Favourite things about Shetland: Seashore discoveries

Although Shetland has many beautiful beaches of white sand and turquoise seas, it would be a mistake to overlook some of our more rocky shorelines. Shetland has a varied marine ecology and exploring rockpools at low tide offers a window into these worlds.

My favourite beaches for this are Sandsayre pier close to Sandwick and the waterfront in Scalloway. These are places where you can regularly find small fish hidden beneath the stones.

My bairns particularly love finding pipefish. These long, slender fish are related to seahorses and when you look closely, the family resemblance is clear.

Shetland is also where I have found the biggest variety of starfish. Brittle stars, elaborate sun stars and common starfish come in various sizes and colours.

In the corners and crevices of rockpools young velvet crabs look out of the darkness, their red eyes glowing in the gloom. Horseshoe crabs blend in with the colours around them and their shells are often adorned with seaweed. If you place a crabby line and a little bait into the water it isn’t usually long before you catch some common crabs, some of which are huge!

Every time I search the pools I hope to discover a live grottie-buckie. 'grottie-buckie' is the Shetland name for a small cowrie shell (Cypraea europaea). Finding their shells is always a joy but the living ones remain elusive and the hunt keeps me returning to the pools!

Seals are a common sight in Shetland waters. Often as you walk along the coastline you notice their watchful presence. They seem genuinely curious about human activities, coming closer and often swimming parallel to walkers on the beach, joining them on their journey.

To conserve heat and energy seals come onto land to rest between foraging activities. There are places where seals regularly gather to do this. These sites are protected areas and it is important not to disturb seals while they rest. But if you are respectful, moving quietly and cautiously and using binoculars to bring the scene closer, you can have a wonderful experience watching them. If you are lucky you might even hear them sing!

Rerwick Beach in the South Mainland is a wonderful place to view seals. From the road, you can look down to the colony lying in the sun. The water is so clear, that from above, you can easily see their forms as they swim below the surface.

The shells everybody wants to find are grottie-buckies. This is the local name for cowrie shells. Buckie is a common Scottish name for different species of whelk, and 'groat' is thought to derive from the gold coins which were once common currency. This etymology makes sense given that these shells were once used as currency.

Although many traditions associated with these shells have been lost to time the feeling that finding one is lucky remains. You can only find grottie-buckies at a few beaches, and often these places are a closely guarded secret. However, if you are on a shell and shingle beach, it is always worth looking along the high tide line to see if you can spot one.

Even if you don’t, there are many other beautiful shells on our beaches. Small whelks, blue ray limpets whose colours glow in the sunshine, and tower shells that look like miniature unicorn horns. My favourite is the tiny sea urchin shells, known locally as scaddy man’s heads or scabby man's heads. They are so delicate that it is a wonder that they can be washed ashore intact.

Shetland is a UNESCO Global Geopark in recognition of its unique geology and its impact on life in the islands. The variety of geology makes the islands a geologist's dream, but you don’t need to be an expert to enjoy the stones on our shores.

Eshaness in the North Mainland is a landscape formed from volcanic activity. The colours and patterns of the cliffs are a cross-section through the flank of an ancient volcano, built from layers of lava and pyroclastic rock. A little along the road from here is Stenness Beach, you can find further evidence of this volcanic past in the agates hidden between the stones. At first glance, these translucent gems, formed by gas trapped in lava bubbles, appear like sea glass, but closer inspection shows layers of colours and patterns.

Another fun thing to look for on all our beaches is hagstones. These are pebbles with a natural hole running through them, caused by years of erosion from sea and storm. According to folklore, these stones are a lucky find that offers protection from supernatural harm.

Shetland is blessed with many beautiful beaches all around the islands. But visitors are sometimes surprised to discover there is a lovely beach in the centre of Lerwick, the capital town.

Bain's Beach is nestled in between Lerwick's historic Lodberries. These warehouses that extend into the sea were used from the 1730s to help ease trade with merchant ships. This history of travel and trade led to many items ending up in the sea, some from ship’s ballast and others from items dropped deliberately or accidentally overboard.

Among the thick grains of sand, sea glass of every imaginable shade glitters. Small fragments of pottery carry the memory of past designs and occasionally, if you are lucky you can find a whole marble or a perfume bottle stopper.