The twelve hour voyage between Aberdeen (Scotland) and Lerwick (Shetland) is like a little mini cruise which passes some spectacular vistas of the northern isles.
The two (virtually) identical ferries operating this route are Hjaltland and Hrossey - two strong, stable, purpose build vessels designed specifically for this exposed crossing.
MV Hjaltland
MV Hrossey
Both the Hjaltland and Hrossey depart both Aberdeen and Lerwick in the early evening, passing each other during the passage, arriving early next morning at their destination some 12hrs later, though a brief 'stop off' in Orkney is timetabled on certain days.
If you have never undertaken the ferry trip between Aberdeen and Lerwick allow me to take you to there aboard Northlink Ferries' two (near) identical sister ships Hjaltland and Hrossey - my outward crossing was aboard Hjaltland and my return to Scotland aboard Hrossey.
Grab a cuppa, curl up and allow me to show you around - you may also want to book a long weekend off work as after this you will want to travel to Shetland too!
Located on the east coast of Scotland, flying up from London Gatwick took around an hour and a quarter and was both stress and hassle free. Upon arrival at the Scottish terminal I was greeted by bus 727 right outside of the arrivals area, which provided a direct route to the Union Square bus station within the city centre - no need to change busses enroute.
Union Square is literally across the road from the ferry terminal so for the cost of a few pounds for the +/- forty minute journey which operated every ten to fifteen minutes, this was very good value for money!
From Union Square the walk to the ferry terminal building takes around ten minutes. If you have time to spare Union Square offers excellent shopping facilities and being right in the city centre you may have time to explore the sights too - I was very pleased I did as Aberdeen has lots to offer!
Below - taken from Union Square, the ferry terminal is just across the road.
Below - the Aberdeen ferry terminal
Foot passenger embarkation commences at 1700hrs, two hours before the 1900hrs departure - although on this crossing from Scotland we actually departed a little ahead of schedule so don't leave it too late for check-in!
The terminal building in Aberdeen is small though perfectly formed with seating, WC and confectionary/beverage vending machines - the coffee is good. Upon arrival at the reception desk, you are just asked for your name - no need to quote your booking reference or hand over your documents.
After a moment or two you are given a boarding card with your cabin number / sleeping pod number (I'll come back to those later) printed on it. Then, you just ascent a flight of stairs and proceed along a covered walkway to the ship. All very easy and relaxed, which set the tone for the rest of my minibreak
Upon arrival at the vessel you are greeted by a member of ships' crew who asks for your cabin/pod number prior to directing you. - you are not just left wandering around trying to find your accommodation in unfamiliar surroundings. The personal touch is excellent.
Hjaltland and her sister are bigger than I had envisaged, easier to navigate and certainly more luxurious.
Passenger decks are located on Decks 5 and 6.
As we are one of the first to board, the vessel is pretty much empty so let's have a good look around before everyone else arrives.
Allow me to show you around.......
Embarkation is amid ship on Deck 5 and we are greeted by the highly attractive reception hall. First impressions do count and I did actually utter the word 'wow' under my face mask.
The Aberdeen foot passenger gangway connects the the starboard side of this hall and the Lerwick gangway on the port side of the same space.
This full width facility has a forward facing curved reception counter surrounded with localised chequer board floor tilling opposite a stunning staircase resting on deep pile carpeting with a metal figurine sculpture on a plinth near its base.
MV Hjaltland
The figurine occupying the same area aboard Hrossey is slightly different and is actually the only real noticeable difference between the two ships.
MV Hrossey
Occupying a centralised position exterior views from the reception hall are extremely limited however, this did not pose any issues or set my interior design alarm bells ringing, as warming tones are evident throughout this area and along with carefully positioned lighting it actually reminded me of a hotel lobby.
Passenger accommodation is fore and aft off the reception hall and at the after end are a pair of staircases which provide (quick) access to the exterior decks, saving the need to go back to the reception hall, ascending the stairs and walking aft along Deck 6.
All cabins are located on this, the lowest deck within the ships' superstructure between the vehicle decks and the main deck accommodating the facilities above. Being low down any ship movement during periods of high seas is reduced - if booking a cabin ensure you book one which is as close to the reception desk as possible (amid ship) as the motion will be reduced even further.
