On the trail of BBC series Shetland to explore the islands that are the real stars of the show
Playing detective, rugged scenery and the real star of the BBC Shetland series
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'We’re all connected on Shetland, one way or another,' said a local to DI Jimmy Perez in the first series of BBC1 series Shetland, which aired last year. I quote that to my Dad as we start our descent over the North Sea towards Sumburgh Airport situated on the southern tip of the main island.
We’re on a trip to investigate our family history in Shetland, and although he’s adamant there’s no knowledge of any immediate relatives left living there, I’m sure there must be countless people we’re connected to in some way or another. How can we not be with its population only being just over 20,000?
Growing up I’ve formed an impression of Shetland from my Dad’s limited descriptions and watching footage taken by his Mum, not long after Dad was born there in 1940.
Police business: The Shetland series has been dubbed Scotland's answer to hit Danish show The Killing
On it, there are images of dramatic tree-less landscapes, some Shetlanders throwing slices of peat into horse-drawn carts, others shearing sheep by hand, and my Uncle Stephen being led on a Shetland Pony by my great grandmother.
Not to mention the hive of activity that was Hay’s Docks where my family’s fishing business Hay and Company were based until the 1940s - but is now home to the impressive Shetland Museum, which was opened in 2007 by Charles and Camilla.
I’ve gained a more up to date impression of life in Shetland watching the detective series Shetland, which has been hailed as Scotland’s answer to The Killing, although fortunately Shetland is a much safer place to live than it implies.
What is more accurate are the subjects her novels address; such as the division that still exists between fisherman and crofters, Shetlander’s age-old traditions, and the change currently taking place on the islands as the era of renewable energy emerges.
Family fun: Rachel and her father returned to Shetland to trace their family roots
Despite the expansion of Lerwick, Shetland’s landscape hasn’t changed too drastically since my family’s heyday. Only 16 of the 100-odd islands that make up its archipelago are inhabited, and the scenes of wild, rugged beauty are still unspoilt and intoxicating, if wind-swept.
Past times: Rachel's father was born on Shetland and is seen here in a picture with his mother
Many fans of Ann Cleeve - the author of the books which formed the basis for the series - flock here to see the locations featured in her books, as well as soak up the rich history that she cleverly incorporates in to her stories.
The first series was an adaptation of Red Bones and based mainly on the island of Whalsay, while the latest series is an adaptation of Raven Black, Blue Lightning and Dead Water and based on the mainland of Shetland.
The final novel Blue Lightening is based in Fair Isle, the most remote of the islands and where lead detective DI Jimmy Perez (played by Douglas Henshall) is from. However we plan to do some detective work of our own.
The Shetland Museum at Hay’s Dock is where we first head to first to learn more about Shetland’s history. It’s the first port of call for a lot of tourists, as well as a regular haunt for Shetlanders, thanks to its restaurant which delivers on both food and views.
The impressive building is Category B listed and houses a comprehensive chronology from the Iron Age to the Vikings to modern day (including mentions of the Hays). It also gives you a good idea how inhabitants cope in the endlessly dark days of winter (whisky seems to help) and why the long summer nights are so good for Northern Lights spotting.
Wild: The BBC series has shown off Shetland's rugged scenery
Nearby Hayfield House became my ancestors' family home more than 200 years ago and it's where my Dad was born, in one of the bedrooms. It’s not on the usual tourist trail, especially as it’s now the offices of the Shetland Islands Council. But it was incredibly poignant standing in the room my Dad was born.
Another old family home, Kveldsro, is somewhere visitors might be more likely to go as it’s now a hotel. We stay there the first night; the last Hay relative who lived there was my Great Great Aunt Lizzy and sitting on my bed looking out over Lerwick harbour with the island of Brassay beyond, I can imagine it was a very peaceful spot for Lizzy to muse too.
