Dates
Sunday 10th to Sunday 17th May 2026
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.
Many of you have asked for a tour which combines elements of Fair Isle week, lace week and contemporary crafts. I am pleased to present Heritage Highlights, new for 2026.
What Is Included - Heritage Highlights Week
- Airport/ferry terminal transfers within Shetland on arrival and departure*
- All ferry fares
- All tours with a fully qualified tourist guide and experienced driver
- 7 nights accommodation at a Lerwick guesthouse
- Breakfast every day at the guesthouse
- 5 lunches at a variety of venues
- 6 dinners in some of Shetland’s finest food establishments
- Fused glass workshop with Glansin Glas
- Trip to Unst
- Visit to Shetland Textile Museum
- Makkin and Yakkin night with local knitters
- Let’s Swatch class with Terri Laura Leask
- Learn how to knit lace with Anne Eunson and Kathleen Anderson
- Make your own shawl pin with Paparwark Furniture
- Tasting session at Lerwick Distillery
- A visit to Bonhoga – art gallery and gift shop
- Make a set of stacking rings at Shetland Jewellery
-
Visit to Uradale Farm
* 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 guest houses 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
Today is going to be a busy day as we head to the very north of Shetland (and the UK) to the island of Unst. The journey will involve a lot of time in the bus and requires two ferries there and two ferries back.
On our way there, we will stopover for cake and coffee in the Old Haa Museum on the island of Yell. Nita makes some of the best cake in Shetland. The museum itself houses a lot of local history and has a textile display.
From here, we continue to Unst, where we will have time to view a 400 year old castle, Muness Castle, before we have lunch at the quaint Victoria’s Vintage Tearoom, where there are also craft items for sale.
After lunch, we will head to the Glansin Glass studio where owner Cheryl Jamieson will talk us through how to make our own decoration using fused glass. The item you will make will be fired and returned to you later in the week.
On our return to Lerwick, we will stop to have dinner at the historic Busta House Hotel before we return to the guest house 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 the Shetland language 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, we head back to the town centre to visit the Shetland Textile Museum. Housed in the historic Bod of Gremista, we will have the opportunity to look at the various exhibits and handling collection.
We will have an early dinner 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
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 before beginning a swatching class with Terri Laura Leask, one of Shetland’s young knitwear designers and tutors. Learn more about how to combine your colours for Fair Isle knitting.
The remainder of the evening will be at your leisure. We will provide information of places where you can have dinner.
Day 5
We will spend the whole day at the Islesburgh Community Centre where we will be joined by Kathleen Anderson and Anne Eunson. Anne and Kathleen are sisters and have both been brought up surrounded by wonderful lace knitting. They will show you examples of lace work that has been passed down through the generations and conduct a workshop covering some of the finer points of lace knitting (pun intended!). There will be a break for lunch.
We will then have our dinner in one of Lerwick’s eateries.
Day 6
Make our way to Bigton and join Cecil Tait from Paparwork Furniture, who will teach you how to whittle your own shawl pin. Cecil has been making furniture since he left school and also makes knitting accessories. He runs a croft and now produces his own yarn.
After the class, we will have some lunch before moving heading back to Lerwick to sample some whiskey at our newest whiskey distillery.
Afterwards, we will have dinner with The Shetland Chef, who talks about local produce while cooking for us at his home.
Day 7
This morning, we will head west to the Shetland Jewellery workshop. We will learn how to make rings that can be neatly stacked and worn together, drawing inspiration from the Shetland landscape, nature, history or just something of your own design.
We will have lunch before making our way back to Lerwick, where you will have time in the town centre to do some exploring and make some last-minute purchases.
We will head back to the guesthouse for some free time before heading out for our evening meal. 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 guest house 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
£4,350 per person
£1,000 non-refundable deposit payable at the time of booking.
Remaining balance payable by 15th February 2026. 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 guesthouse. 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 £30 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.
Minimum Numbers
This tour requires a minimum of 7 guests. If this is not met by early December, we may look to cancel it. Please don't book your travel until we have confirmed the tour will definitely run.