What is there to do in Lerwick, Shetland Islands with a two year old and 8 year old?

Question

We are spending the day there off a cruise ship.

Thanks!

Answer 1

First, I wish I was there. It is absolutely beautiful from the pictures.

I actually think you will have a more difficult time keeping the two year old entertained than the eight year old.

I would take every single opportunity to use it as an educational experience. It appears that they have plenty of outdoor things to do, from petting ponies to visiting the beach.

If you want my opinion, you cannot really miss with taking the kids to the beach. Let them build sand castles, play in the water, look for rocks and shells and whatever else.

The website listed in my source seems to be for Shetland and has lots of informaton. Maybe you could find something on there.

Good luck and just get them out to experience the beautiful scenery.

Answer 2

Theres a few things you can do. I'm not really sure about the answer above, there arent any ponies very close to the harbour although you would see them if you went on a bus journey out of town. Theres some good shops and resturants on Commercial street, very near to the harbour. Not far from Commercial street there is a big playpark with swings, climbing frames etc. Also very close to the harbour is Fort Charlotte. I've added a link about it.

Also within walking distance from the harbour is the Clickimin Leisure Centre which has a great pool with water flumes, rapids, an outdoor area and often has a large inflatable adventure course or large inflatable slide in part of the main pool but I'm not sure of exactly when these are used. There are also many other sports offered at the leisure centre like football, squash etc

There is the Clickimin broch too, I've added a link for it aswell as the Clickimin leisure centre.

Hope you have a good time there.

Answer 3

Shetland has plenty to offer the visitor.  If your time is limited to Lerwick, then I'd suggest planning your day out to include all or some of the following

The Shetland Museum and Archives - http://shetlopedia.com/Shetland_Museum

The (new) Shetland Museum only opened last year and was built at a total cost of £11,600,000.  It was opened on the 31st May 2007, and was opened by HM Queen Sonja of Norway and the Duke & Duchess of Rothesay (Charles & Camilla) .

This on it's own will keep you busy and the kids entertained for hours.  Worth a mention are the display of old boats used for fishing over the centuries.  Worth a visit just to see the newly built Vaila Mae (http://shetlopedia.com/Vaila_Mae_(Shetla... launched on Saturday 21st June 2008 and built using traditional boat building methods.  

Something a bit different and exciting for the kids would be the Up Helly-Aa exhibition.  Lots of Up Helly-Aa memorabilia, including shields, photos and videos.  You may even get to see next years galley being built.  If you don't know, Up Helly-Aa is an annual fire festival held in Shetland on the last Tuesday of every January.  It involves people dressed up, carrying burning torches through the street.  The climax is the burning of the handbuilt galley in the middle of a field.  The exhibition is open only in the summer time, so check in advance whether or not it will be available.  You can find information at http://shetlopedia.com/Up_Helly-Aa_Summe...

Whilst in Lerwick, you should head out to Clickimin and visit the Clickimin Broch.  This is a large coastal broch, built thousands of years ago to protect the local people.  There are plenty of photos on Shetlopedia and other websites for this.  It is one of the oldest structures in Shetland and should not be missed.  You can go inside and explore through it's passageways.

Once you've finished at Clickimin Broch, you should visit the nearby Clickimin centre, where you'll find an olympic size swimming pool, sports hall and other facilities.  Maybe not worth spending much time there if you're on holiday, but a good place to stop off for a quick rest, some food and a cup of tea.  Near to the Broch, so worth visiting at the same time.

Fort Charlotte is nearer the centre of town.  This fort was built in 1665 by Robert Milne, under the orders of Charles II.

You shouldn't forget about the shops.  There are local shops selling locally produced goods.  Including soap, confectionery, soft toys, knitwear, beers, and plenty more.  Most of these are on the main street (Commercial Street).  It's worth a visit to the Shetland Times Bookshop to pickup books by local Shetland authors.  Also visit the Market Cross, which you'll find on Commercial Street, and visit the music shop that plays Shetland music to passers by.

If you do have time to get out of Lerwick then you should.  Lerwick has lots to offer, but there's so much more outside.  There are beaches to see, stunning cliffs and other scenery.  Places to visit, things to do.

If you want to learn some of the language before going to Shetland, visit http://www.shetlanddictionary.com where you'll find thousands of words to practice.

Most of my information has come from my own experience, but a lot of the facts are thanks to the people of http://shetlopedia.com/ - The online Shetland Encyclopaedia