A lifetime of Islands: Island 198

Whalsay is located to the east of Shetland Mainland. It is 5 miles long by 2 miles wide and is home to around 1,000 people. It has a good sheltered harbour at Symbister, which is one of the reasons why it has such a large population. The name Whalsay means Whale Island in Old Norse, which is thought to be because the profile of the island from the sea looks like that of a humpback whale. The highest point on the island - the Ward of Clett - at 120 metres forms the humpback.

Whalsay can be reached from Shetland Mainland by a frequent roll-on, roll-off ferry from Laxo (or from Vidlin is the wind is blowing in the wrong direction). The journey time is about 30 minutes. Symbister is the main settlement and is also where the ferry docks.

The day we visited in 2011 was cold, dull and damp, so we didn't see it at its best. We were told that the island is generally quite prosperous thanks to the local fishing industry and certainly the houses and community facilities all looked to be in good repair. Thankfully we had the car to sit in, as there aren't many indoor activities on the island. There is a small restaurant and pub, the Oot Ower Lounge at Livister. We had a cup of tea there but it wasn't the nicest I have ever had. However there are good views from the window.

I returned for a second visit in June 2017. I was supposed to have flown to Foula for the day with a friend who now lives on Shetland. However the flight was cancelled due to bad weather, so we decided to visit Whalsay instead, as my friend had not been there before. We walked to the top of the Ward of Clett in search of a geocache and explored the remains of the Second World War camp up there. Then we walked a mile across moor, bogs and over a wire fence to reach the Hol o'Eastermoor, which is in the middle of the island. It was apparently where the young men of Whalsay used to hide from the Royal Navy press gangs in centuries past.

Whalsay has been occupied for at least 4,000 years. Archaeological sites on the island include hilltop burial cairns and prehistoric field boundaries. The Neolithic houses of Yoxie and Beenie Hoose at Pettigarth's Field were excavated in the 1950s.


Symbister Pier House This was a Hanseatic Bod and is now a museum. The key can be obtained from the shop opposite but the shop wasn't open when we visited on a Sunday in 2011. Merchants from Northern Germany brought seeds, cloth, iron tools, salt, spirits and luxury goods to exchange for fish. This trade continued until 1707. My second visit was on a Tuesday so the shop was open and for £1 each the man in the shop kindly came and unlocked the Pier House for us and left us to explore the ground and first floors.

Community Centre at Symbister

The Clubhouse of Britain's most northerly golf course

Symbister Harbour

Heritage Centre

This is located in one of the outbuildings at Symbister House. It is staffed by friendly and enthusiastic volunteers and is well worth a visit. There are two main rooms - one has a display about the social history of the island and the other is about the local fishing industry. The staff were very happy to answer all my many questions and showed us a slide show of photographs illustrating life on Whalsay in the past. It was made more interesting because the staff were related to many of the people in the photos.

Symbister House

Also known as the New Haa and is the finest Georgian mansion in Shetland. The Bruce family owned most of Whalsay for 300 years and oppressed the islanders but they virtually bankrupted themselves building this house c1823. It has been a school since the 1960s but according to a man we spoke to in the adjacent Heritage Centre most of the original internal features have been removed. The house is surrounded by courtyards, stables, byres, a farmhouse, mill and dovecote. Some of the outbuildings now house the island's Heritage Centre.