Cabin plan for Hjaltland
Cabin plan for Hrossey
The only other deck for passenger use is one deck up, Deck 6, so let's climb the stairs opposite the reception and have an explore.
Deck 6
We arrive amid ship (more or less) so let's follow the deep pile carpeting around to the right and head along the port side corridor towards the front of the deck.
We pass a small though perfectly formed gift shop to our right which sells a range of Scottish gifts, souvenirs jewellery and gin - if purchasing the later it is kept at the information desk down stairs until disembarkation as the consumption of alcohol aboard after 2100hrs is prohibited.
Continuing forward along the port side corridor - a light and spacious aisle with picture windows to one side, full length mirrors to the other and Sleeping Pod lounges two and three (I will come back to these shortly).
The corridor then widens to incorporate a seating area with comfortable forward facing reclining seats adjacent to large windows with a gaming arcade opposite.
Being open plan it does lack both privacy and dimmed lighting.
So, if you choose to sleep in one of these chairs, which are free of charge, unless you are a heavy sleeper you may be woken by persons passing by or perhaps due to the artificial lighting being fairly bright.
If resting in one of these 'free of charge' seats the use of a Northlink Ferries complimentary pillow and blanket is not provided, unlike those sleeping in the Pod Lounges where there is an entrance fee.
At the forward end of Deck 6 is one of two bars aboard.
Complete with deep pile carpeting, dark wood, subtle lighting and highly upholstered sofas this is a great place to relax!
There are views of the bow and the sea ahead through the windows at the forward end although these are not 'picture' windows owing to the fact the seas around the northern isles can be particularly rough and it is common for waves to go over the forward end of the ship - the windows capable of being secured with steel shutters during periods of poor weather.
Those sitting in the reclining seat lounges on the port and starboard side are divided from the main lounge/bar by a half height screen and as in the aforementioned corridor by the shop, those sleeping in these seats for the overnight crossing can do so free of charge but without a complimentary Northlink Ferries blanket and pillow.
On the port side there is a complimentary cinema with aft facing seats.
Going down a small corridor to the starboard side of the aforementioned bar is 'Sleeping Pod Lounge One' - accessed via a key card/five digit pin code. Sleeping Pods are new to me; in all the years I have been travelling around Europe I have always had a cabin, reclining seat or slept 'deck class' under the stars.
A sleeping pod is essentially a private encapsulated over sized reclining seat with a large amount of leg room, its own USB socket, reading light and huge fold down table.
Adjacent to the entrance to Pod Lounge One is a washing/shower facility where one must purchase tokens to operate the shower and hire a towel.
Sleeping Pod Lounge One is where I spent around twenty hours crossing to/from Shetland aboard the two Northlink vessels so let me give you a few handy hints and tips......
*This 'pod lounge' is the only one of the three aboard which has sea views - the other two are windowless with no natural light. Therefore, if you are prone to sea sickness you may find looking at the horizon may help you so select Pod Lounge One when booking.
Below - Pod Lounge One, looking forward
This is what Sleeping Pod Lounge 2 and 3 look like - note no natural light.
TOP TIP, keep your blanket for your return journey as you can then enjoy extra blankets to snuggle up in (they fold up really small so won't take up too much room in your bag), plus they are handy for your return flight from Aberdeen.
*Another hint - once your booking is confirmed call Northlink Ferries and see if you can be allocated seats 1 or 11 in Pod Lounge One. These seats benefit from having very large window sills next to you so it gives you even more space to REALLY spread out and with no access from the seats in front or behind you your belongings will be safe whilst you are asleep - its like having a shelf next to you.
The only downside is that the ceiling mounted blue coloured nightlights above these seats may keep you awake, but the complimentary eye masks which are also provided will help you sleep so this shouldn't be too much of an issue.
I've got to say it was really is nice laying back in my private pod, spread out and watching the sea pass the window next to me as I drifted off to sleep.
All pods have a USB socket for charging laptops and phones but be aware, the amount of charge your appliance gets is minimal so do not expect it to be fully charged by the morning. You will be better off using one of the UK three pin power sockets which can be found throughout the ship for a 'quick charge'.
Let's go back to the amid ship stairs and walk aft.
We enter an area I personally refer too as Northlink Square - it's not called that on the internal deck plans, but the wide tiled flooring beneath a centralised lighting feature with facilities flowing off is like a village square.
