Lerwick Attractions

The largest island (54mi/86.4km long) is Mainland. Its uneven coastline has so many fjords and inlets that nowhere on the narrow strip of land is further than 3mi/4.8km from the sea. Lerwick (pop. 7,600), the islands' administrative center, lies on the east coast in a bay sheltered by the offshore island of Bressay and is Great Britain's northernmost town. The first settlers in Lerwick were Dutch fishermen who came during the 16th century. Herring fishing, which helped to establish the town's prosperity in the 18th and 19th centuries, remains an important industry alongside supplying the drilling rigs. Places of interest are few; the attraction of the town lies in its narrow alleys that wind up the slope from the main Commercial Road to the upper town.