Lerwick - Lerwick

Lerwick, view from a ferry.jpg
Lerwick · Learaig
Council areaShetland
Residents
6.958 (2011), 6.880 (2016)
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location
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Lerwick

Lerwick is a city on the Shetland Islands.

background

Lerwick is the main town and administrative seat of the Shetland Islands. As the most important ferry terminal in the archipelago for the ferry from Scottish mainland is located here on the largest island, it is also the place where most travelers, if they do not arrive by plane, will arrive. Lerwick is also the supply center for the archipelago; If you want to stay on the smaller islands for a longer period of time, you should stock up on special dietary requirements or equipment needs in Lerwick beforehand. Lerwick is on the main island MainlandIn contrast to this, the Scottish mainland is usually referred to as "Mainland Scotland".

getting there

You can only travel to Lerwick from outside the islands by ferry or plane, otherwise you can only get here by road.

By plane

Lerwick is across the airport Sumburgh accessible, which is about 25 miles south of Lerwick on the A970. There are regular connections to the airports on the Scottish mainland. There is one Bus connection between Sumburgh Airport and Lerwick (line 6, around 50 minutes).

By train

There is no railway line on the Shetland Islands.

In the street

There are two directions of road from Lerwick: South and North. Although these fork a short time after the village, the orientation out of Lerwick and into Lerwick is quite easy.

The road network around Lerwick is well developed and broad, and there is hardly any danger of higher traffic volumes, even in rush hour. Only after the Aberdeen ferry berths in the morning can there be a little more traffic on the two arterial roads.

By bus

Lerwick is on the company's bus network Zetttrans attached, which covered the Shetland Islands.

By boat

  • The ferries of the North Link shipping company have their home port in the Shetland Islands and arrive every morning at 7.00 / 7.30 am 1 Holmsgarth Ferry Terminal at. The starting point of the ferry line is Aberdeen on the Scottish mainland, three times a week the ships make a nocturnal swerve over the Orkney Islandsso that you can also get from Kirkwall can travel here.
  • There are berths for sailors and yacht owners in the old harbor - Lerwick was a station at the Tall Ship Races 2011 and is therefore also geared towards the needs of larger ships.
  • In the summer months, 2-3 cruise ships come per week, they usually dock about 2 km north of the old port. You can get to the city center by shuttle bus or taxi. Information about the ships and their moorings can be found on the website of the Lerwick Harbor.

mobility

Map of Lerwick
  • Lerwick can be easily explored on foot or by bike. Bicycles can be used at Grantfield Garage Ltd. to be borrowed (North Road, Tel. 44 (0) 1595 692709, about 500 m south of the ferry terminal to Aberdeen / Kirkwall).
  • The small car ferry to the neighboring island Bressay casts off in the old port.

Tourist Attractions

Clickimin Broch
Clickimin Broch view
  • Basically, the entire old town of Lerwick is worth seeing, and a stroll from the old harbor up the hill and on the other side down to Loch Clickimin shows you the special architecture of this small town, which on the one hand looks uniformly gray, on the other hand, on closer inspection in the details turns out differently.
  • Of course, a walk at the harbor and in the directly adjacent streets, where tourist life is concentrated in some beautiful shops, cafes and restaurants, is particularly worthwhile.
  • With a bit of luck, a large sailing yacht or even a three-master will be on the pier in the old harbor.

In addition, there are also classic sights:

Views of Lerwick
View from the ship over the harbor and the city
  • 1   Fort Charlotte . The grounds of the fortress are open to the public, but some buildings are used for military purposes.
  • 3  Clickimin Broch: The bellicose race of the Picts defended around AD 100. the north of Scotland, including the Shetland Islands, successfully against the invasion of the Romans, who only got as far as "Hadrian's Wall". The great strength of the Picts was, among other things, the construction of the Brochs, of which there were around 80 in the Shetlands alone. The brochures of different sizes, but always the same design, were up to 14 m high, round and tapered and had an entrance approximately 1 x 1.20 m in size. The diameter of a brochure was 6-12 m. Two concentric walls were about 1.20 m apart, so that spaces were created there. A brochure contained several rooms on several floors and was without a roof. Many have signs of defenses on the top. Many brochs stood at the end of a headland, which gave them additional security. Each brochure contained 5-10,000 tons of stones and was therefore difficult to destroy. In addition, there were no trees on Shetland and therefore no possibility of ramming.
  • 4 Lerwick Town Hall was completed in 1884. Today the "Shetland Islands Council" is housed in the building.
  • 1 Shetland Library

