Hillswick

Hillswick is a small village on the Shetland Islands.

Get in

By car

Hillswick is around 35 miles north of Lerwick along the A970, and is best reached by car.

On your way up make sure to stop at Mavis Grind, the narrow isthmus from where you can (almost but not quite) throw a stone from the Atlantic Ocean to the North Sea.

By bus

A direct bus runs roughly 3 times daily to Hillswick, and twice daily back towards Lerwick (in addition a couple of others involving changes in Brae). Full timetables can be found here.

Get around

Hillswick is small enough that you can walk around most of it in a few minutes!

See

• 🌍 Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary, The Booth, ZE2 9RW, ☎ [phone]. Catering primarily to the care of seals and otters. 

Do

• Walk around. There are some lovely walks just beyond the town.
• 🌍 Ronas Hill. Climb to the top of nearby Ronas Hill: at 450 metres it is the highest point in Shetland, and the only place in the UK where you can find Arctic tundra. 
• 🌍 Eshaness. The nearby cliffs at Eshaness are a favourite of Shetlanders, and a must see destination. 

Buy

• 🌍 Hillswick Shop. Owned by the local community association, this store sells a selection of groceries, other necessities, and petrol. Friendly and obliging staff can order in meat and fish on request. 
• Hillswick Craft Store. Open a few hours a week. Ask around for more information. 

Eat

• Hillswick Shop. For groceries and snacks 
• St. Magnus Bay Hotel. The Sunday carvery, and their chips, are highly recommended. The rest of the menu can be slightly hit and miss but the deserts are usually excellent! 

Drink

• St. Magnus Bay Hotel has a bar. Packed on some evenings, deserted on others.

Sleep

• 🌍 St Magnus Bay Hotel, ZE2 9RW, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. A century-old hotel which was built in Norway then transported for an exhibition to the mainland before being dismantled and then set up in Hillswick, Shetland. The building is of Swiss architecture and of Norwegian manufacture. Made of pine the building gives a unique atmosphere and totally dominates the coastline of Hillswick. 

Connect

Mobile phone signal is patchy at best!

Go next

• Head up to 🌍 North Roe and see "the plane", the remains of a Potez 840 which had a wheels up landing in 1981 and then was transported here.
• Head down to Brae, where you can find the UK's most Northerly fish and chip shop, and its most northerly Indian takeaway.