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Major city · United Kingdom

Hillswick

Go for 1–2 nights with a car: Ronas Hill, Esha Ness and the cliffs need wheels; without one, bus 21 gives you a village and little else.

Not yet checkedSourcesWhat these labels mean

Hillswick is the main village of Northmavine, the peninsula hanging off Shetland's Mainland north of Brae. It is a base, not a sight: a hotel, a shop, a wildlife sanctuary, and single-track roads out to sea cliffs, a 450 m hill and an abandoned fishing station. One night covers the village; two nights let you walk Ronas Hill and drive the Esha Ness loop without rushing. A car is close to essential — the bus runs three times a day on weekdays only.

basic guide: no trip line yet
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
More ways in
Print / PDF guide
Local time, weather, currency, airports
Weather
see forecast
Currency
GBP
Best months
May–Sep
avoid Nov–Feb (short days, wind, ice on the hill tracks)
Airports
LSI · LWK
Nights
1–2
Rules in force · 8Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window…
  • Europe ↗Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window, counted across all 29 Schengen states together — not per country; the Entry/Exit System now logs each crossing, so an overstay is detected automatically.
  • Europe ↗On the first Schengen entry since EES began, non-EU travellers give four fingerprints and a face photo at the border instead of a passport stamp; there is nothing to apply for or pay in advance.
  • Britain and Ireland ↗Neither the UK nor Ireland is part of Schengen: days spent here do not count towards the 90/180-day Schengen limit, and a Schengen visa does not admit you to either country.
  • Britain and Ireland ↗The island of Ireland runs on two currencies: euro in the Republic, pound sterling in Northern Ireland and Great Britain. Carry a card that pays in both without fees.
  • Britain and Ireland ↗Both islands drive on the left. Speed limits are in miles per hour in the UK (including Northern Ireland) and in kilometres per hour in the Republic of Ireland.
  • United Kingdom ↗Most visitors who do not need a UK visa now need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before travelling; this includes EU nationals. Irish citizens are exempt. Check the UK government site for your passport.
  • United Kingdom ↗The UK is outside the EU and the Schengen area; a Schengen visa is not valid for the UK.
  • United Kingdom ↗Driving is on the left; London has congestion and emissions charges for most vehicles, so do not drive in the city.

Entry rules depend on your passport. Full visa guide

Checking your follows…
What is in this basic guide9 covered · 4 not yet ▾

Not in this guide yet

  • Walking areas with bag rules
  • Day plans checked against opening hours
  • Airport-to-bed timings and the last safe connection
  • Field-checked times and prices
Emergency numbers for Hillswick999 ▾
  • Police, fire, ambulance, coastguard999
  • Police non-urgent101
  • NHS non-urgent111

Tap a number to call from your phone. These are the numbers listed in this guide; a row marked check has not been verified.

EssentialsQuick answers and what things cost

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Hillswick, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Show all 12 answers

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • CoffeeCoffee or tea in the hotel bar£3–4.50 (≈ US$4–6)
  • Sit-down mealPub main course£14–22 (≈ US$19–30)
  • SIM or eSIM, a weekeSIM or data SIM, about a week£8–15 (≈ US$11–20)
  • Budget bedHostel or bunkhouse bed, a night, per person£30 (≈ US$40)
  • Mid-range bedHotel double room, a night, per room£180 (≈ US$250)
  • High-end bedHotel double room, a night, per room£260 (≈ US$350)

A day, not counting the bed: Budget £55 (≈ US$75) · Mid £90 (≈ US$120) · High £160 (≈ US$250)

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

DecideWhat it is known for, and when the weather works

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Ronas Hill, Shetland's highest pointEsha Ness cliffs and lighthouseHillswick Wildlife SanctuaryFethaland fishing station
Airports
LSI Sumburgh Airport (Main Shetland airport, about 1 h 30 min by car to Hillswick via Lerwick and Brae; check connections.) · LWK Lerwick/Tingwall Airport (Smaller airstrip on the bus 21 route; check whether your flight lands here.)

Best months at a glance

From the guide's best and avoid lists

  1. Jan

    Avoid

    6°C (43°F)

  2. Feb

    Avoid

    6°C (43°F)

  3. Mar

    not flagged

    7°C (45°F)

  4. Apr

    not flagged

    8°C (46°F)

  5. May

    Best

    11°C (52°F)

  6. Jun

    Best

    13°C (55°F)

  7. Jul

    Best

    15°C (59°F)

  8. Aug

    Best

    15°C (59°F)

  9. Sep

    Best

    13°C (55°F)

  10. Oct

    not flagged

    10°C (50°F)

  11. Nov

    Avoid

    8°C (46°F)

  12. Dec

    Avoid

    6°C (43°F)

Best: May–Sep. Avoid: Nov–Feb. Month by month →

Warmest Jul (15°C (59°F)), coolest Jan (2°C (36°F) low), wettest Jan (22 rain days), driest Jun (12). Averages, not a forecast.

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Hillswick: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

6°C (43°F)

2°C (36°F)

22 rd

Feb

6°C (43°F)

2°C (36°F)

18 rd

Mar

7°C (45°F)

2°C (36°F)

19 rd

Apr

8°C (46°F)

3°C (37°F)

16 rd

May

11°C (52°F)

5°C (41°F)

13 rd

Jun

13°C (55°F)

8°C (46°F)

12 rd

Jul

15°C (59°F)

10°C (50°F)

13 rd

Aug

15°C (59°F)

10°C (50°F)

14 rd

Sep

13°C (55°F)

9°C (48°F)

17 rd

Oct

10°C (50°F)

7°C (45°F)

20 rd

Nov

8°C (46°F)

4°C (39°F)

21 rd

Dec

6°C (43°F)

2°C (36°F)

22 rd

High / low, both scales · rd = rain days

Arrive & moveAirports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

You need a car. The A970 runs 35 miles (about 50 min) north from Lerwick via Tingwall, Voe and Brae to Hillswick. Bus 21 runs three times Monday–Saturday from Lerwick, about 70 min. Beyond the village the roads are single-track with passing places; fuel is at the Hillswick shop and at Brae.

