Shetland Outdoor Adventures: Top 5 Activities Explored

Okay, so you’re planning a trip to the Shetland Islands and wondering what kinda outdoor fun awaits you? You’ve come to the right spot. Shetland, which is a group of islands way up north in Scotland, provides some truly amazing opportunities for open-air exploits. Think dramatic coastlines, moorland that seemingly goes on for ages, and an amazing variety of animal and plant life just kinda doing its thing. Really, for anyone who has a love for exploring spots outside, Shetland is almost like a dream destination that could easily come true. This review gives you, basically, the lowdown on five top activities that can, possibly, make your visit extra memorable.

Hiking Esha Ness: Volcano Views

Okay, first up is hiking at Esha Ness. Esha Ness isn’t just any ordinary place; no, it is almost a peninsula formed by volcanic activity from way back. You get these insane cliff-top views and trails that take you past spots, almost like stacks and geos that are worth showing your family. The landscape here tends to be quite dramatic, particularly when the sea is throwing a bit of a tantrum against the rocks; truly, that’s when this place really earns its place as almost a hiker’s hotspot.

What Makes It Special: The walk itself takes you by the Grind of the Navir, and almost a natural rock amphitheater is really fun for folks. If you go during the spring and summertime, there’s even, maybe, the potential of seeing seabirds making the most of the cliffs for nesting spots, which, let me tell you, it is something else.

Tips: Check weather conditions before you set off. The cliffs can get quite slippery, that, too, with strong winds blowing, that is a given. Sturdy footwear is a must. I’d recommend checking out more reviews on TripAdvisor and what people are saying before booking your adventures to that area to, maybe, give yourself an edge on potential pitfalls or difficulties you would experience.

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Kayaking in the Shetland Seas: Wild Adventures

Kayaking offers, I’d argue, the unique vantage point from which to view Shetland’s coastline, and in so doing, gives you opportunities to just visit remote spots you couldn’t otherwise reach; I’m just saying. These trips usually start near Lerwick, you know, so very useful should you already be spending time around the town.

Experiencing the Sea Life: One of the coolest parts of going kayaking in Shetland? Seeing wildlife close up, more or less, in its natural setting. Seals pop their heads up; if you get very fortunate you might even see porpoises doing a show or otters kinda splashing near the banks. This tends to happen often as folks do their normal trips around the Shetland sea.

Tour Options: Tour lengths range, and it might depend on how adventurous you feel, but it really covers options. Short trips tend to be around 3 hours, while the multi-day expeditions are available for a real serious kayaker.

Read our full review: Shetland Sea Kayaking Full Review and Details

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Bird Watching at Hermaness National Nature Reserve: A Symphony of Nature

Hermaness, just a little, maybe, known as an impressive reserve situated on the northernmost isle of Unst, is famous because the reserve houses thousands upon thousands of breeding seabirds. From May right through to August, this place just tends to come alive with puffins, gannets, and various gulls. This destination would almost always come up in the research you are conducting; very popular spot it would seem.

Walks with a View: This place also is perfect to do a day trip to just see wildlife as the walking there gives access to places. What tends to be a great lookout spot is a path near the cliffs at Saxa Vord, Unst’s highest point and arguably, that’s one of the better places from which just watch this activity; this location provides incredible vantage points, to say the very least.

Planning your trip to Hermaness: Getting there usually includes a ferry ride plus either a hike to or from your port to the Hermaness. As weather situations tend to shift rapidly, so layered clothing would be a really good idea.

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Pony Trekking: Discover Shetland’s Heart

Pony trekking using Shetland ponies offers pretty much an adorable as well as genuinely insightful approach for just, I dunno, understanding the terrain. And this isn’t about you jumping straight on their backs and riding. Usually these things include a short familiarization and then it’s almost trekking gently across locations like moorlands and even coastlines; so this option may be the safest choice should you decide to explore this area.

Why Choose This: Obviously this really works for folks of various age levels but really helps the ones that are perhaps not quite as confident walkers as the animals tend to know where you are going anyway. Many businesses and centers spread around Shetland give led pony trek adventures for everyone to partake; so really do some research into those as those companies tend to offer various choices when touring with ponies, almost like which routes you’d expect and expect to be walked.

Finding a Trek: Reserving treks often can and should happen far in advance especially right when high tourist seasons is taking over as they kinda book quicker because more individuals book their tours.

Read our full review: Pony Trekking in Shetland Full Review and Details

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Scuba Diving in Scapa Flow: History Under the Sea

Scapa Flow, right there not far from Shetland(a bit out of Shetland actually), makes a little bit of a side trip. In it, actually, one could find something rather unique. These dive sites show what tends to be WWI naval ships right just down at the very bottom, very popular amongst more serious, dedicated scuba diver individuals.

Diving the Wrecks: A large portion, actually a significant one, features the vessels once with the German High Seas Fleet scuttled in the 1919s. This setting gives unique sites and opportunities for underwater divers or underwater historians because such individuals can explore locations while examining a lot and loads to learn a lot with past occurrences right under underwater spots.

Organizing Your Dive: To make the arrangements to enjoy sites around Scapa Flow diving locations, planning plus logistics does require quite a fair chunk, or more or less dedicated pre preparation tasks; scheduling alongside a proper scuba operation can lead to more experiences given such spots feature quite powerful moving tides coupled together a lot to almost zero presence concerning light under down there within the waters to swim; I’m just suggesting that because more cautious can almost protect the divers; so it tends to just play it extra safe.

Read our full review: Scapa Flow Diving Reviews Full Review and Details

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