Lerwick Walking Tour & Fort Charlotte

Your walk will start at Victoria Pier in the heart of Lerwick, opposite the Market Cross. A leisurely stroll takes in the award winning, recently restored Tolbooth. This is now the headquarters of Lerwick's lifeboat station. You’ll see the unique 'lodberries', once used by the town merchants for the landing and storage of goods. Climbing uphill you’ll observe a traditional method of recycling in the Shetland’s, where an upturned former ferry is now the roof of a garage. You’ll pass various churches on the way to the steep, narrow, intricate web of lanes to the Town Hall, built in 1882.

On the first floor, you’ll find the Shetland's history depicted in pictorial narrative through stained glass windows. You’ll proceed to Fort Charlotte, named after Queen Charlotte, wife of George III. The fort never saw action, but it housed a garrison throughout the Napoleonic Wars; it was later a base for the Royal Naval Reserve. It also served as the town jail and courthouse from 1837-75, and later a customs house and a coastguard station. At the end of your walking tour you may wish to stay in town to explore Lerwick's variety of small independent shops, browsing for local crafts and knitwear.