Lerwick vs Kirkwall? How does Lerwick compare to Kirkwall?

I love visiting Shetland and Orkney and spending time in Lerwick and Kirkwall. If you’re planning to visit and are wondering what to expect or if you have to choose just one to visit, my Top Trumps style guide is here to help you out.

I’ve been to Shetland six times and Orkney four times. Each time I’ve travelled a lot round the islands and during those travels have popped in and out of their respective capitals numerous times. So I feel like I know Shetland’s Lerwick and Orkney’s Kirkwall pretty well. Well enough, anyway, to have formed opinions on them.

People expect them to be similar, but they’re not. They each have their own distinctive look and particular vibe. I like both for different reasons and when asked which was my favourite was a bit stumped. Of course, my instinct was to say Lerwick seeing as how I feel Shetland is my soul home and all, but with only a second’s thought I started to come up with lots of wonderful things about Kirkwall too.

How to choose? How to compare Lerwick with Kirkwall? I decided to come up with my own Lerwick vs Kirkwall version of Top Trumps and give them both a score on lots of different aspects. Continue reading “Lerwick vs Kirkwall? How does Lerwick compare to Kirkwall?”