Trace DI Perez: Full-Day Shetland TV Locations Tour from Lerwick

Shetland TV Locations Private Full Day Tour is a day-long, on-screen-to-on-the-ground pilgrimage across Shetland’s Mainland, leaving from Lerwick and threading together the beaches, ferries, villages and sea cliffs that became the backdrop for the crime drama Shetland. In eight hours you’ll travel from the Lodberrie’s waterfront in Lerwick to the white sand of St Ninian’s Isle, along dramatic Eshaness cliffs and down to the seabird stacks at Sumburgh Head.

The trip moves at a storyteller’s pace: short stops at recognisable exteriors like the Lodberrie (a private residence beside Bain’s Beach), the Market Cross and the police station facades give way to wider coastal panoramas. St Ninian’s Isle is a highlight — a classic tombolo that links a sandbar beach to the mainland and reads like a white ribbon against blue North Sea water. Meal Beach on Burra and the boardwalk approach reveal sheltered sand and quiet crofting landscapes.

For geology and landscape lovers this route is revealing. Eshaness and the Ness of Hillswick expose ancient, rugged volcanic-derived cliffs and stacked sea caves that form a raw northern coastline; the sand on St Ninian’s and Sandwater’s dune systems reflect local glacial and marine processes. Sumburgh Head is both a lighthouse promontory and a seabird colony where puffins and guillemots concentrate on summer cliffs.

Wildlife viewing is frequent: seals hauled out on Rerwick and sandy coves, puffins at Sumburgh in season, and an array of gulls and terns along the headlands. Keep binoculars ready and quiet; the tour emphasizes observation without disturbance. Cultural stops include Scalloway, once Shetland’s capital, and small island communities like Burra and Bressay whose ferry links and croft houses show how maritime life shaped local culture.

Practical realities are straightforward. The tour is not wheelchair accessible and includes several roadside photo stops and short walks; much of the day is driven, so bring layers, waterproofs and sturdy shoes. Private homes such as the Lodberrie and Sandwater House are photographed from outside only — guides will ask for respectful distance. In summer a visitor centre and café operate at Sumburgh Head, but lunches are typically independent.

This is more than a TV tie-in; it’s a route that blends broadcast familiarity with authentic Shetland weather, seabird colonies, tombolos and fishing villages. For visitors staying in Lerwick, the tour is an efficient way to see the far-flung coastal set pieces in a single day while learning local place-names, natural history and filming anecdotes from a driver-guide who knows the roads and the privacy lines. Bookings are per vehicle and the tour can include an optional local guide for a group supplement; check availability and seasonal puffin windows. Bring cash for small cafes and expect variable coastal weather throughout the year and clothing.