Shetland
Eshaness cliffs and Grind o da Navir — Parking
Esha Ness Lighthouse Car Park, Northmavine · Grid ref HU 206 784 · No charge is published.
Quick facts
- Grid reference
- HU 206 784
- Spaces
- Small car park at the lighthouse
- Cost
- No charge is published.
- Surface
- not recorded
From the car park
Eshaness is the far north-west corner of Shetland Mainland. Take the A970 north, turn onto the B9078 for Eshaness and follow it to the lighthouse at the end; it is visible for miles. The Johnnie Notions camping böd is on the Hamnavoe road just before it, if you want to make a night of it.
The walk
Promote Shetland's Eshaness Circular is 6km with 175m of ascent, about three hours, graded easy to moderate (OS Explorer 469). Read the panel in the car park, then walk north along the cliff tops, well back from the edge, to the head of Calder's Geo, a deep inlet the sea has cut along a line of weakness in the rock. Carry on north over about seven fences to the Grind o da Navir, where storm seas have smashed a gap in the cliff and thrown thousands of tons of ignimbrite through it into a storm beach, with a small loch trapped behind. Round the headland to The Burr for the view north to Ronas Hill and the islet of Muckle Ossa, turn at Croo Loch and head south to the Loch of Houlland, where a ruined broch stands on a promontory. The burn out of the loch passes old water mills and drops into the Holes of Scraada, a collapsed sea cave. There were once two holes joined by a rock bridge, said to have fallen just after a local man drove a horse and cart across it. Cross the great stone wall by the ladder stile and come back over the turf past the Lochs of Drid Geo to the lighthouse. If you only want the cliffs, the view north from the car park is the headline on its own.
Facilities
- interpretation panel on the geology and archaeology
Busy times
We have no visitor figures for Eshaness, so we won't guess at its busy days.
Getting here without a car
Promote Shetland describe the bus network to Eshaness as very limited and recommend driving. Check the current timetable on the Shetland Travel Information website before relying on it.
Winter access
The road reaches the lighthouse, but the whole walk is on open cliff top facing the Atlantic. Grind o da Navir was made by western storm seas breaking through the cliff, so keep well back from it in a westerly blow and leave it for a calmer day. The turf is slippery when wet.
Current conditions
Daylight Today
- Sunrise
- 07:14
- Sunset
- 16:27
- Civil dawn
- 06:30
- Civil dusk
- 17:11
NOAA Solar Calculator · 26 October 2026
Frequently asked questions
- Where do you park for the Eshaness cliffs?
- At the car park beside Esha Ness lighthouse, grid reference HU 206 784 (what3words ///enforced.tailwind.burst), at the end of the B9078. The circular walk starts there.
- How long is the Eshaness walk?
- Promote Shetland put the Eshaness Circular at 6km with 175m of ascent and about three hours, graded easy to moderate. The cliffs and Calder's Geo are a few minutes from the car park if you only want the view.
- What is the Grind o da Navir?
- A gap smashed through the cliff wall north of the lighthouse by Atlantic storm seas, which have thrown thousands of tons of ignimbrite through it into a storm beach with a small loch trapped behind. It is north along the cliff tops from the lighthouse, over around seven fences.
- What are the Holes of Scraada?
- A collapsed sea cave inland of the cliffs, fed by the burn from the Loch of Houlland. There were once two holes joined by a rock bridge, which is said to have fallen just after a local man drove a horse and cart across it.
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