The Kveldsro House Hotel

Up Helly Aa

by KennetRose

Up Helly Aa, which means something like "end of the holidays" but was simply meant to sound quaint and traditional, is not all that ancient. It was devised by the Victorians as a safer replacement for a much older tradition, in which burning tar-barrels were rolled through narrow streets of wooden houses, often with disastrous consequences!

The ceremony starts with the unveiling of the Guizer Jarl's proclamation at the Mercat Cross in the morning. The proclamation is full of satirical references to local events over the past year, usually with scathing references to the Shetland Islands Council (SIC). It's as well to know a local who can explain these things, as well as getting you an invitation to one of the Halls for the night.

Birdwatching

by KennetRose

There are two important birdwatching sites within the town.

The harbour is a gathering place for gulls and other seabirds, including frequent rarities blown off course.

Clickimin Loch attracts waterbirds, and remains the only place I have ever seen the elusive smew (though the smew is said to be a London speciality!)

Lerwick

by BOB_B

"A good place to stop"

This is a good place to base yourself as it is the main town. That said, it's quite small so you get can around on foot quite easily. You will need a car to get about round the mainland though. It only takes about 25 minutes to reach the airport from here so it makes sense to stop here.

The only dissapointment we had was the food - I was expecting lots of shellfish and seafood but the resturant options were pretty mediocre. I got funny looks when asking where I could find fresh oysters :) Nevermind. There seemed to be haddock, herring and I was happy to eat Shetland mussels. And of course the fare from the Valhalla Brewery had to be tried and tested!