By rail
There is no railway on Shetland. Rail connections can bring you to Aberdeen for the overnight ferry, but the port transfer and sailing are separate parts of the journey.
National Rail journey planner ↗Plan a responsible visit
Visiting Shetland filming locations
Plan arrival, accommodation and onward transport together. NorthLink's overnight Aberdeen ferry brings you to Lerwick, while flights arrive at Sumburgh in the south. Choose a first day that works with that gateway rather than crossing the Mainland immediately to reach a favourite scene. Book early when you need a particular base, accessible room or hire car.
Divide the location visits into town, South Mainland, North Mainland and Scalloway with Burra. Those regional days leave room for actual beach walks and heritage visits. An outer-island sailing is a separate commitment with a return boat to catch. Keep one part of the itinerary flexible so weather can decide when an exposed headland or a sea crossing makes sense.
NorthLink's Aberdeen to Lerwick service is an overnight crossing, with some journeys calling at Orkney. Use the operator's timetable for the sailing you select and arrange your preferred overnight accommodation on board at the same time. Taking a vehicle changes the booking and check-in plan, so decide early whether you will bring one or hire in Shetland. Lerwick's terminal is a transport gateway rather than the start of Commercial Street: organise luggage, the final transfer and any car collection before scheduling a town walk. Keep a realistic margin between a weather-sensitive sea journey and an essential onward appointment.
Loganair's direct Scottish routes serve Sumburgh, including Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Kirkwall, with other routes listed by the airline. Sumburgh is at the southern tip of the Mainland, not in Lerwick. Promote Shetland lists airport taxis, car hire and bus connections towards town. Compare the timing of the arrival with the onward service and any accommodation access arrangements. A South Mainland first day can be useful, but allow for luggage and the final approach to places such as Sumburgh Head rather than assuming the lighthouse is an airport walk-in attraction.
The council's inter-island network has separate routes and booking rules. Its guidance says Bressay operates without advance booking, while other crossings may need reservations, especially when taking a vehicle. Use the correct route timetable and allow for the journey from your accommodation to the departure pier. Islands connected by road bridges, such as Burra, do not require a ferry. The Mousa Boat is a separate visitor service from Sandsayre, with seasonal operation and weather-dependent sailings. Its published notice closes the 2026 ferry season until April 2027, so a winter plan should use the Mainland locations instead of promising that island trip.
A car or arranged driver makes a multi-stop rural day easier, especially when combining beaches reached by side roads. Reserve it alongside accommodation and confirm where collection takes place. Bolts is listed with offices in Lerwick and at Sumburgh Airport; other local operators publish airport or ferry-terminal collection arrangements. Do not assume a vehicle can be collected at any hour or taken on a particular inter-island route without discussing the plan. On single-track roads, use passing places to let traffic through and leave gates, working piers and residential entrances clear when stopping for a walk.
Buses
The published island travel guide gives useful distinctions between a bus stop and the attraction itself. Service 6 runs towards Sumburgh; service 7 connects at Channerwick Junction for Bigton, the village used for St Ninian's Isle. The guide describes a two-mile walk from Sumburgh Hotel to Sumburgh Head. In Lerwick, King Harald Street serves the Town Hall area and Commercial Road serves the museum and Mareel. Some rural services are demand-responsive and run only after a booking, so read the journey notes rather than assuming that a route shown on a map operates as a frequent turn-up service.
Traveline journey planner ↗Parking and driving
Use the signed beach car parks rather than stopping on narrow approaches. Meal has a defined parking area and a gravel path with footbridges; Minn's car park leads to a separate footpath and optional headland walk. Bigton provides the signed approach to St Ninian's beach. At Eshaness, the official trail uses the lighthouse car park. In Scalloway, follow the museum and public-town parking information while respecting the closed castle barriers. A working harbour is not a film set with informal parking beside every view: keep loading areas, boat access and turning space available.
Seasons and opening
Long summer daylight offers more walking flexibility, but it does not guarantee calm seas or good cliff conditions. Winter gives a different constraint, with shorter days and some visitor facilities or boat services closed. Sumburgh's indoor heritage facilities have their own programme, separate from the wider headland. Put Eshaness and longer beach or island walks on a day with suitable conditions, and retain Lerwick's museum as a substantial indoor alternative. Treat puffins, seals and other wildlife as seasonal possibilities rather than promises attached to a booking or a screen location.
www.shetland.org visitor information ↗www.shetland.org visitor information ↗www.shetland.org visitor information ↗www.loganair.co.uk visitor information ↗www.northlinkferries.co.uk visitor information ↗www.northlinkferries.co.uk visitor information ↗www.shetland.gov.uk visitor information ↗www.shetland.gov.uk visitor information ↗www.shetland.org visitor information ↗www.shetland.org visitor information ↗www.shetland.org visitor information ↗stay.shetland.org visitor information ↗www.mousa.co.uk visitor information ↗www.shetlandmuseumandarchives.org.uk visitor information ↗www.rspb.org.uk visitor information ↗www.historicenvironment.scot visitor information ↗
Choose the type of outing as carefully as the place name. The museum publishes detailed access information, while a beach reached by gravel, sand or footbridges is a different experience. Sumburgh Head has specific Blue Badge parking arrangements described by the RSPB, but an ordinary bus journey still leaves a long approach. Boat boarding and inter-island transfers need discussion with the relevant operator. Use the island accessibility guidance to compare accommodation, transport and attractions before booking, especially when a particular room, vehicle or assistance arrangement is essential.
