Sail to Mousa Island and climb inside the 2,000-year-old Mousa Broch — the tallest and most complete Iron Age roundtower on Earth — then watch storm petrels stream home to nest in its ancient walls at dusk.
What to expect
A 15-minute boat crossing from Sandwick lands you on the uninhabited island of Mousa, where the broch rises dramatically against a treeless skyline. You can climb the internal staircase within the double-skinned drystone walls to the parapet and gaze across Mousa Sound. Daytime visits reveal the broch's astonishing construction and the island's seal beaches. On the special evening trip (mid-May to late July), storm petrels — tiny oceanic birds — return to nest within the broch's own walls in their thousands, a spectacle described by David Attenborough as one of British wildlife's greatest hidden treasures.
Good to know
Mousa is approx. 25 km south of Lerwick — arrange private transport or a taxi from Lerwick (45 min) to Sandwick for the ferry. Evening trips require advance booking and operate only in the long Shetland twilight window. Confirm all-aboard timing carefully; this is best suited to itineraries with late all-aboard or an overnight call.