Sunday 4th to Sunday 11th August 2024
Overview
Shetland is a place where exceptional wool and textile heritage meets beautiful scenery and fascinating history.
Join us on the holiday of a lifetime, which gives you the opportunity to fully immerse yourself in all aspects of Shetland life.
Your local qualified guide will show you around the wonderful sights of Shetland. You will have the opportunity to learn from some well-known local knitting tutors.
What Is Included - Fair Isle Week- Transfers within Shetland on arrival and departure*
- All tours with a fully qualified tourist guide and experienced driver
- 7 nights accommodation at a Lerwick guesthouse
- Breakfast every day at the guest house
- 5 lunches at a variety of venues
- 6 dinners in some of Shetland’s finest food establishments
- Workshop and talk with Viveka from Uradale Yarns
- Fair Isle Workshop with Janette Budge
- Steeking Workshop with Terri Laura Leask
- Knitting Talk with Hazel Tindall
- Visit to Wilma Malcolmson’s workshop
- Visit to Donna Smith's studio
- Garths Croft, Bressay tour
- Uradale Farm tour
- Visit to Jamieson and Smith Wool Brokers
- Trip to Crofthouse Museum
- Visit to Hoswick, Sandwick
- Visit to the Eshaness Cliffs and Lighthouse
- Visit to Busta House Hotel
- Visit the studio of Joanna Hunter Coe, Ninian
- Visit the shop of Donna Smith, Langsoond
- Free time to explore Lerwick and visit some local yarn stores
- An evening “Makkin and Yakkin” with the local makkers
- Shetland Wool Heritage Talk at the Shetland Museum and Archives
- Entrance to:
- Shetland Textile Museum
- Burra Bears
- Red Houss Studio
* Guests will be required to make their own way to Shetland to begin the tour.
Itinerary
Day 1
You will be met at Sumburgh Airport or Lerwick Ferry Terminal upon your arrival and taken to Lerwick to check in at the Solheim and Carradale Guest Houses. Located near the centre of town on King Harald Street, these small but cosy guesthouses are owned by Caroline Miller and her sons Calum and Andrew, who have been looking after guests to Shetland for a long time and are very attentive hosts. The guesthouses are joined together so you will be in the one location situated close to Islesburgh Community Centre and just a short walk over the hill to the town centre. There is also a scenic walk nearby, around the Knab, if weather permits.
Please note: there is no elevator in the guest houses and the number of ground floor rooms are limited. There is assistance with luggage.
At 7pm that evening, there will be a welcome dinner and an overview of the days ahead. This will be your first official event and you should aim to be in Shetland in time for this. This will give you the opportunity to get to know your host, guide and fellow participants.
Day 2
We start our day off with a visit to Jamieson and Smith Wool Brokers. Here, Oliver Henry will explain and demonstrate how to sort and grade raw fleeces. There will be free time in the store afterwards for some shopping.
Afterwards, we will drive to Cunningsburgh and join Wilma Malcolmson (2020 and 2021 Patron of Shetland Wool Week) and hear her talk about using colours and enjoy seeing the wonderful displays in her workshop.
We will head to the Hoswick Visitor Centre for lunch. You will also have some free time in Hoswick to visit the two knitwear shops: Nielanell’s and Shetland Woollen Co/Laurence Odie’s as well as Karlin Anderson’s bespoke jewellery workshop.
Continue our way to the south of Shetland, where we get to visit the Crofthouse Museum. Step back into what life would have been like in the 1800's.
We make our way back to Lerwick for dinner, before returning to the guesthouse for the evening.
Day 3
Make our way to Uradale Farm, where we will be greeted by Ronnie, who will introduce us to his native and organically raised sheep. Hear more about the working practice at Uradale Farm and how they produce their wonderful yarn.
We then join Viveka for an interesting talk about Shetland Dialect and terms used in knitting. Viveka will also give us a Fair Isle project to work on while we are there, using the lovely organic Uradale Yarns.
After lunch, head to the former capital of Shetland, Scalloway. Here we will visit the studio of Joanna Hunter Coe Knitwear, who is the owner of Ninian Shetland.
We will have an early dinner back in Lerwick before heading to the Islesburgh Community Centre, where we will be joined by local knitters for a night of makkin and yakkin (knit and natter).
Day 4
We will spend this morning at the Islesburgh Community Centre where we will be joined by Janette Budge. Janette is a local Fair Isle designer and tutor. She has taught classes for Shetland Wool Week, various visiting groups and has also attended other festivals throughout the UK and abroad. She will give you a Fair Isle project (which will require some prep work) and talk about Fair Isle Knitting in general.
