Carefully Selected Scottish Holiday Homes in Beautiful Locations
Scalloway
Approaching SCALLOWAY, six miles west of Lerwick, from the shoulder of the steep hill to the east known as the Scord, there's a dramatic view over the town and the islands to the south and west. Once the capital of Shetland, Scalloway's importance waned through the eighteenth century as Lerwick grew in trading success and status. Nowadays, Scalloway is fairly sleepy, though its prosperity, always closely linked to the fluctuations of the fishing industry, has been given a boost with investment in new fish-processing factories.
In spite of modern developments nearby, Scalloway is dominated by the imposing shell of Scalloway Castle, a classic fortified tower house built with forced labour in 1600 by the infamous Earl Patrick Stewart, who held court in the castle and gained a reputation for enhancing his own power and wealth through the calculated use of harsh justice. He was eventually arrested and imprisoned in 1609 for his aggressive behaviour towards his fellow landowners; his son, Robert, attempted an insurrection and both were executed in Edinburgh in 1615. On Main Street, the small Scalloway Museum (May-Sept Mon 9am-2pm, Tues-Sat 9am-2pm & 4.30-7pm; free), run by volunteers, attempts to tell the story of the Shetland Bus, the link between Shetland and Norway which helped to sustain the Norwegian resistance in World War II.
Scalloway's best accommodation is at the very comfortable and welcoming Hildasay Guest House (tel 01595/880822; £40-50), a Hansel-and-Gretel weatherboarded house on the top of the hill above Scalloway, behind the swimming pool. For food, head for Da Haaf (closed Sat & Sun), the unpretentious licensed restaurant in the North Atlantic Fisheries College, which serves fresh fish, simply prepared.
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