Seabird cityWelcome to Hermaness National Nature Reserve, managed by Scottish Natural Heritage.

In summer, the cliffs of Hermaness are the New York ofthe seabird world: a noisy, bustling and often smellymetropolis that is home to more than 100,000 breedingbirds. Approaching these magnificent cliffs across the dark moorland, you get no indication of what is to come – no sound of crashing waves, no view of the sea – and you will be literally stopped in your tracks as you reach the precipice.

The exposed, jagged cliffs, which tower up to 170 metres above the foaming sea, are teeming with life: gannets, puffins, fulmars, guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes and shags are among the 15 different species. The gannets alone number about 30,000 pairs, making this one of the top six breeding sitesin the UK for this massive, elegant bird.

Smashing but smellyThere are several gannetries along the Reserve’s western coast, one of the best being The Neap. You will probably smell and hear the birds long before you see them: the fishy stench of the guano, and a gurgling, gargling cacophony. Then, as you round a small headland, you see them: thousands of gannets squabbling over territory on thewhite-stained cliffs.

Watch as the birds dive: one of the most remarkable spectacles on a Reserve that is brimming with impressive sights. Their amazing vertical descents reach speeds ofmore than 60mph, evolution having equipped them withskulls that can absorb the shock of smashing into the waterat such a velocity.

Clifftop clownsPuffins, or ‘Tammie Norries’ as they are known in Shetland, grace the cliff-tops from mid-April to early August. Several thousand pairs nest here, making it one of the biggest colonies in Britain.

Landing clumsily with their colourful, almost parrot-like beaks full of sand eels, and popping in and out of their burrows in the soft turf, they seem almost comical. Having spent the winter at sea, travelling as far west as Newfoundland, puffin couples usually return to the same burrow each spring.

They can dig these out using their powerful legs and beaks, although they often use old rabbit burrows.

Land of the giantsHermaness, or ‘Herma’s headland’, is named aftera mythical giant who fought with a neighbouring giant,Saxa, over a beautiful mermaid. They hurled enormous boulders at each other over the Burra Firth, one of which landed in the sea and became Out Stack, Britain’s most northerly lump of rock.

The main rock type at Hermaness is gneiss, created under immense heat and pressure more than 450 million years ago. This process also produced some of the best crystals of the minerals kyanite and staurolite in Britain, although they are hard to spot. These ancient rocks, with pink veins of granite running through them, have been sculpted into incredible shapes by the power of the Atlantic, creating stacks, caves, natural arches and steep-sided clefts known as geos.

Just off the coast is Muckle Flugga, a tiny island with a lighthouse on it. This used to be Britain’s most northerly inhabited island, but the lighthouse is now automated,so the accolade has been lost.

Puffin

Gannets

Muckle Flugga

Hermaness National Nature Reserve

Pirates of the airwaysCrossing to the cliffs from the car park in summer, you might encounter great skuas, known locally as ‘bonxies’. Protective of their nests, they dive-bomb passing walkers. Hold your arm or a stick above your head to ward them off, although they rarely make contact.

They are more of a threat to their avian neighbours, and will kill and eat seabirds even as big as gannets. More often they grab a bird’s wingtip to stall them and make them disgorge their catch – a free meal for the predator.

With almost a thousand breeding pairs, Hermaness hosts the world’s third largest colony of great skuas, but the population hasn’t always been this healthy. In 1831, there were just three pairs, but landowner and naturalist Dr Lawrence Edmondston set up a protective programme, starting a long history of conservation that continues today.

Phot

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by Lo

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SNH

, Gly

n Sa

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y/SN

H, J

onat

han

Swal

e. M

ain

map

by

Ashw

orth

Map

s an

d In

terp

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Ltd. I

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Nat

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9.

BelmontGutcher

Mid Yell

ToftBurravoe

Ulsta

HaroldswickBaltasound

North Roe

Hillswick

UNST

FETLAR

YELL

MAINLAND

Yell Sound

ColgraveSound

A968

A968

HermanessNNR

0

0

10miles

10 20km Burrafirth

Getting thereHermaness NNR is 3 miles/4.8km north-west of Haroldswick on Unst. It takes two ferry journeys to reach Unst from Shetland Mainland. The first is from Toft to Ulsta on Yell. This is followed by a 17 mile/27.4km drive north to Gutcher for the ferry to Belmont on Unst.

