Traditionally, the Westside begins at the top of the hill dividing Weisdale from Aithsting and Sandsting. Just below the summit, the road leading down to the leafy gardens of Tresta crosses a fault in the Earth's crust. A short walk up the Burn of Tactigill reveals Shetland's largest deposit of china clay. The fault runs south to emerge at the charming, secluded pebble beach of Sandsound, a favourite picnic place. Bixter Firth is one of Shetland's most sheltered sea lochs and a winter favourite with birdwatchers particularly for sea ducks, divers, grebes and waders. Seals often haul out along the shoreline of Bixter and Effirth Voes. The village of Bixter has a tourist information centre at the shop and a children's play park nearby.

Here the road branches north to Aith - a large township in a scenic setting. Aith has a tweed mill, the Westside's secondary school and a fine marina. One of Britain's most modern RNLI lifeboats, a 17-metre, long-range, `Severn' class boat, is stationed at the Aith Pier, next to the shop. The local hall doubles as a cafe and camping barn during the summer months. Visitors are welcome at the tweed mill. Just north of Aith is the hamlet of East Burrafirth, where a path leads up the Burn of Lunklet to the waterfall and on to some exhilarating hill-walking with wonderful views of the Westside's lochs, hills, islands and voes.

Driving north along the west side of Aith Voe you come to Vementry House - the venue for annual summer schools in traditional Shetland music - and a view of the uninhabited island of Vementry. The isle has ruins of ancient homesteads and burial cairns and, on the west side, derelict Royal Navy gun emplacements from the First World War. An interesting walk formerly taken by the local postman - leads from Vementry House to Clousta and Noonsbrough. This was once a quiet backwater but now the sound and vacs are busy with workboats and fish farms - a major source of jobs for local people.