Nearest full guides

Straight-line distance, not travel time

See & doDay-trips, door to door

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

Esha Ness and Tangwick Haa Museum

go

Door to door: About 30 min

Drive the single-track road west from Hillswick, about 20 min

Cliffs, a Stevenson lighthouse and the museum at Tangwick; the loop is the best half-day here.

Ronas Hill

go

Door to door: About 1 h

Drive to the track end, then walk up

Shetland's highest point at 450 m; a chambered cairn near the top. Allow 2–3 h on foot and take waterproofs.

Fethaland

go

Door to door: About 1 h

Drive to Isbister at the road end, then rough track

Abandoned fishing station at Mainland's north tip; the walk in is rough and exposed.

Lerwick

caution

Door to door: About 50 min by car, 70 min by bus

A970 south via Brae, or bus 21

Doable as a day out, but you will spend most of it driving; better as your arrival or departure leg.

Yell and Unst

overnight

Door to door: About 2 h to Ulsta

Drive south to Toft, ferry to Ulsta, then north

Too far for a return day from Hillswick; sleep on Unst or in Yell.

Eat & sleepWhich area to sleep in

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

Hillswick village

The St Magnus Bay Hotel and the shop are here; everything else on the peninsula is a drive away.

Brae

About 20 min south at Mavis Grind; more beds and a Co-op if Hillswick is full.

Lerwick

About 50 min south; use it as a base only if you accept the daily drive.

PracticalWhat a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
£45–70 (≈ US$60–95) excl. bed
Mid
£70–110 (≈ US$95–150) excl. bed
High
£110 (≈ US$150)+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Hotel double room1 × 2 nights × £180£360
Food, local transport, entries2 × 2 days × £90£360
Car hire, one day1 × £55 · check£55
Fuel, Lerwick–Hillswick return plus peninsula driving1 × £25 · check£25
eSIM, about a week of data2 × £12£24
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurge£82
Trip total≈ £227 per person per day, bed included£906≈ US$1,300

2026 estimate in pounds; ferry and flight costs excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

Coffee or tea in the hotel bar£3–4.50 (≈ US$4–6)
Pub main course£14–22 (≈ US$19–30)
Sunday carvery at the St Magnus Bay Hotelcheck£18–25 (≈ US$25–35)
Groceries for a self-catering night, per person£8–12 (≈ US$11–16)
Fuel, per litrecheck£1.50–1.70 (≈ US$2–3)
Car hire, per daycheck£45–70 (≈ US$60–95)
eSIM or data SIM, about a week£8–15 (≈ US$11–20)

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

Very low crime; the real risks are weather, single-track roads and unfenced cliffs. Tell someone your route before walking Ronas Hill or Fethaland, and carry a charged phone — signal is patchy.
  • Mobile signal is patchy at best in the village and near-absent elsewhere on the peninsula: download maps and tell someone your plan.
  • Single-track roads with passing places: pull in on the left and let the other car through.
  • No fuel after the village shop closes; fill up at Brae if you are heading to Esha Ness or Fethaland.
  • Cliff edges at Esha Ness and Fethaland are unfenced and the wind is strong: keep back from the edge.
  • Midges are less of a problem here than on the west coast, but ticks in long grass are not.

Emergency numbers

Police, fire, ambulance, coastguard
999
Police non-urgent
101
NHS non-urgent
111

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

HillswickHillswick

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

To this address, pleaseTo this address, please

Emergency

  • Police, fire, ambulance, coastguard999
  • Police non-urgent101
  • NHS non-urgent111

Embassy

No embassies in Shetland; the nearest consulates and embassies are in Edinburgh and London. US citizens: check the US Embassy in London.

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • Bus 21, Lerwick → Hillswick: about 70 min, three times Mon–Sat (check the fare)
  • Car, Lerwick → Hillswick: 35 miles, about 50 min
  • Ferry, Toft → Ulsta (for Yell): about 20 min; check sailings and whether booking is needed

Say or show

  • Hello / Hello — Hello (standard English greeting)
  • Thank you — Thank you (ta is common locally)
  • Where's the shop? — Where is the shop?
  • Is it single-track? — Is the road single-track? (use passing places)
  • Do you take card? — Can I pay by card?
  • Where's the toilet? — Where is the toilet?

Signal is patchy; save this card offline before you drive north.

Deep diveWhat this guide covers so far, and its sources

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Hillswick. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: May–Sep · avoid Nov–Feb (short days, wind, ice on the hill tracks) · month by month →
  2. 2 airports and 3 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 5 day-trips, door to door
  6. 5 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Ferry and flight arrival contracts for Sumburgh and Lerwick: last bus 21, taxi fallback, overnight rung.
  2. Walking clusters with rescue anchors: village and sanctuary, Ronas Hill, Esha Ness loop, Fethaland.
  3. Place pages with verified opening windows (Tangwick Haa, wildlife sanctuary, shop) and eat pages with last orders.
  4. Wind and cliff-edge fixtures so gates A–D can go green.

Meanwhile

Back to United Kingdom

Sources

Ask about Hillswick

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