SEMINAR 4
DISCOVERING THE VIKINGS
28TH-31ST JANUARY, 2017
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SHETLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
The next project seminar will be held in Shetland in January, 2017. The details are as follows:
27th January, 2017Arrival day for Steering Committee
28th January, 2017Steering Committee meeting & arrival day for partners and associated partners
29th & 30th January, 2017Seminar
31st January, 2017Up Helly Aa Technical Visit/Departure Day for those not participating
1st February, 2017Departure day for others
The following information gives practical advice about the event and your stay, but if you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact Helen Smith () or Catrina Carter (),0044(0)1595 694688.
General Information
The weather in Shetland can be very variable and we would recommend that participants bring warm waterproof clothing and strong walking shoes or boots.
Travel Information
This seminar coincides with Shetland’s world famous Up Helly Aa Viking festival. As such, you should book your travel as soon as possible to ensure availability and the best price. Flights do book up quickly but you can take the ferry if you are too late to secure a flight.
There are direct flights with Flybe ( and British Airways ( to Sumburgh (LSI) from Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow. You can also book indirect flights from a number of regional UK airports but the main ones would be Manchester and London Heathrow.
You can also take an overnight ferry with Northlink Ferries (
from Aberdeen. This usually leaves Aberdeen at either 1700 hrs or 1900 hrs and arrives in Lerwick at 0730 hrs the following morning. The return journey usually leaves Lerwick at either 1730 hrs or 1900 hrs arriving in Aberdeen at 0700 hrs (the times of the sailings are dependent upon which day you travel – you will need to confirm this at the time of booking). You can book exclusive use cabins, shared cabins or a reclining chair.
For most people travelling from overseas, it is not always easy or convenient getting to Shetland in one day. If you stay overnight in Aberdeen we would recommend staying at the Premier Inn at Dyce (Aberdeen) Airport ( or the
Holiday Inn Express, also at Aberdeen Airport (
If you are travelling via Glasgow we would recommend either the Holiday Inn Express or the Holiday Inn at Glasgow Airport (
If travelling via Edinburgh we would recommend either the Hilton Hotel ( or Quality Hotel (
We will organise travel from/to Sumburgh Airport. Please advise on your registration form the date and time of your flights, along with the flight numbers and we will advise on pick-up arrangements.
Accommodation
Bed and breakfast accommodation has been secured at the Queens and Grand Hotels in Lerwick at the cost of £50 per person, per night. Details of the hotels can be viewed at Please indicate on your registration form if you wish to book a single room, twin or double room (if a twin or double please advise who you will share with). Please also advise if you have a preference for which hotel you wish to stay in. Rooms will be allocated on a first come, first serve basis.
Please note that due to the lack of accommodation availability at the time of this seminar, rooms are only guaranteed for registrations made before Friday 2nd December, 2016.
Hotel bills must be paid by participants and claimed back from the project through the claims process.
Meals
Meals will be organised for the Saturday, Sunday and Monday and for the early evening of Tuesday. The cost of this is to be in the region of £200 per person. Shetland Amenity Trust will pay for these costs and back-charge them to your budgets. Additional meals must be paid for by partners and claimed back through the claims process.
Technical Visit
This seminar will coincide with Shetland’s world famous Up Helly Aa Viking festival. Participants are invited to stay in Shetland for the technical visit on Tuesday 31st January to view the festivities on the day. You will have the opportunity to view the Jarl Squad and its Viking longship as they make their way through town on Tuesday morning. You will also have the opportunity to get up close to some of the Jarl Squad members during a visit to the Shetland Museum and Archives on Tuesday afternoon.
From 12.00 p.m. to 1.30 p.m. there is a local music event ‘Fiery Sessions’. We can secure tickets for participants to attend (in the region of £15 per person) but this cannot be claimed from the project.
On Tuesday evening there are two parades around town. The earlier at 5.30 p.m. is for the Junior Up Helly Aa participants and the second at 7.30 p.m. is for the main event. Both culminates in the burning of a Viking longship.
Afterwards, tickets have been secured at the Bells Brae Hall for any seminar participants who wish to continue the festivities until the next morning. Please indicate on the registration form if you wish to attend.
Costs
Each partner has a budget of €3,000 to attend this seminar. Due to the costs associated with travelling to/from Shetland, and the fact that there has already been overspends on the budgets attending previous seminars, it is recommended that partners tailor their numbers participating to fall within this budget.
Associate Partners wishing to attend must pay for their own travel and accommodation. In addition, they will be charged £200 per person for attending the seminar and meals.
Useful Website Addresses
For ease of reference, below is a list of all the website addresses referred to earlier:
– flights to Shetland
Airways – flights to Shetland
Ferries – Overnight ferry to Shetland
Inn at Dyce (Aberdeen) Airport
Inn Hotels – hotels on mainland Scotland
Hotels – hotels on mainland Scotland
Hotels – hotels on mainland Scotland
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