Cute Houses of Scalloway

The first couple of times I went to Scalloway I liked it, but felt it was somewhere to quickly see and move on. There’s a castle and there was a small cluttered museum in one of the terraced houses, but that was about it.

Scalloway is a village really, not a town, and as it’s only a few miles from Lerwick it always made more sense to stay in Lerwick itself.

But then the campsite in Lerwick closed and I was left having to find somewhere to park my van up each night and find somewhere safe and quiet to sleep. So last year I started driving over to Scalloway each evening and parking up there. After a few nights I felt like I was living in Scalloway and quite liked my new home.

I found a lovely cafe for breakfast, the sea views are stunning, the castle was bigger on the inside than I remembered and the museum had moved into new, custom-built premises and is wonderful.

I also noticed that some of the houses are very, very cute.

This year, I haven’t stayed in Scalloway every night during my time in Lerwick, but I have spent a few nights there again. I took the opportunity to have a proper wander round and dream about maybe making this my home one day.

Have a look at some of these houses and see what you think.

First up is a whole street of cute houses. Look at all the different colours! It was quite difficult to photograph this street as I couldn’t stand far enough back, but I’m sure you can get some of the impression this made on my eyes.

Across the road from the colourful houses are these two half wooden and half stone houses. I love these the most. I love how they hang out into the sea and how the blue makes me think of hot, sunny days. I love that their ‘backyards’ are like a little private beach (albeit with no sand!) and how they look so traditional and yet so modern. And yeah, I love how they ooze cuteness.

In fact, I love them so much, here are some more pictures of them.

This one is called ‘The Booth‘ and is really tiny. I actually got to go inside this time as an art exhibition was being held there. The Booth isn’t anyone’s actual home, but is used as a temporary residence and workspace for visiting artists.

Upstairs is one room with a tiny kitchen and bathroom. A bit of a loft space is used as the bedroom. It just has a mattress in it and a very low roof. I’m sure there’s more than one artist out there who has cracked their head when they’ve tried to get up in the morning.

Downstairs at sea level is the studio which is just like a cellar really. I imagine it would get pretty cold and damp in there in the winter.

The exhibition I saw is by artist John Cumming and consisted of paintings and sculptures, including some sculptures outside in the little yard. This is the first time an exhibition has been held here, but I believe there are plans to hold more in the future as part of an outreach programme to bring art exhibitions to more Shetland locations than just those in Lerwick or at the Bonhoga Gallery in the West Mainland.

From the yard of The Booth I got a better view of the other really cute house. This one is quite a bit bigger and has various levels of outside spaces in different styles from a lawn to a rocky sea plant garden. It also has that rather inviting balcony. 

Many of the houses on this side of the road had narrow steps leading down to a little pebble beach. It would be so easy to walk past and miss them.

Other passageways climbed steeply up the hill to get to the houses and streets above.

As I explored the higher levels of the village, as well as finding lots more cute houses, I got tantalising glimpses of the sea from the top of each of the passages.

How hidden is this house? Can you see it peeking through the trees. And it’s got a wishing well! I wonder what you’d wish for if you already lived in a house like this?

I don’t usually have to take much notice of ‘mind your head’ signs, but I think these houses might even be too low for me.

And look at how tiny this house is. It’s not just low, but small all round. Even the car wouldn’t fit inside it. I actually wasn’t sure if this was a house or not, though it looked like one with the curtains and plant in the window.

This was another one I really liked. I like how it’s like an old church with a modern Scandinavian-looking porch on the front.

And look, it’s got a sea view from the porch. I imagine the views are pretty good from inside too.

I had to take a close-up of the porch because the hanging rug just made it look even cuter. And I noticed the date above the door. I wonder if that’s when the ‘church’ was built or if the porch is that old as well?

This house is much bigger, but it still looks pretty nice so I’ve included it even if it probably is too big to be called cute. It was much higher up in the village which is why it’s able to have a bigger garden.

This one’s got a garden as well. And it looks like they extended it onto the roof! The tiny window looks very cute from the outside, though I imagine it can’t let much light in.

This wasn’t a particularly cute house, but I did love the garden even though with the heap of dirt it still looks like a work in progress. How many gardens have you seen that have a full-size piano as well as a Buddha? And a red ladder to reach the garden?

These houses looked really striking through the trees with their green windows and red chimney pots. I couldn’t get a good angle for a photo, so you’ll just have to take my word for it or go and see them for yourself.

This house is down at sea level. It’s name is Scots-Gaelic which is unusual in Shetland as most names are Old Norse in origin. It means The Fireplace and is also the name of a Scottish mountain.

Also at sea level is this house with a little burn running alongside it. Burn is the Scots word for brook or small stream and there are plenty of them around. This has got to be one of the cutest though, even if it was dry when I was there.

At the end of a small street I found this house with a rather fetching purple door. There must be great views down the street and out to sea from those upper windows.

From the far side of the village I was able to get a good view of my favourite houses and the colourful street with the castle behind. Do you want to live here yet?

As I can’t move here just yet I might have to buy one of these REALLY tiny houses to take with me so I can look at it when I’m at home and dream.

What do you think of these cute houses of Scalloway? Which is your favourite? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Like this? Read these next:

Walking to Fethaland
A Shetland Reading List
A Castle Themed Road Trip

Pin it