A walk around Scalloway

Scalloway, nestled under the Gallow Hill, on Shetland’s west coast, is a picturesque village about six miles from Lerwick. With a thriving local community and a population of about 1,200, the village boasts a school, swimming pool, castle, several shops and eateries and an unmissable museum that walks visitors through Scalloway’s fascinating history.
Scalloway’s welcome sign states that this is the ‘Ancient capital of Shetland’ - a misleading and false claim. Scalloway was the capital, but not in ancient times - it remained the main administrative centre of Shetland until as recently as the 1830s. The sign should tell visitors that Scalloway is the former capital of Shetland.
Scalloway was Shetland’s capital until about 1838, when Lerwick was undergoing massive growth with a booming fishing industry bringing plenty of foreign trade. The influence of Dutch fishermen led to this considerable - and quick - expansion of the town and, by the early 19th century, Lerwick had overtaken Scalloway as the main economic centre in the islands. Scalloway was an ideal location to live, with a large and sheltered natural harbour.
The village sits at the foot of the fertile Tingwall Valley, providing rich agricultural land. There is good access to fresh drinking water, flat land to build, and the surrounding hills protect the village from the worst of the winter’s winds. There’s good access to some of the islands most productive fishing grounds from the harbour and, with shelter from outlying islands, a prosperous and thriving aquaculture industry.
Main Street points of interest:
Shetland Bus sites; Memorial, Dinapore House, Norway House, Prince Olav Slipway. Church of Scotland.
Walter & Joan Gray Home - the man who formerly owned this building worked for the Marconi Company on the evening Titanic struck ice. Walter Gray, originally from Scalloway, took the distress call that night.
The Shetland Bus:
Scalloway was the Shetland base for the Shetland Bus operation during the Second World War. In 1940, Nazi troops invaded Norway, and from that moment until the war ended in 1945, Shetland became central to the resistance movement.
The Shetland Bus operation involved small wooden fishing boats that plied across the North Sea in winter, under cover of darkness, carrying refugees from Nazi-occupied Norway and bringing weapons and supplies in.
For the greater part of the war, this operation was conducted from Scalloway, a quieter base than Lerwick with a slipway for carrying out essential repairs to the boats. A dangerous and daring operation, ships often sank. The Shetland Bus Memorial commemorates all those lost to the Nazis and the North Sea. The Scalloway Museum has excellent displays about the operation, and visitors can see many of the buildings used.