VisitShetland

Tingwall Whiteness and Weisdale

Tingwall, Whiteness & Weisdale

In June and July the rich meadows of the Tingwall Valley, on the B9074 north of Scalloway, are one of the best places to see Shetland's native wild flowers, including several species of orchid.

A picturesque golf course lies between the Loch of Asta and the Tingwall Loch - both fine trout lochs and also home to Shetland's only resident Mute Swans. Other birds include Tufted Duck, Red-breasted Merganser, and Common and Black-headed Gulls.

At the north end of the loch stands Tingwall Kirk, the `mother church' of Shetland, with its ancient graveyard overlooking the Lawting Holm where justice, of a sort, was dispensed in Viking times.

One of the most spectacular views in Shetland is from Wormadale Hill, on the boundary between Tingwall and Whiteness. Beyond the small isles lying in Whiteness Voe you can see as far as Fitful Head, Foula and even Fair Isle, 50 miles away.

Weisdale Voe

The Loch of Strom has a strong tide-race at its mouth and a tiny ruined castle nearby. At Soundside in Weisdale there's a rarity for Shetland - a churchyard shaded by trees! Nearby is the birthplace of John Clunies Ross, self-styled 'king' of the Cocos Islands in the 19th century. From main road on the Scord of Sound, the hill above, there is another celebrated view over southern Shetland.

The head of Weisdale Voe is a good place to see wading birds, while a couple of hundred yards up the B9075 road is the beautifully restored Weisdale Mill, housing the Bonhoga art gallery, a textiles museum and a café.

Other visitor attractions in Tingwall, Whiteness & Weisdale include the Tingwall Hall (known for its summer teas, farmers' market and social functions); Herrislea House Hotel and the Inn On The Hill; Shetland Silvercraft and Hjaltasteyn.

The largest stand of trees in the islands surrounds the farm of Kergord, higher up the valley of Weisdale. Here the secluded farmhouse of Flemington once served as the Special Operations Executive's HQ for the wartime Shetland Bus operation to occupied Norway. The plantations, now being managed and extended, attract Chaffinches, Rooks and other woodland birds rare elsewhere in the islands.

From Kergord the road winds through the hills past old peat workings to Sandwater, another good trout loch. Turning right onto the main A970 road takes you to the South Nesting junction, where a diversion along the B9075 brings you to the lovely Isles of Gletness.

Just south of the junction lies one of Shetland's biggest, deepest lochs, the Loch of Girlsta - famous for its Arctic Char and, tradition says, named after the Icelandic Princess Geirhilda who drowned while skating here a thousand winters ago.

Following the A970 back through Tingwall, visitors are welcome on Shetland's main golf course, at Dale, just north of the junction taking you back to Scalloway.

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