trip, and unlike flying, you don't have a choice of departure point, i.e. it's Aberdeen or Aberdeen (unless you join it at Kirkwall). You'll be on a pretty decent-sized boat but if the weather gets bad you will definitely notice it.

I would fly. In bad weather it can be a bit rough, especially on approach to LSI, but at least it doesn't last so long!
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Old Jun 14, 2017, 10:13 am
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Shetland has become one of my absolute favorite places (I am returning later this summer for a vacation. If I could figure out a way to relocate there permanently, I would.)

There's extremely helpful information on the Shetland tourist's board web site, and you can pick up printed copies of the brochures at the airport or in Lerwick at the tourist office.

You should definitely rent a (or if traveling by ferry, considering bringing your own) car. There are buses, but your mobility would be very limited and they are not so frequent. Details about the inter-island ferries are here. You can call ahead to book a place for your car, but last summer (at the height of tourist season) we never had a problem not getting onto the ferry, so in general it doesn't seem necessary.

Your flight options are with Loganair or, apparently, after September 1 with Eastern, which will be codesharing with Flybe. I would recommend having good travel insurance to cover any pre-paid bookings in case your flights are delayed, as is not infrequently the case with flights to and from Sumburgh.

I'll be taking the ferry to Aberdeen in September, so can report back any notable experiences then.
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Old Jun 14, 2017, 10:26 am
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Thanks, NSFU. I've travelled on a ferry across Cook Strait in New Zealand. That's only 4 hours and it wasn't much fun because it was rough and I also left my jacket in the car. I think flying it is! :-) But I'm still going to pretend you never told me flying can be bumpy too. :-) (Even though it's obvious to anyone that it can be)

I'll just need to decide how long to spend there, but I think I've found enough resources to research that.
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Old Jun 14, 2017, 10:59 am
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Originally Posted by turnleftbrighteyes
You should definitely rent a (or if traveling by ferry, considering bringing your own) car. There are buses, but your mobility would be very limited and they are not so frequent. Details about the inter-island ferries are here. You can call ahead to book a place for your car, but last summer (at the height of tourist season) we never had a problem not getting onto the ferry, so in general it doesn't seem necessary.

Your flight options are with Loganair or, apparently, after September 1 with Eastern, which will be codesharing with Flybe. I would recommend having good travel insurance to cover any pre-paid bookings in case your flights are delayed, as is not infrequently the case with flights to and from Sumburgh.

I'll be taking the ferry to Aberdeen in September, so can report back any notable experiences then.
Thanks. I've already got travel insurance which covers travel delays. I took my rental car on the ferry to Orkney two years ago. It was fine, but from Scrabster to Stromness it's almost sheltered. (I know it can get rough there too.) I'd probably prefer to go on the ferry just for the experience, but there's no way I'd convince my mother to go on it if it's likely to be rough.
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Old Jun 21, 2017, 12:33 am
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I'm still working on what I'd like to see. How long should I plan on spending there? I don't want to spend lots of time there and be wasting time. I don't want to plan a short visit and miss out on too much. I'm also mindful that October is not necessarily the optimal time to go there, but I don't have any choice in when I have leave.
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Old Jun 21, 2017, 12:02 pm
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I don't think October is a necessarily poor time to visit, aside from it getting darker earlier than in the summer. The weather in October is really not much different than in June or August.

What you want to do depends on what you want to get out of the trip. I live in a large city (more people in a one-block radius of my apartment than live on all of Shetland), so I'm attracted to the emptiness and solitude of the place. For me, it took several days to decompress and be able to enjoy the emptiness.
I liked the lack of things to do, aside from walking or bird-watching or the like. Just having a few days to do nothing, aside from walk, read, and play board games in an extraordinarily beautiful place, sounds like heaven to me. If you are from someplace more like Shetland, then maybe that's not as appealing.

I was there for 6 days (down from an originally planned 7, due to flight cancellations) and it seemed much too short. This summer's trip will be 10 days; I wish I could stay longer. The aim this year is to be able to explore at a more leisurely pace and just enjoy staying in one spot (specifically, Eshaness) and reading, lounging, and walking. We went on an otter watching tour last year, which was fantastic; this year we're still mulling over other options. Maybe going to Noss for a day (we didn't see puffins at all last year) if the weather is good, or maybe taking a boat tour. I'd like to walk Hermaness on Unst, particularly because it should be free of sheep poo, unlike the rest of Shetland. Jarlshof or tracing some of the Viking archaeological finds on Unst are also a possibility. I'm looking forward to visiting the Shetland Reel distillery and Valhalla brewery (both on Unst). If you're on Unst, you might as well stop by the best bus stop anywhere.

Northmavine is probably the most spectacular natural landscape I have ever seen. I'm pretty much returning to Shetland so I can go back there, sit on the side of the cliff, and stare into the sea for hours with a book. The photo doesn't do it justice.

Also, it does take some time to get from island to island, so if you are staying on Mainland Shetland, and want to go Unst (or Noss or Papa Stour), you really need to plan a full day to accommodate trips to different islands.

The Visit Shetland web site mentioned above really does have the best overview of what you can do.
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Old Jun 26, 2017, 7:42 am
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Originally Posted by turnleftbrighteyes
I don't think October is a necessarily poor time to visit, aside from it getting darker earlier than in the summer. The weather in October is really not much different than in June or August.
Thanks for your insight.

Sorry it's taken so long to reply. Work keeps getting in the way of planning my holiday! :-)
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