This will be the second of our Simmer Dim (Solstice) voyages in Shetland in summer 2026 - setting out from Lerwick on the longest day, at a time of year where 'night' is something alien to Shetland.

We will sail out on a musical voyage around Shetland's waters, making the absolute best of this incredible time of year and the music and cultural scene in Shetland's harbours, islands and anchorages.

Expect fiddle music, tunes, songs, local culture, 24-hour daylight, islands, harbours, spectacular scenery and more!

Shetland is famous for fiddle music - and besides this, there's a wealth of other culture to explore and enjoy. Songs, language, dialect - and no end of stories, tales and lore, both of the land and of the sea. 

On this voyage we'll be heading off round the top - passing north of Muckle Flugga, the last rock in the British Isles, populated by a lighthouse and several thousand gannets. We'll head up the east coast of the islands - and down the west to finish in Scalloway, Shetland's ancient capital.

With skipper (and Shetlander) Barry Nisbet at the helm, we'll explore what the islands have to offer, with music sessions taking place in venues, village halls and sailing clubs ashore, as well as around the tables in the Lady of Avenel's legendary saloon. Barry will be showing us around his homeland here in Shetland, along with Sessions and Sail's team of tutors and sailing crew; and we can expect to be joined by some Shetland musicians at various stages of the journey.

This voyage is all about exploring the waters, music and culture of Shetland, and about witnessing this unique archipelago duing the long days of mid summer.

You  will be allocated a berth aboard the brigantine 'Lady of Avenel',  in one of our six double cabins. For solo  travellers, cabins will be allocated on a same-sex basis; if two people  travelling together wish to share a cabin, we recommend booking early to  ensure availability.

There are two showers and three toilets in the accommodation; these are shared.

Meals#are prepared in the modern upper deck galley; these are of a high standard and prepared by our own chef.

The upper deck saloon provides an ideal place to socialise and, with the tables cleared away, is the perfect session space for the evenings we spend aboard. When the weather is fair, we can play sessions on deck.

Shetland can be reached by aeroplane, with flights from Aberdeen, Inverness, Glasgow, Edinburgh or Orkney – see www.loganair.co.uk

Northlink Ferries have nightly sailings from Aberdeen - these depart at 1900 or 1700, depending on whether the ship will call at Orkney. We recommend booking the boat well in advance if you want a cabin - and book direct from Northlink's own website at www.northlinkferries.com

We recommend confirming flights and travel arrangements as early as possible to avoid price rises and availability problems.

  We recommend you bring the following:

• Warm jumper/fleece
• Waterproof jacket and trousers
• Long trousers
• Boots/waterproof footwear
• Sunglasses
• A soft bag (no suitcases please!) 
• Thermal layers 
• A waterproof cover/case for your instrument
• Thick socks
• Sufficient cash to last the week 

You may also be glad to have:

• Binoculars 
• Midgie repellent (we like Smidge) 
• Sun Cream
• A sleep mask
• A reusable water bottle
• A RYA logbook if you have one.

Please note that the Lady of Avenel is a ship built in the 1960s - getting around the ship and above and below decks requires a degree of mobility and ability to negotiate stairs. 

If you have mobility issues it is best to check your suitability for this voyage - please send us a message and we'll be happy to advise.

The Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust Limited (ABTOT) provides financial protection under The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 for Nisbet Marine Services/Sessions and Sail, Member Number 5533, and in the event of their insolvency,  protection is provided for:

 -  Non-flight packages

ABTOT  cover provides for a refund in the event you have not yet travelled or repatriation if transportation was included in your package. Please note that bookings made outside the UK are only protected by ABTOT when purchased directly with Nisbet Marine Services/Sessions and Sail.
In the unlikely event that you require assistance whilst abroad due to our financial failure, please call our 24/7 helpline on 01702 811397 and advise you are a customer of an ABTOT protected travel company.

You can access The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 here

You can find out more about ABTOT here

This itinerary is a suggestion of how the trip may take form; all destinations and routes are subject to change, are weather dependant, and are at the discretion of the Captain.  

You meet the ‘Lady of Avenel’ alongside the pier pontoons in Lerwick Harbour, where the crew welcome you aboard; you find your cabin, are  given a tour of the ship and a safety briefing from the Captain.

By 3pm, we're letting go lines and heading out into Lerwick Harbour; we sail out the 'North Mooth', passing Bressay on the Starboard side, then historical features such as 'Robbie Ramsay's Baa', and 'The Unicorn'.

