Anchor, the Snap, Fetlar

Explorer Tom Fetlar Interpretive Centre sits at the Beach of Houbie ready to answer the questions an island crossing tends to raise. Its exhibitions range from archaeology and folklore to wildlife and the families who lived in Fetlar’s grand houses. Come in before wandering farther: the island has many stories, and this is where they introduce themselves. The community museum keeps photographs stretching back to the 1860s, as well as documents and diaries from the late nineteenth century onward. They give names and voices to the island outside. The centre also holds information on walks and places of interest, a sensible first stop when the day is short and the ferry home will not wait for your curiosity. Its own museum trust highlights Leagarth House and Brough Lodge. Leagarth was completed in 1901 for surgeon Sir William Watson Cheyne, who worked with Joseph Lister and also helped islanders who could not afford medical care. Brough Lodge has a different history, bound up with the Nicholson family and nineteenth-century clearances. The displays should be given time for both the proud work and the harder stories. Tom can make a joke about forgetting his ferry ticket, but these people deserve their names kept straight. Shetland’s visitor listing places the centre at the Beach of Houbie and describes summer opening from May to September, with visits by request outside the season. Local listings differ on exact daily hours, so check with the centre before crossing and check the ferry timetable too. The building offers visitor information as well as exhibits. Start here, then let Fetlar’s landscape put the photographs and stories into their proper light.