Westside

Reached from Lerwick through the attractive coastal landscape of Whiteness and the district of Weisdale, scene of particularly harsh Clearances, the Westside's rolling brown and purple moorland is scattered with dozens of small picturesque lochs gleaming blue or silver and patches of bright green, where cultivation and reseeding have taken place. The coast, cut by several deep voes, is very varied; aside from dramatic cliffs, there are intimate coves and some fine beaches. The crossroads for the area is effectively Bixter, southwest of which lies the finest Neolithic structure in the Westside, dubbed the Staneydale Temple by the archeologist who excavated it because it resembled one on Malta. Whatever its true function, it was twice as large as the surrounding oval-shaped houses (now in ruins) and was certainly of great importance, perhaps as some kind of community centre. The foundations measure more than 40ft by 20ft internally with immensely thick walls, still around 4ft high, whose roof would have been supported by spruce posts (two postholes can still be clearly seen).

At the end of a long winding road across an uninhabited, boulder-strewn landscape, you eventually reach the fertile scattered crofting settlement of SANDNESS (pronounced "saaness"). It's an oasis of green meadows in the peat moorland, with a nice beach. The modern Jamieson's Spinning Mill (Mon-Fri 8am-5pm; free) is the only one on Shetland producing pure Shetland wool; the factory welcomes visitors, and you can watch how workers take the fleece and then wash, card and spin the exceptionally fine wool into yarn.

The best accommodation and eating options on the Westside are in and around Walls, halfway between Bixter and Sandness. The best B&B is the wonderfully welcoming Skeoverick (tel 01595/809349; under £40), a lovely modern croft house which lies a mile or so north of Walls. The only hotel is Burrastow House (tel 01595/809307, burr.hs.hotel@zetnet.co.uk; £110-150), beautifully situated about three miles southwest of Walls; and also one of the best places to eat in Shetland.

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