Eshaness and Ronas Hill
About 15 miles northwest of Brae are the rugged, forbidding cliffs around Eshaness; drive north and then turn left onto the B9078. On the way, look for the defiant Drongs, striking sandstone stacks or pillars battered into shape by thousands of years of crashing seas. Then return to join the A970 at Hillswick, but before reaching Urafirth, turn left toward the old crofting community of Heylor. Providing a front-on vista across to the rounded, red Ronas Hill, the highest hill in Shetland (which was beautifully documented by the pioneer filmmaker Jenny Gilbertson in the 1930s) is Heylor's delightful sandy beach, known as the Blade. Beware: arctic terns—which Shetlanders call Tirricks—nest among the pebbles in May and June.
