Bressay & Noss
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View of Noss from Bressay Noss Bressay & Noss Noss, a small island off the east coast of Bressay, is a National Nature Reserve with over 100,000 pairs of breeding seabirds. The island is also part of a sheep farm and demonstrates a good example of Bressay & Noss Shield of Lerwick Harbour conservation and agricultural practices working together. Noss is managed by Scottish Natural Heritage and staffed by seasonal wardens who provide a weather-permitting summer boat service. The island is open from 10am to 5pm (except Mondays Some Useful Information and Thursdays) from late May to the end of August. A red flag is flown on the island if it is closed. Visitors Accommodation: VisitShetland, Lerwick, should wait at the sign on the shore at Noss Sound for Tel: 08701 999440 the boat to collect them. May - Aug, Tel: 0800 1077818 At Gungstie there is a small visitor centre and a Noss Ferry: restored Shetland Pony pund. Between 1871 and 1900 Heritage Centre and Noss was leased by the Marquis of Londonderry for Neighbourhood breeding Shetland ponies to work underground in his Information Point: Leiraness, Tel: 01595 820750 coal mines at Durham. A walk around the perimeter of the island will take at Shop: Mail, Tel: 01595 820200 least three hours. The sandstone cliffs on the east side Petrol: Mail of the island have weathered into innumerable parallel Public Toilets: Ferry Terminal, Mail, ledges and crevices providing ideal nest sites for over and Gungstie (Noss) 8000 pairs of Gannets, 45 000 pairs of Guillemots and Places to Eat: Maryfield Hotel, smaller numbers of Kittiwake, Shag, Puffin and Tel: 01595 820207 Razorbill. The moorland interior supports about 400 pairs of Bonxies (Great Skuas) and a few pairs of Post Office: Mail Arctic Skua. Public Telephones: Ferry Terminal, Mail and Ham Church: Mail Left: Gannets on Noss cliffs. Right: Sandy beach near Gungstie. Contents copyright protected - please contact Shetland Amenity Trust for details. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the contents are accurate, the funding partners do not accept responsibility for any errors in this leaflet. Welcome to Bressay Within ten minutes you can exchange the bustle of Lerwick town for the tranquil Left: Bird’s -foot Trefoil. Right: Roseroot – look for this on salt-enriched cliffs. rural atmosphere of A Common Seal pup Bressay. The island is home to around 350 people, many of Geology and Landscape Wild Flowers whom commute to the Mainland daily on The Old Red Sandstone rocks that make up most of During summer there is a succession of wild flowers. the frequent car and passenger ferry service. Bressay and Noss have eroded into a series of rounded Roadside verges and pastures blaze with a colourful Lying to the east of Lerwick the island of hills, the highest of which is the Wart of Bressay at tapestry of Buttercups, Bird’s-foot Trefoil, Red Bressay, 11x8 km (7x3 miles), creates a 226m (742 ft). Along parts of the eastern coastline and Campion, Clovers and Orchids. Ditches and wet areas superb sheltered harbour for shipping – particularly at the Ord and the Bard there are high glow with golden Marsh Marigold and the brilliant the reason for Lerwick’s establishment seacliffs. Elsewhere the rocky coast is fringed with yellows of Mimulus and Yellow Flag. On the moorland as a major trading port. From Viking times fertile soils and agricultural land, but much of the look for the tiny white flowers of Heath Bedstraw, interior is heather moorland. The sandstone flags the sapphire gems of Heath Milkwort, the yellow stars Bressay Sound has provided a safe anchorage provide ideal building material to which the many of Tormentil and the delicate pinks of the Heath- and in the mid 17th century up to 1,500 skilfully built drystone dykes and croft buildings Spotted Orchid. Dutch herring fishing vessels gathered here. stand testimony. Birdlife Coastal Mammals Bressay provides a mosaic of habitats which support a Getting Around A combination of cliffs, rocky variety of wild flowers and breeding birds. The Motorists will enjoy exploring the island’s network of headlands and sheltered voes summer moorland is the haunt of species such single-track roads, but please do not drive on creates a varied coastal habitat for as Great and Arctic Skua, Curlew, Golden unmetalled tracks. Bressay is also an ideal island for both Grey and Common Seals. In Plover, Common Gull, Skylark and walkers and many interesting sites are only accessible summer large shoals of fish attract Meadow Pipit. Elegant Red-throated on foot. Please keep to paths or the edges of fields porpoises, dolphins and whales Divers breed on some of the hill lochs, when crossing crofting areas and close any gates inshore. Noss Sound is one of the whilst fields and pastures echo