About this place
Clifftop lighthouse with a nature centre and, in summer, puffins at close range.
Sumburgh Head sits at Shetland's southern tip, its lighthouse designed by Robert Stevenson of the famous lighthouse-building family. The visitor centre inside tells the story of the light and the RSPB reserve that now surrounds it, but the real draw for families is on the cliffs outside: puffins nest here in their thousands from April to early August, often close enough to the path to watch without binoculars. Guillemots, razorbills and kittiwakes crowd the ledges below, and there's a marine mammal watch point where staff sometimes spot orcas passing offshore. The clifftop paths are exposed and unfenced in places, so it suits older children more comfortably than toddlers, and warm layers are worth packing even in summer.
Make a day of it — within 5km
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59.852, -1.275