Seabirds-and-Seals - The Original Noss Boat Tours

I was visiting Shetland with my son, and was very keen to go on this boat trip to see all of the amazing birds and scenery around the coast of Bressay where we were staying. I am in my 90s and still active but need a wee bit of help with mobility, so we had borrowed a wheelchair from the lovely team at Ability Shetland for the week. We wondered whether we could board the boat with the manual wheelchair which we had borrowed. Well, we were pleasantly surprised. Not only did the website encourage people to let the tour operators know their accessibility needs, when we turned up they even had a specially built ramp to make getting on and off the boat seamless for wheelchair users. And the attitude and skill of the team meant that I felt safe and comfortable at all times, even when we we were out on the open water. They had done a wonderful job of securing the wheelchair once we were on board, in a great spot where I could still see everything that was going on. The audio headphones provided proved to be excellent too, and helped me with my hearing, to pick up the information that Marie was sharing with us through a microphone. We didn't use the toilet while we were on the boat, but it sounded like it would have definitely been accessible for me as I'm able to get out of the wheelchair, and could have managed that. We can't say thank you enough to Marie and the team, and hope that our experience encourages others to make the most of the brilliant and accessible attraction that they have created. We were also lucky with the weather! Marie told us that if we hadn't sourced our own wheelchair, they have a partnership with Ability Shetland, and could have arranged it for us. So that might be a good option for some. I gather they even make a donation to Ability Shetland each time they do this. Good eggs all round.

As a wheelchair users I cannot recommend this experience more highly. The owners arranged for a manual wheelchair to be delivered to my hotel as I could not take my power chair on board. With a little help I was soon on board and the chair secured. The ride out to the gannet colony was great. We saw lots of seabirds, even some puffins on the water. Even a short detour into a cave. Then on to see the gannets. This was the highlight of the tour, the birds were diving all around the boat feeding on the fish that was being thrown from the boat. All too soon we had to head back to Lerwick but, there was one more treat in store. A cup of tea and a biscuit during a short stop. It was simply the best thing I did on that holiday. A must do! One more thing there are some other things you might if you are very very lucky.