Fetlar

enlarge Calm Sea A persistent tradition says that Gruting in Fetlar was the site of the first Norse landing in the west. Wandering through the different parts of the island, visitors can trace the occupation of Fetlar from the Stone Age, through the Picts and the Norse, to the more recent past when townships of people were evicted by the laird to make room for sheep. The Clearances left vast uninhabited areas and ruined croft houses, once the homes of hundreds of people and even today a source of sadness.

These areas, however, now provide a rich and varied landscape of ancient sites, exquisite flowers and habitats for ground-nesting birds. Particular beauty spots are Tresta Beach on the west side of the island, Urie and Gruting in the north, the Sand of Sand near Brough Lodge and Funzie (pronounced Finnie) in the east.

If you would like additional information on Fetlar please visit these websites:

Fetlar - The Garden of Shetland

Fetlar Interpretive Centre