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Voykit pocket guide · United Kingdom
Unst
Go for 2 nights with your own car: the ferries and the 3-hour Hermaness loop need a full day, and no bus reaches the cliffs.
Unst is Britain's most northerly inhabited island, reached only by two ferries (Mainland Shetland to Yell, then Yell to Unst) and best done with your own car. Two nights covers Hermaness, the north coast sights and the heritage sites without rushing; one night only works if you arrive early and leave late.
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Best months
- May–early Jun, Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Feb (short days, wind and rain); mid-May–Jul for cliff nesting if you want the birds at peak
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- GBP
- Money
- Currency is the pound sterling (GBP, £). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere; some places are card-only.
- Daily spend
- Budget £45–75 excl. bed · Mid £80–130 excl. bed · High £150+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- EE, Vodafone (merged with Three in 2025) and O2 run the networks; prepaid SIMs sell in supermarkets, phone shops and airport vending machines, no registration needed.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance, coastguard 999 · Police non-urgent 101 · NHS non-urgent 111
- Plugs
- Types G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Three-pin Type G only; European, US and Australian plugs need an adapter. Bathrooms have two-pin shaver sockets only.
- Tipping
- Restaurant with table service: 10–12.5% if no service charge is on the bill; check before adding more.; Pub or bar: Not expected; 'and one for yourself' offers the bartender a drink.; Taxi: Round up or 10%.; Hotel porter: £1–2 per bag.; Tour guide: £5–10 per person for a day tour; free walking tours expect £10–15.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere. Free refills are common; restaurants will bring tap water if you ask.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are scarce and some charge 50p–£1 or are card-only. Stations, museums, department stores and pubs (if you buy a drink) are the fallback.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or tea in a café | £3–4.50 |
| Soup and sandwich lunch | £8–14 |
| Two-course evening meal | £25–30 |
| Heritage centre or boat haven entry | £4 adult, £3 concession |
| Distillery tour | £20 |
| Petrol, per litre | £1.45–1.60 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- LSI · Sumburgh Airport (Mainland Shetland)
- No air service to Unst; fly into Sumburgh, then drive north to Toft for the Yell ferry, about 1 h 15 min
- LWK · Lerwick/Tingwall Airport
- Mainland Shetland; connects to Fair Isle and other isles, not to Unst — reach Unst by road and two ferries
Typical fares
- Belmont → Gutcher ferry
- about 10 min; foot passengers and cars pay separately (check)
- Bus 28, Belmont → Saxa Vord
- four runs Mon–Sat; some are Dial-a-Ride, book by 4pm the day before
- Bike hire at Saxa Vord
- ask at reception
Get around
Drive. The A968 is two-lane and well kept; side roads are single track with passing places, and the last lane from Burrafirth to the Hermaness car park is narrow and steep. Bus 28 runs four times Monday–Saturday up the main road from Belmont via Uyeasound, Baltasound and Haroldswick to Saxa Vord; some runs are Dial-a-Ride and must be booked by 4pm the day before. No bus reaches Burrafirth or Hermaness — Haroldswick is about 3 miles away. Bikes can be hired at Saxa Vord; fine in calm weather, miserable in wind and rain.
See and do
Known for
- Hermaness nature reserve and its seabird cliffs
- Muckle Flugga and Out Stack, the UK's northern tip
- Bobby's Bus Shelter at Baltasound
- Viking longhouse and Unst Boat Haven at Haroldswick
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Yell | Bluemull Sound ferry from Belmont to Gutcher, about 10 min, then drive the A968 north | About 1 h to Gutcher |
| Fetlar | Bluemull ferry on the triangle pattern via Hamar's Ness, about 20 min from Gutcher | About 1.5 h from Baltasound |
| Lerwick | Drive to Toft, ferry to Ulsta, cross Yell, ferry to Belmont, then the A968 and A970 south | About 3–3.5 h |
| Fair Isle | No direct link: back to Mainland Shetland, then the ferry or flight from Grutness or Tingwall | A full day or more |
Sleep
- Baltasound
- Island hub: shops, hotel, leisure centre and the bus shelter; 20–25 min drive to the Hermaness car park.
- Haroldswick
- Heritage centre, boat haven, distillery and tea room; closest base to the north end.
- Uyeasound and Belmont
- South end by the ferry pier; best for an early sailing or a late arrival.
- Saxa Vord
- Former RAF site with rooms, restaurant and bike hire; 10 min from Haroldswick.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Hello |
| Thank you | Thank you |
| Where is the ferry pier? | Where is the ferry pier? |
| Is the path to Hermaness open? | Is the path to Hermaness open? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| Is there a bus today? | Is there a bus today? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake at first meeting; 'hi' and first names quickly; avoid: Cheek kisses with strangers
- Conversation: Weather is a safe opener; understatement and self-deprecating humour; avoid: Asking about salary or class
- Queues: Join at the back; avoid: Pushing onto buses or trains before others get off
- Apologies: 'Sorry' is said constantly, even when not at fault; avoid: Taking it as an admission of blame
- Pubs: Buy rounds in a group; wait at the bar without waving money; avoid: Clicking fingers at staff
- Nations: Call Scots Scottish and Welsh Welsh; avoid: Calling the whole UK 'England'
Scams and watch-outs
- No public bus reaches the Hermaness car park: plan the last 3 miles on foot, by bike or by car.
- Great skuas (bonxies) dive at anyone near their nests — stay on the path and keep away from the colonies.
- The Hermaness loop over the hill is rough and often very boggy; in wet weather retrace your steps instead.
- Mobile signal is unreliable across the island — download maps and ferry times before you sail.
- Sheep and ponies wander onto the roads, including the single-track lanes.
- Fuel and food options are limited; fill up and shop at Baltasound.
Unst is quiet and low-crime; the real risks are weather and cliffs. Keep back from the edge at Hermaness, especially in wind, and give nesting skuas a wide berth.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Unst yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Hermaness nature reserve and its seabird cliffs
- Muckle Flugga and Out Stack, the UK's northern tip
- Bobby's Bus Shelter at Baltasound
- Viking longhouse and Unst Boat Haven at Haroldswick
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Shetland Islands Council ferries: www.shetland.gov.uk/ferries
- ZetTrans public transport: www.zettrans.org.uk/travel/public-transport/bus
- Historic Environment Scotland — Muness Castle: www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/muness-castle/
- NatureScot — Hermaness nature reserve: www.nature.scot/enjoying-outdoors/snh-nature-reserves/keen-hamar-nature-reserve
- Wikivoyage: Unst, revision 5170300 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5170300
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Unst
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies on Unst; consulates and embassies are in Edinburgh and London.
English is spoken throughout; Shetland dialect words appear on signs and in place names.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/unst). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.