Bobby's Bus Shelter

Bobby's Bus Shelter : More Than Just a Bus Stop!

Unst in The Shetlands is the most Northerly inhabited island in the UK – we are talking a 14 hour ferry trip from Aberdeen to Shetland and then a couple of inter island ferries to get there. The island, with a population of around 630, has been in the news recently with the development of the Saxavord Spaceport – the UK’s first rocket launchpad.

Amidst the rugged landscape and breathtaking scenery of the island there is an attraction which has gathered unlikely attention from right across the world; Bobby’s Bus Shelter – probably the only bus stop in the world with it’s own website, Wikipedia and Tripadvisor pages not to mention 130 odd Google reviews.

This requires a bit of background so here’s the story.

Back in the mid 90s the old bus shelter near Balatasound was demolished by the council as it was considered unsafe. Bobby, aged just 7 at the time, wrote to the council and local paper to lobby for a new bus shelter to offer some protection from the elements while waiting for the bus.

His campaign gathered momentum and the Shetlands Islands Council reinstated the bus shelter with a shiny new structure in 1996.

Within a matter of weeks locals started putting items of furniture in the new shelter – first a wicker sofa, then a table and chairs, carpet and even a guest book – the list goes on.

It soon became a lot more than just a place to wait for a bus.

Over the years this evolved in to decorating the shelter with an annual theme – these have included The Golden Jubilee, Space Exploration, Tall Ships, The World Cup, Nelson Mandela and many more. My photo was from 2020 when I visited Shetland – the theme was 20:20 Vision. If you search on-line you’ll find some great photos of the themes over the last 25 years or so.

This is not just somewhere to shelter from the wind and the rain; it is a quirky little surprise tucked away on a quiet road – maybe you’ll be looking for it or you might stumble across it on your travels – either way it provides a wonderful spot to stop and enjoy the peace and quiet of this remote corner of the country.

If you are travelling to Shetland, seek out this unexpected local landmark – I promise you will not regret it.