Telly cop drama Shetland inspires tourism boost on Scottish island – and there’s plenty to see and do

THANKS to hit detective show Shetland, you could be forgiven for thinking the islands are beset by violent crime.

The toll of deaths investigated amid moody scenery by Douglas Henshall’s kindly cop Jimmy Perez have drummed up loads of extra tourism.

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But, given that Lerwick — pronounced Lerrick, by the way — is closer to Bergen in Norway than to Edinburgh, you could believe this remote and beautiful part of the country is murder to reach.

Far from it — you can do the journey in your sleep. Northlink Ferries’ daily service leaves Aberdeen at 7pm then gently rocks you to a slumber before you wake the next morning and see the real-life Shetland out of your porthole.

Head for breakfast and before you can say "I wonder where DI Perez lives" you’re gliding past his house on the Lerwick shoreline and easing into port.

Taking a tourism tip from the Northlink crew, we headed first to stunning St Ninian’s beach, about 20 minutes from Lerwick. It’s a tombolo — there is sea on both sides — linking the mainland to St Ninian’s Isle, so it accounts for two of Shetland’s 138 stretches of pristine white sand.

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We then drove down to Sumburgh Head, the islands’ most southerly point and an RSPB reserve. The place used to be groaning with puffins but the numbers have collapsed in the past couple of years. We spotted just the one — standing conveniently by a clifftop footpath.

It stayed just long enough for a fuzzy phone pic before disappearing to join the similarly depleted masses of soaring guillemots, razorbills, fulmars and the odd gannet. For wildlife fans, Shetland also has one of the highest concentrations of otters in Europe. They managed to elude us, despite expert tips from wildlife tour guide Martha Devine. There is also a better than average chance of glimpsing killer whale pods hunting for seals all around the islands’ 1,700 miles of coastline.

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We stayed at the Busta House Hotel in Brae. The staff serve up a friendly welcome and there’s plenty of tasty food, including scallops from the voe it overlooks.

Brae also has Britain’s most northerly chippy, Frankies. On the way there from Lerwick it only required a minor detour to visit Britain’s most northerly 24/7 home baking honesty box, the Cake Fridge, near Aith.

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Owner Lynn Johnson restocks it daily — and since it’s no longer a secret well kept by locals, aim to get there as early as possible for the widest and most delicious choice. Our journey up to Unst, via two ferries, also took us to Britain’s most northerly post office, Britain’s most northerly play park, and Britain’s most northerly Viking longhouse and longboat reconstruction.

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We ate Britain’s most northerly cheese rolls sitting on the top of spectacular cliffs at Hermaness under a clear blue sky but didn’t quite reach the end of the headland, from where you can see Muckle Flugga lighthouse and Out Stack, the very topmost tip of the British Isles.

Also in Unst, we hung about at Britain’s most northerly bus shelter — known around the world for its annually updated themed decor. It’s furnished for the weary traveller with a phone and a microwave. We finished with a trip to the uninhabited island of Mousa on the Mousa Boat.

It’s a fun, bumpy 15 minutes in the company of a captain and crew who know all there is to know about the island and its 2,000-year-old tower, the broch.

Thanks to Northlink’s easy access, it would be criminal to miss out on Shetland, so get on the case.

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