We will have lunch in the Islesburgh Cafe before we take the 7-minute ferry from Lerwick across to the island of Bressay, where we will meet up with Chris Dyer at Garths Croft. Chris will introduce us to his Shetland sheep and show us around his croft, before taking us on a tour of Bressay itself.
You will have the evening to yourself. Your guide will be happy to help with dinner arrangements depending on what you would like to do.
Day 5
In the morning, we will visit the five-star Shetland Museum and Archives. Here we will be joined by a member of staff who will give us a talk about the Fair Isle heritage and displays that are available. You will have free time to look around and browse the gift shop.
Have lunch in Hay's Dock by The Dowry before heading downstairs to begin a steeking class with Terri Laura Leask, one of Shetland’s young knitwear designers and tutors. Many people are terrified of the idea of cutting their knitting, but Terri will show you how to steek confidently in a variety of ways.
We will head back to the guesthouse for some free time before heading out for our evening meal.
Day 6
We will head out to Burra this morning. Our first stop will be at Burra Bears. See the beautiful bears that Wendy Inkster creates with recycled knitwear. Close by is the workshop of Mike Finnie, a local artist and jewellery maker. He is known for his lovely Fair Isle embossing on pendants as well as art that takes its inspiration from the local scenery.
Afterwards, we call along Donna Smith to hear all her dyeing processes and have the opportunity to purchase this unique yarn.
Upon our return to Lerwick, we will have some free time in the town centre before visit the Shetland Textile Museum. Volunteers will be happy to tell you about the displays available, which cover many aspects of Shetland’s textile heritage. The building itself is also of interest. It is the birthplace of Arthur Anderson, who was a cofounder of the P&O shipping company.
We will then head out for dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 7
Today, we will travel to the Northwest corner of Shetland. Here will see the spectacular cliffs at Eshaness. We will have time to look around and take photos of this dramatic coastline, which was formed through volcanos and ice ages.
We will have our lunch in the beautiful and historic Busta House Hotel. Hazel Tindall, the world’s fastest knitter and local designer, will join us for lunch.
After lunch, Hazel will talk more about her experiences of growing up in a family where knitwear was such an important part to the family’s existence. We will have free time to knit and chat together afterwards.
You will have some free time in the town centre before we head out for dinner. This will be our last meal together for those who are leaving tomorrow.
Day 8
For those of you leaving us today, you will check out of the guesthouse and be transferred back to Sumburgh Airport or Lerwick Ferry Terminal in time for your departure.
Please note: Itinerary may happen in a different order as advertised, subject to availability.
Price
£3,050 per person
£1,000 non-refundable deposit payable at the time of booking.
Remaining balance payable by 26th May 2024. An invoice will be sent to you 7 days prior to the deadline, which will contain a link to a secure website to make payment by credit card.
Travel Insurance
We strongly advise that you purchase suitable travel insurance before the trip.
Island Vista Assurance
The above holiday is covered by The Package Travel, Package Tours Regulations 1992. Island Vista also have public liability insurance and professional indemnity cover.
Covid Restrictions
There are currently no Covid restrictions in Scotland, however, we will follow any regulations that are in place at the time of the tours.
Multiple Tour Discount
For anyone wishing to join more than one tour, there will be a £100 per person discount per tour. Your discount will be applied to your final invoice.
Additional Nights
If you wish to arrive a few days early or stay a little longer, please contact Island Vista directly and not the guest house. It may not be possible to accommodate you in the same guest house due to other tours that will be running at that time, but we will endeavour to find you an alternative. Please also note that there will be an admin fee of £30 for this service, which will be included in your final invoice.
Other Activities
If you are arriving early or departing later, you may wish to consider additional activities, tours, car hire, etc. Island Vista are happy to help you plan and arrange these, however, please note that there will be an admin fee of £15 per additional item for this service, which will be included in your final invoice.
Sharing
Prices are based on single occupancy of rooms. However, if you and a friend/partner are willing to share one of a limited number of double occupancy rooms, there will be a £100 per person discount.
Cancellation Policy
Once the final payment has been made, should you wish to cancel, there is no refund unless the spot is sold to someone else. This would be the final payment minus a £300 admin fee. The £1,000 deposit is non-refundable.
Should you cancel within 2 weeks of the tour starting, there is no refund available.