to the calls of which you have opened. Also, to prevent disturbance best areas to look for them. The voes waders like Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Redshank of livestock and wildlife, dogs should be kept on leads on the east side are best for Otters. and Snipe. Tiny Shetland Wrens, Rock Pipits and at all times. Rugged cliffs Ringed Plovers breed along the coastline with of Old Red Arctic Terns, Eiders and Black Guillemots Sandstone Common A panoramic view of Aith Voe Guillemot patrolling offshore. Shalder (Oystercatcher), a colourful summer visitor Arriving The ferry arrives on Bressay near the 19th century house and old pier at Maryfield. Kebister Next to the car park is the Bressay Heritage Ness Centre, which includes a Neighbourhood Information Point and houses fascinating seasonal exhibitions on the culture, history WW1 Gun and natural heritage of the island. The Aith Ness Old Slate White Quarries Centre is open part-time from May to Ayre Aith Vo September (details from VisitShetland). Beosetter Loch of Churchyard e Aithness Gunnista Remains of Herring Station Lochs of Heogan Beosetter North Bressay Globa Taking the lower north road to WW2 Encampment Loch of Aith Heogan, you will travel past Old Haa Cruester Standing Stone Bruntland Voe of of Cruester Cullingsbrough the impressive building of Bress Gardie Swarthoull a Gardie House with its walled y Sound House Cruetoun Cullingsbrough garden. Built in 1724, this is Maryfield Setter Bressay one of the principal laird’s Heritage Anderhill Centre oe V Uphouse Loch of houses in Shetland and home Leiraness a Setter Lerwick WW1 Lookout to the present Lord Leir Pony Pund Gungstie Mail Mail Bressay Lieutenant. On your right is Ullins oss Sound Pier Loch of N Brough Water the Standing Stone of Cruester The s Glebe oe of which dates back to prehistoric times. Along the V the Mel Noss coastline from Cruester to Heogan are the traces of Burnt Pettifirth Muckle Mound Loch of Hell several herring fishing stations. In the early 20th Grimsetter Noup of Gorie Noss century, Lerwick was the premier herring port in Burnt Mound Europe and these stations Wadbister Souterrain Ness of Sound would have been hives of Loch of Cradle Holm Seligeo activity during the herring Wart of Grutwick Bressay 226m Ness of season with workers gutting, Trebister Kirkabister Memorial processing and packing the Cairn Main roads Trout fishing fish into wooden barrels of Minor roads Birds brine for export. Bressay Lighthouse Track Seals Natural Arch Ferry routes Whales & dolphins Gardie House - impressive Leading to the crofting Sand Vatn 18th century mansion townships of Gunnista and Nature reserve Otters Beach Ponies Beosetter the upper north road passes through Ord Cruetoun. Just north of here a rough track leads to the Cliffs Viewpoint Historic building Site of interest uninhabited croft of Globa on the sheltered shores of WW1 Gun Museum Telephone Aith Voe. Along the valley are numerous planticrubs - Giant’s Leg Toilet Air circular, drystone structures used to propagate kale Bard Head Broch Leisure Centre plants prior to planting out in the voar (Spring). Used as Information Point Böd winter feed for stock, kale plants from Bressay were Scale 0 1 2 3 4 reputed to be the best and always in demand. Gunnista miles was the site of the church of St Olaf, the main church on the island until 1722. The present churchyard contains the remains of an 18th century mausoleum built by the Henderson family. North East Bressay South Bressay East Bressay From the Uphouse junction a road The area south of the Mail leads down to Setter with a rough crossroads contains many of the From the crossroads at Mail, a steeply-inclined road rutted track continuing to the Voe of crofts and provides fine views of crosses the island, splitting into three at the Uphouse Cullingsbrough. A pleasant walk along Lerwick. The main population junction. The main road continues to Noss Sound, the shore leads past the old settlement centre is around the Glebe. passing the Loch of Brough which provides the water site to a walled churchyard. Within the Behind the houses a rough track supply for the island. enclosure are the ruins of the 10th ascends the Wart of Bressay with A rough track along the west side of the loch leads to century pre-Reformation chapel of St its prominent TV signal the Loch of Grimsetter with Norse settlements which Mary’s. There is also an interpretive transmitter masts. From the became crofting townships. During the mid to late 19th board and replica of the Bressay Stone summit on a clear day there are century, the population of Bressay was between 800 - an engraved Pictish stone which was spectacular views of Bressay, and 900 with many thriving settlements on the east discovered nearby in 1864. At the Lerwick and the distant islands. side of the island.