You  may take a turn at steering the Lady of Avenel; the cliffs of Nesting appear, as does the 'Boanie Isle of Whalsay'. If we are fortunate enough to have a sailing breeze, you may help the crew set the Lady’s sails. Some tunes may be in order as we sail along.

By 6pm we reach our anchorage - a bay at Nesting, or Whalsay, or possibly Lunna - home of the famous 'Shetland Bus', the wartime Norwegian resistance effort, in time for drinks before dinner.

After dinner we get to know each other over a few tunes around the session table, under the guidance of our sail-along tutors.

 "Lerwick, view from a ferry" by swifant is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. 

After breakfast in the ship's saloon, we raise anchor and head north - wevewe've got a session to get to in Unst! 

We pass the south-east corner of Yell, then the cliffs east of Fetlar, with their indented gjos; we'll sail the Lady of Avenel wherever possible, and you may want to give the crew a hand in doing this; or take a turn at the wheel. 

Alternatively, some tunes may start up in the saloon once breakfast is cleared away. But keep your ears open for shouts of wildlife - this area is regularly visited by Orcas, white-beaked dolphins, humpback whales and neesiks (porpoises).

In the afternoon we round Balta Isle and sail up the voe to the Baltasound Pier; we tie up here and there's the chance for a walk before dinner. After dinner, we walk up the road to tgethe bar, where we're joined by fiddle payers and musicians from Unst's long musical tradition.

We get underway from the Baltasound Pier, heading out the voe and yet further North - past Skaw, and around Muckle Flugga at almost 61 degrees North.

This is a paradise for bird lovers - gannets peel off the rocks as we pass, and off Herma Ness the air is filled with birds. 

Down the Bluemull Sound we sail, past these imposing cliffs and to the pier at Cullivoe. This remarkable community has been running some ground-breaking programmes, one of which is the Tuesday lunches. We head to the Cullivoe Hall and meet the community there for food; perhaps the hall will be persuaded to open the bar, as we do intend to play some tunes here after we've eaten!

Back aboard the Lady of Avenel, we take advantage of the fact that the daylight is non-ending in Shetland at this time of year; in the early evening, we set off further West, heading round the North of Yell and the rocky Holm of Gloup to the North Mainland, anchoring up at Sand Voe for the night.

In Sand Voe, we enjoy the peaceful morning - bird calls, gentle waves - as we have breakfast aboard the Lady of Avenel.  Then there's time for a tune - to learn from Barry or Nessie, or a song with Harry.

By 10am we're underway again - sailing past the spectacular Northmavine coast, the cliffs at Esha Ness. Then it's a sail across Saint Magnus Bay, and towards Swarback's Minn. 

In Aith - or Eið in true Shetland - another Shetland musician is waiting to join us. We drop anchor at the head of this sheltered voe by 5pm, in time for a few tunes with them.

In the evening, we head ashore to the Aith Public Hall for a rousing tune session with musicians and members of the local community.

We return to the ship by dinghy at 11pm in time for a wind-down session back aboard.

We have 23 miles to cover today - round the West Side of Shetland, sailing between Papa Stour and the Shetland Mainland, with moody Foula looming on the western horizon. 

Setting off from our Eið anchorage at 10am, we will sail the Lady of Avenel wherever possible; you may like to put into action all you have earned today and help the crew set sail or take a turn at steering.

By 1500 we're sailing past Vaila and into the voe at Waas. We tie up alongsde the pier here; there's a chance to stretch your legs with a walk before dinner. 

After dinner, the musicians and community of Waas is waiting for us in the Sailing Club here; we play tunes from Shetland and beyond together.

We leave Waas harbour and sail out by Vaila once more; heading south-east, we have a 3-hour passage to the island of Burra. 

We drop anchor in the voe at Hamnavoe; there's a chance for a walk and then in the afternoon, our last Shetland tutor join us.

After learning a couple of new tunes in the Lady's saloon, we have dinner then get the instruments out for our last evening session onboard.

The crew get the ship underway before breakfast, and we head into Scalloway Harbour - Shetland's ancient capital, and dominated by the castle built for the tyrant Patrick Stewart in 1599.

The Lady of Avenel is berthed alongside the pier; and we say our goodbyes, heading off in our separate ways towards the next adventure!