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ShareIt’s just a short walk from quirky Lerwick town centre along the waterfront and as we stroll down the cobbled streets that evening, we decide the fog would have provided perfect smuggling conditions. Hundreds of years ago boats would come up to the tiny Bain’s Beach (also featured in the TV series) and deposit smuggled goods from Scandinavia then stored in a system of tunnels and cellars underneath buildings lining the shore – including the Queen’s Hotel where we’re heading for dinner.
On our second night we stay at the Scalloway Hotel, which has the best seafood restaurant on the island. We dined on freshly caught lobster after working up an appetite walking round Scalloway Castle and the Shetland Bus museum. The Hays spent a lot of time here as they built some deepwater quays – and there’s a story of William rowing over to the hump-backed islands of Burra to visit some of his fish curers. But fortunately there’s now a bridge and is worth the trip if only to see the stunning white sand beach and crystal clear sea at Banna Minn Beach.
Ancient architecture: Rachel's dad inspects Clickimin broch, near Lerwick
Our third night is at Busta House Hotel, which is what Raven Black character Duncan Hunter’s house is based on. It’s in Brae, north west of the mainland, and stands right on the water at Busta Voe white and imposing on the surrounding heather-clad hills, the sounds of birds and sheep echoing round the valley. It’s a former laird’s house built by the Giffords in 1588 and still feels like it’s stuck in time. One of William’s sisters married a Gifford and will have lived in the house, and maybe seen the ghost many guests claim to have done.
Dad and I thought we should work our way through some of the 223 whiskies on the extensive menu, as it might help our nerves if we had a chance encounter. It was also obviously the perfect way to round off a hearty meal of succulent marinated herring fillets followed by tasty Shetland Hill lamb stew. As we sat in the grand Long Room rubbing our bellies we admired the pictures of the Giffords, including Margaret our relative, on the walls.
The best way to blow the cobwebs away, quite literally, after a night on the drams happens to be the best way of exploring Shetland’s countryside (unless you have a Shetland pony at your disposal) – by foot. From Busta, we drive up to explore the Eshanuss coast, its lighthouse, and the ominous black cliffs that get the full force of the Atlantic Ocean being the first land it reaches from Canada.
Stepping back in time: The Shetland Museum at Hay's Dock gives a great overviews of the islands' history
The fictitious Biddista in the novel White Nights is based on this bracing scenery. Blowholes add to the commotion so we veer inland and find a Broch, an Iron-Age fort found only in Scotland. There are a few scattered through Shetland and it reminds Dad of Clickimin Broch just outside of Lerwick as there’s film footage of my great aunt and uncle crawling through the small doorways in the ruins. We head there on our way back to capital (via the award-winning Frankie’s in Brae – the most northerly fish and chips in the UK but well worth the trip) for one of our final stops, and a last glimpse of Hayfield House across the water.
Shetland usually attracts walkers, twitchers, knitters and Up Helly Aa revellers and Ann Cleeve's series showcases what Shetland has to offer to a wider audience - her hope after falling in love with the islands while working at the Bird Observatory on Fair Isle in the 1970s. Shetland got under our skin too, and not just because we have the pull of family history. My father may have been the last of the Hays to be born in Shetland, and we may have no immediate relations left, but we both understood why it had such a hold on our ancestors. There aren’t many places you can feel so at one with the elements, or feel so warmly welcomed. Shetland is much more hospitable than the novels imply, and while its landscape can often be bleak, it offers great energy and dynamism. In fact it’s where the real drama lies.
Travel Facts
They flew Flybe from Southampton to Glasgow and Glasgow to Sumburgh (www.flybe.com, 0871 700 2000).
Scalloway Hotel, Scalloway (www.scallowayhotel.co.uk, 01595 880444) double/twin room from £115 per night B&B.
Kveldsro Hotel, Lerwick (www.shetlandhotels.com, 01595 692195) double/twin room from £130 per night B&B.
Busta House Hotel, Brae (www.bustahouse.com) 01806 522506, double/twin room from £115 per night B&B.
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