
Up Helly Aa
From £995
Summary
A wander through the streets of Lerwick is normally a quiet, peaceful experience, but take a walk there at the end of January and it’s quite likely that you will bump into a squad of very large, very bearded Vikings, resplendent in gleaming chain-mail and winged helmets. Later, the Vikings and their fancy-dressed followers fill the narrow streets, their flaming torches illuminating the dark winter skies, their boisterous songs filling the air. A 30-foot Viking longship is carried aloft before it is set alight with a thousand blazing brands. As the sky over Lerwick shimmers with heat and light, fireworks explode, brass bands play and the gloom of winter is lifted for another year.
This is Up Helly Aa, the annual winter festival of Shetland, which celebrates the lengthening of the days and the coming of another year, not to mention the chance of a good old knees-up. It’s run by Shetlanders for Shetlanders, but that’s not to say visitors aren’t welcome and the island hospitality will be as warm as ever.
Shetland is a beguiling place to visit at any time but in the short winter days the islands take on a special character with steely grey seas and dramatic skies. During our stay we will take in the prehistoric and Norse settlement of Jarlshof to the south, and tour as far as the islands of Yell and Unst to the north. Up Helly Aa itself is on the Tuesday, when we will have the day free to enjoy the various events in Lerwick, culminating in the torchlight procession and boat burning ceremony in the evening, the highlight of an unusual and uplifting winter break.
Tour highlights:
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Your Departure date
Today's Price
£995
Benefit from this limited time offer:
- Pay a low deposit of £50, was £100.
Single supplement: £275
Keeping you safe on your next tour

Departure Points
Location | Depart | Return |
---|---|---|
Glasgow | 1015 | 1300 |
Edinburgh | 1130 | 1200 |
Dunfermline | 1145 | 1145 |
Kinross | 1200 | 1130 |
Perth | 1215 | 1100 |
Dundee | 1330 | 1030 |
Arbroath | 1350 | 1010 |
Montrose | 1410 | 0950 |
Aberdeen | 1500 | 0900 |
Please note pick-up points are subject to minimum numbers and all timings are approximate and may be changed. They will be confirmed when the joining instructions are sent out, approximately ten days prior to departure.
Tour dates & prices
Included in your cost:
- Accommodation
- Services of a professional tour manager
- Comfortable coach travel throughout
- Meals - as per the itinerary
- Ferry crossings
Tour Departure | Tour ID | Departure date | Return Date | Guided by | Price | Deposit | Single Supp. | Availability |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
22 January 2022 | BUPV220122 | 22 January 2022 (Saturday) | 28 January 2022 (Friday) | Alastair Walker | £1,145 (ex. flights) |
£50 |
£350 | Book Now |
23 January 2022 | BUHF220123 | 23 January 2022 (Sunday) | 27 January 2022 (Thursday) | £995 (ex. flights) |
£50 |
£275 | Call for availability |