There is a bus service from Lerwick to Haroldswick, but it is not possible to enjoy the Reserve and get back in a day.

Need to knowVisitors are advised not to wear waterproof over-trousers near the cliff edge and on steep sea-facing slopes because a slip could result in you sliding over the edge.

Please avoid sensitive nesting areas (shown on Reserve map) from May to September.

Support this NNR at www.nature.scot/donate-nnr

For more information please contact:Scottish Natural Heritage, Stewart Building, Alexandra Wharf, Lerwick, Shetland ZE1 0LL Tel: 01463 667600

www.nnr.scot

Great skua

Scotland’s National Nature Reserves

VISIT

www.nnr.scotwww.nature.scot

Seabird cityWelcome to Hermaness National Nature Reserve, managed by Scottish Natural Heritage.

In summer, the cliffs of Hermaness are the New York ofthe seabird world: a noisy, bustling and often smellymetropolis that is home to more than 100,000 breedingbirds. Approaching these magnificent cliffs across the dark moorland, you get no indication of what is to come – no sound of crashing waves, no view of the sea – and you will be literally stopped in your tracks as you reach the precipice.

The exposed, jagged cliffs, which tower up to 170 metres above the foaming sea, are teeming with life: gannets, puffins, fulmars, guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes and shags are among the 15 different species. The gannets alone number about 30,000 pairs, making this one of the top six breeding sitesin the UK for this massive, elegant bird.

Smashing but smellyThere are several gannetries along the Reserve’s western coast, one of the best being The Neap. You will probably smell and hear the birds long before you see them: the fishy stench of the guano, and a gurgling, gargling cacophony. Then, as you round a small headland, you see them: thousands of gannets squabbling over territory on thewhite-stained cliffs.

Watch as the birds dive: one of the most remarkable spectacles on a Reserve that is brimming with impressive sights. Their amazing vertical descents reach speeds ofmore than 60mph, evolution having equipped them withskulls that can absorb the shock of smashing into the waterat such a velocity.

Clifftop clownsPuffins, or ‘Tammie Norries’ as they are known in Shetland, grace the cliff-tops from mid-April to early August. Several thousand pairs nest here, making it one of the biggest colonies in Britain.

Landing clumsily with their colourful, almost parrot-like beaks full of sand eels, and popping in and out of their burrows in the soft turf, they seem almost comical. Having spent the winter at sea, travelling as far west as Newfoundland, puffin couples usually return to the same burrow each spring.

They can dig these out using their powerful legs and beaks, although they often use old rabbit burrows.

Land of the giantsHermaness, or ‘Herma’s headland’, is named aftera mythical giant who fought with a neighbouring giant,Saxa, over a beautiful mermaid. They hurled enormous boulders at each other over the Burra Firth, one of which landed in the sea and became Out Stack, Britain’s most northerly lump of rock.

The main rock type at Hermaness is gneiss, created under immense heat and pressure more than 450 million years ago. This process also produced some of the best crystals of the minerals kyanite and staurolite in Britain, although they are hard to spot. These ancient rocks, with pink veins of granite running through them, have been sculpted into incredible shapes by the power of the Atlantic, creating stacks, caves, natural arches and steep-sided clefts known as geos.

Just off the coast is Muckle Flugga, a tiny island with a lighthouse on it. This used to be Britain’s most northerly inhabited island, but the lighthouse is now automated,so the accolade has been lost.

Puffin

Gannets

Muckle Flugga

Hermaness National Nature Reserve

Pirates of the airwaysCrossing to the cliffs from the car park in summer, you might encounter great skuas, known locally as ‘bonxies’. Protective of their nests, they dive-bomb passing walkers. Hold your arm or a stick above your head to ward them off, although they rarely make contact.

They are more of a threat to their avian neighbours, and will kill and eat seabirds even as big as gannets. More often they grab a bird’s wingtip to stall them and make them disgorge their catch – a free meal for the predator.

With almost a thousand breeding pairs, Hermaness hosts the world’s third largest colony of great skuas, but the population hasn’t always been this healthy. In 1831, there were just three pairs, but landowner and naturalist Dr Lawrence Edmondston set up a protective programme, starting a long history of conservation that continues today.

Photographs by Lorne Gill/SN

H, G

lyn Satterley/SNH

, Jonathan Swale. M

ain map by Ashw

orth Maps and Interpretation Ltd. ISBN

: 978-1-85397-866-1 © Scottish N

atural Heritage 2019.