activities

  • 1  Clickimin Leisure Complex, Lochside, Lerwck, Shetland ZE1 0PJ. Tel.: 44 15 95 74 10 00. Indoor swimming pool with swimming pool, fun pool and slides. Small restaurant. Squash courts, fitness center, sauna and much more. Right on Loch Clickimin, adjacent to the campsite.
Commercial Street - wet as usual

shop

The small pedestrian zone above the old harbor, which bears the telling name Commercial Street, is small, narrow and manageable and is therefore worth strolling from shop to shop. But there are also worthwhile little shops in the alleys from Commercial Street down to the harbor and on Hafenstraße.

  • 1  Peerie Shop, Lerwick, Stewart Buildings.
  • 2  Tesco stores. The shopping center is close to the roundabout in the direction of Clickimin, and there is also a large Coop supermarket at the roundabout.

kitchen

  • 1  Coop Cafe. If you want to eat a real Scottish breakfast cheaply, you are in the small one Cafe in the Coop market in good hands at the port. Large selection of everything the Scottish or Shetland palate likes for breakfast, including black pudding and similar varieties. You sit next to dock workers and craftsmen in work clothes in a simple cafeteria atmosphere. Also a good alternative for those who come early in the morning from the ferry from Kirkwall / Aberdeen and have skipped the expensive and / or packaged breakfast on the ferry. A few 100 m from the ferry terminal, turning left from the terminal area, the Coop is on the left at the next roundabout.Open: Monday - Saturday from 8.00 a.m., Sunday from 9.00 a.m.
  • 2  Peerie Shop Cafe, Esplanade, Lerwick ZE1 OLL. Tel.: 44 15 95 69 28 16. A large selection of coffee specialties, hot chocolate with tons of marshmallows, original paninis with cheese and mango chutney and much more cakes, snacks and drinks can be found in the Peerie Shop Cafe in the Esplanade right by the old harbor. In the front of the building there is the Peerie Shop, behind it (accessible through the shop or from outside) the small cafe on two floors, which is no longer an insider tip and is therefore usually well filled. In good weather there are also tables outside.Open: closed on Sundays.
  • 3  Osla's Cafe, 88 Commercial Street, Lerwick ZE1 0EX. Tel.: 44 15 95 69 60 05, Email: . Oslas on Commercial Street is more functional. Still: sitting in one of the two shop windowplaces to the right and left of the entrance during a downpour, enjoying hot chocolate and carrot cake and looking into the pouring rain on the small pedestrian zone, can make a day on Shetland that happens again and again - Enhance islands enormously! Pizza and the like are supposed to be good too, but haven't been tested. Take-away possible.
Lerwick harbor

nightlife

accommodation

Buildings in Lerwick
Lerwick Town Hall

The campsite at the Clickimin Leisure Center has been closed since February 2014. For now there is no camping facility in Lerwick.

Old trading house

health

  • 2  Gilbert Bain Hospital, South Road Lerwick, Shetland ZE1 OTB. Tel.: 44 (01595) 743000. is on the hill between the harbor to the east and Loch Clickimin to the west of the city. Surgical and internal medicine focus, emergency care. Complicated cases, which the hospital is not prepared for, are flown to the Scottish mainland to Aberdeen.

Practical advice

Tourist Center Lerwick
  • Wifi access
    • Northlink Terminal
    • Lerwick Town Center, Harbor
    • Islesburgh Youth Hostel, King Harald St.
    • Hay's Yet Cafe, Shetland Museum
  • Internet access
    • Shetland Library Learning Center, Lower Hillhead
    • Islesburgh Youth Hostel, King Harald St.
    • Internet Cafe Lifeskills Center, Market St.

trips

literature

The County Books Series: The Shetland Isles by A.T. Cluness, Publishing House Robert Hale Ltd. London

Web links

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