To port off this 'square' is the premier Magnus Lounge which, upon paying a fee, one can make use of its facilities in a quiet spacious atmosphere. Being divided from the 'square' by full height frosted glass screens affords privacy for those within. Although the crossings were not busy I wish I had upgraded to make use of this facility - I will do next time!
To starboard is the ships second public bar.
A more informal ambience to that at the bow of this deck, it is open plan to the adjacent square, offers gaming machines, large wall mounted flat screen TV and very comfortable sofas around the outside encapsulating this facility with its deep pile carpeting within.
Below - note the time on the clock. This is the land of the 'midnight sun'!
Walking aft past a small seating area we enter the ships dining room. It is by no means a formal affair nor is it an informal cafeteria. A combination of the two the meals are hot, tasty and good value for money with an offering for those requiring gluten free, vegan and vegatarian options.
An excellent feature is a wall mounted TV screen showing passengers what meals are suitable for the aforementioned requirements - everyone seems to be accommodated.
The dining room seating is particularly comfortable, especially the sofas, but best avoid the free standing wooden chairs which are positioned near the windows as I personally found them pretty uncomfortable, particularly if you are sitting for any length of time.
Although a relatively large area the intermittent frosted glass screens effectively zone the space into smaller areas.
Vending machines serving hot and cold beverages and sweets are positioned next to the children's playroom and accept both cash / card - but have some loose change with you just in case (on my northbound voyage only cash was being accepted and believe me I needed a coffee when I awoke at 5am - the dining room is not open until 0600hrs.
Both Hjaltland and Hrossey offer a good amount of exterior deck space which can only be accessed from the doors at the far aft end of Deck 6 behind the dining room seating.
Passing through a very heavy push/pull door we immediately come to a flight of stairs which gives access to the cabin corridors down on Deck 5. Following this we pull a (very heavy) slide door and arrive at the aft facing deck with metal wrap around seating overlooking the stern mooring deck - the smoking areas are port and starboard.
Ascending several flights of stairs we can access the main viewing deck in between the funnels which has 360' views and some fixed metal seating. This area however is closed to passengers from around 2100hrs - perhaps because the crew cabins are here or maybe for safety reasons.
I thoroughly enjoyed my (lengthy) time aboard both Hjaltland and Hrossey.
During much of the journey there is nothing to see apart from the sea its self. But, there is a beauty to this and being from the south, I was particularly intrigued by the midnight sun - this picture was taken at around 0230hrs!
Bringing a coffee (from the vending machine) out onto the deck at this unearthly hour, sitting on the bench and gazing into the horizon was just so relaxing and humbling - other passengers aboard being asleep and with no land for hundreds of miles I felt like the last person on earth.
With a crossing time of around twelve hours it is a long voyage.
Foot passenger embarkation commences around two hours prior to departure
(I would recommend boarding at this time) and foot passenger disembarkation can be around an hour after arrival to enjoy an extended relaxed breakfast before your onward journey.
The foot passenger gangway for Lerwick connects to the port side of the reception hall on Deck 5 and from there it is a leisurely walk through a covered walkway to the terminal building.
Welcome to Shetland!
The below picture depicts the check-in area for our return journey, the check-in desk can be seen to the left of the picture. Again, embarkation commences around two hours prior to sailing.
There are excellent views of the port from the terminal building - the vessel can be seen through the windows.
The ferry terminal is around a twenty minute walk north of Lerwick town centre. If you are going to be in the ferry terminal for any length of time grab some snacks from the local CO-OP supermarket which is along the same road from the town as there is no café or working vending machines in the terminal.
Accessed from the stairs by check-in one can relax in the bright and spacious mezzanine Departure Lounge prior to boarding.
The gangway to the ferry is through the doors in the centre right of the picture below, though it can also be accessed from the ground floor so keep an eye on both to see which one is being used for your crossing to Aberdeen to ensure you are one of the first to board.
Travelling with Northlink Ferries to/from the Shetlands is a voyage of discovery. Would I travel again by ship? One hundred percent YES!
The journey is incredibly scenic, relaxing and essentially a mini cruise with excellent meals and comfortable bars. There are ample exterior deck areas to view the passing vistas and the crew are polite, friendly and courteous.
Travel from A2B via Sea - why travel any other way?! #a2bviasea
