COMMERCIAL STREET AND THE LANES

Stone flagged Commercial Street, the heart of the town, is the first port of call for most visitors. Winding between tall stone buildings it gives a unique character to one of the finest small town centres in Britain and the hub of much of Shetland's social and business life.

Above Commercial Street, 'The Lanes' have been rescued from earlier dereliction and sheltered, wooded private gardens are bright with fuchsia and flowering currant. As today's street signs acknowledge, the Lanes were originally "Lops" and "Mosses", but were renamed by the Commissioners of Police in 1845 to reflect personalities or themes of that time, hence Pitt, Reform and Fox Lanes.

THE SMALL BOAT HARBOUR AND TOLBOOTH

There's always something of interest in this small dock to the south of Victoria Pier. It is the home of Lerwick's lifeboat, a 1997 Severn Class vessel whose coxswain and crew have been decorated for several extraordinary rescue operations.

The "Swan", restored 'Fifie' herring drifter built in Lerwick in 1900 can often be seen here, though from May to September she's heavily used for sail training and cruises around the islands and further afield.

The "Dim Riv", an imaginative reconstruction of an old Norse galley, does trips around the harbour during the summer.