Belmont Gutcher

Mid Yell

ToftBurravoe

Ulsta

Haroldswick Baltasound

North Roe

Hillswick

UNST

FETLAR

YELL

MAINLAND

Yell

Soun

d

ColgraveSound

A968

A968

HermanessNNR

0

0

10miles

1020kmBurrafirth

Getting thereHermaness NNR is 3 miles/4.8km north-west of Haroldswick on Unst. It takes two ferry journeys to reach Unst from Shetland Mainland. The first is from Toft to Ulsta on Yell. This is followed by a 17 mile/27.4km drive north to Gutcher for the ferry to Belmont on Unst.

There is a bus service from Lerwick to Haroldswick, but it is not possible to enjoy the Reserve and get back in a day.

Need to knowVisitors are advised not to wear waterproof over-trousers near the cliff edge and on steep sea-facing slopes because a slip could result in you sliding over the edge.

Please avoid sensitive nesting areas (shown on Reserve map) from May to September.

Support this NNR at www.nature.scot/donate-nnr

For more information please contact:Scottish Natural Heritage, Stewart Building, Alexandra Wharf, Lerwick, Shetland ZE1 0LL Tel: 01463 667600

www.nnr.scot

Great skua

Scotland’s National Nature ReservesVISIT

www.nnr.scot www.nature.scot

.

.

.

To Haroldswick

BluescuddaKame

Mio Tong

Tonga Stack

Longa Stacks

Grunka Hellier

The Greing

Humla Stack

Clingra Stack

Flodda StackLeeraStack

Sothers Stack

Kame of Flouravoug

The Gord

The Framd The Noup

Wurs Stack

Iron Geo

Brim Ness

ShordaHellier

Fiska Geo

TheNess

NorwickHevda

Grisa Lee

RootStacks

Wiln

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Muckle Flugga

Out Stack

Tipta SkerryRumblings

Vesta Skerry

Mill Fiel

SothersBrecks

Libbers Hill170

MousleeHill

Tonga150

SaxaVord

HermanessHill200

HermanessHill200

Lighthouse

Broch

Loos

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Milldale Burn

Hove Burn

Burn of Winnaswarta Dale

Fiska Wick

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A walk on the edgeThe route from the car park to the cliffs on the western side of Hermaness is just over 2km, mostly on gravel paths and boardwalk. A further 2.5km along cliff-top trails and up a steep hillside brings you to the ruins of the lighthouse signalling station. The hill top is a sensitive nesting area so please do not go further than this during the breeding season (May to September).

www.nnr.scot

Riot of colourSalt-tolerant plants such as angelica, red campion, thrift, Scots lovage, spring squill and lesser sea spurrey cling to cliff ledges, bringing an ever-changing mosaic of colour to this harsh environment. The more sheltered, eastern side of the peninsula is home to three species of hawkweed that are unique to Shetland.

Inland, the bulk of the Reserve is rough moorland – blanket bog and peaty pools that provide a habitat for heather, cottongrass, blaeberry, sphagnum mosses and colourful orchids. Golden plover, dunlin and snipe shelter here, along with Arctic skuas and great skuas. A few pairs of rare red-throated divers – ‘raingoose’ on Shetland – also breed on secluded moorland lochans.

Guillemot

Sphagnum moss

Golden plover

Fulmar nesting amongstsalt-tolerant flowers on cliff

© Ashworth Maps and Interpretation Ltd 2012. Based on Ordnance Survey mapping. © Crown copyright and database right 2012. Allrights reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence number SNH 100017908.

Reserve boundaryCar parkInformation CentreSensitive areaSurfaced roadTrackWestern pathCliff path

2 ¾ miles / 4.6 km (return)Allow2 hrs

Western path

A walk across the wild moorland interior of Hermaness to the spectacular cliffs on the west coast.

A varied path with firm gravel, boardwalk and grassy sections. One short, steep climb and several steps. The final 150 metres are grassy and uneven.

7 ¼ miles / 11.6 km (return including Western path)Allow 5 hrs

Cliff path

This cliff top walk runs from the end of the Western path south to the Neap gannetry and north to the derelict light-house signalling station.

A mostly firm grassy path that is uneven and boggy in places. Two steep sections.

www.nature.scot