The Perez waterfront home remains private and is excluded from pins and route directions. Lower Voe's Sail Loft has a present-day accommodation use, so a public village walk does not include entry. Working harbours, rescue facilities and occupied crofts have their own limits too. Stay in public areas, leave doors and driveways clear, and ask before photographing people at close range. Public beaches, town streets and welcoming visitor institutions provide a rich enough trip without using production history as permission to enter someone else's space.
Ready-made days out
Days out, stop by stop
Public places only, in a sensible order. Check each stop's opening before you set off.
Lerwick on foot
One day · This is the strongest car-free location day. Arrange the transfer from the NorthLink terminal and luggage storage separately if arriving by ferry.
Begin with Commercial Street and the public harbour, using the town as a real working place rather than a sequence of private character addresses. Choose a lane walk according to your group's needs, then continue to Hays Dock for Shetland Museum and Archives. Allow proper exhibition time. Local bus stops at King Harald Street and Commercial Road can help shape the walk without moving a car between viewpoints.
- Lerwick Commercial Street and harbour · Recurring town streets and waterfront
- Shetland Museum and Archives · Filming venue in several series
Allow time for the individual walks and return transport.
South Mainland coast and heritage
One or two days · A car or arranged driver makes the combined beach day easier. Bus users should plan service 6 and the service 7 Bigton connection as individual outings, with the final walks included.
Choose St Ninian's beach and Scousburgh Sands as the principal outdoor stops, allowing time for their separate approaches and walks. Do not add private farm entrances to the route. Continue to Sumburgh Head only if daylight and conditions leave enough time for the uphill approach. The cafe's hotel role is distinct from Sumburgh Hotel's care-home setting. Use a second day for a longer lighthouse or wildlife visit, or add Jarlshof for archaeology under its own admission arrangements. Jarlshof is a nearby cultural stop here, not a filming credit. A future Mousa Boat trip needs a separate seasonal sailing plan and return departure; the ordinary ferry service is closed for winter 2026.
- St Ninian’s Isle · Beach parties, smuggling and scenic sequences
- Scousburgh Sands · Beach discoveries especially in series 5
- Sumburgh Head · Lighthouse-complex café doubled as Willow Reeves’ hotel
Allow time for the individual walks and return transport.
Lower Voe and Eshaness
One or two days · This covers a large area. Organise fuel, food and transport before leaving the larger settlements, and let wind or visibility shorten the cliff outing when necessary.
Break the northern journey at Lower Voe's public waterside and pier, keeping the Sail Loft's accommodation use private. Continue through the Brae area towards Eshaness for the main cliff walk when conditions suit. Use the lighthouse car park and official route information rather than turning into croft entrances. Leave daylight for the drive back. If staying around Brae or Hillswick, use another day for a longer Northmavine outing. Include Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary only after the team agrees a visit. Otherwise, keep the day to public village and coastal routes. A sanctuary appearance in series four does not turn rescue work into an open animal display.
- Lower Voe and the Sail Loft · Hattie’s accommodation in series 1; further filming in series 3
- Eshaness cliffs and lighthouse · Recurring coastal scenes; fictional Pit of Biddista
Use public approaches and leave room for weather changes. The working sanctuary is not a route stop.
Scalloway and the Burra beaches
One day · Burra is road-linked, so this route needs no inter-island ferry. Keep working harbour access and beach road ends clear when parking.
Start with Scalloway's public harbour and the castle exterior, respecting the conservation closure. Add the museum for real local history before crossing the road bridges towards Burra. Choose Meal or Minn for a full beach walk, adding the other only if there is enough time. They have different approaches, and the longer Kettla Ness continuation from Minn is optional.
- Scalloway harbour and castle exterior · Series 5 harbour and castle chase scenes
- Meal Beach · Beach filming for series 7
- Minn Beach and Kettla Ness · Recurring Burra coastal filming
Allow time for the individual walks and return transport.
Guided tour
Discover Shetland: Shetland TV series tours
Discover Shetland lists a television-series option alongside its other guided interests. Discuss the public locations you want to see, transport and walking needs directly with the operator, and ask how the day changes when weather or site access prevents a stop.
Check dates and book direct ↗Where to stay
Choose a base that matches the day.
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