Companionship careShetland Islands
Keeping up the things they love is most of what makes a day good. This page shows what the Shetland Islands offers for each interest, and how to find a live-in carer who shares your mother's or father's.
Interest 1
Shetland walking is mostly coast, loch shore and open hill, with short level routes near the towns for those who cannot manage rough ground.
Somewhere to go
Lerwick
A flat circular walk round a loch on the edge of Lerwick, beside the ancient broch and within easy reach of the town. A carer can drive over, set the pace and turn back early if the wind gets up, making it a walk that works in most weather.
Getting around: The route round the loch is described as fully accessible and usable all year, including in winter.
Source: shetland.org. Check opening times and access before you go.
Somewhere to go
Lerwick
A short trail on the southern edge of Lerwick linking Hoofields with Sandy Loch Drive, with views over Clickimin Loch and broch towards Bressay. A carer can handle the transport and walk alongside, and Shetland has all-terrain wheelchairs available for people who need one.
Getting around: Listed as an all-terrain wheelchair route of about 1.5km return, taking around 30 minutes.
Source: shetland.org. Check opening times and access before you go.
How a companion helps
A companion walks at their pace, knows when to turn back, and drives to the flat, well-surfaced routes so a short walk is still possible when a long one is not.
Live-in carers who enjoy walkingCarers list their interests on their profiles. Search live-in carers on the Shetland Islands and the ones who share this interest are shown first.
Interest 2
Gardening in Shetland is shaped by wind and salt, so shelter belts, walled corners and hardy planting matter more here than anywhere further south.
Somewhere to go
Tresta
A long established private garden on the Westside, created from bare croft land and known for plants that cope with Shetland conditions. It opens to the public on Sundays and takes booked group tours, so a carer can check the day, arrange the visit and drive over.
Source: shetland.org. Check opening times and access before you go.
Somewhere to go
Sand
A woodland and wildlife garden planted since 1991 with thousands of trees and shrubs, ponds and meadow areas among open moorland. A carer can plan a short loop with rests, and there is somewhere to sit and watch the birds rather than walk the whole site.
Getting around: Picnic tables and seating are provided, and the walks are sheltered.
Source: shetland.org. Check opening times and access before you go.
How a companion helps
Potting on at a table rather than kneeling, deadheading from a stool, visiting gardens with level paths and a tearoom: a carer keeps the garden in their week.
Live-in carers who enjoy gardeningCarers list their interests on their profiles. Search live-in carers on the Shetland Islands and the ones who share this interest are shown first.
Interest 3
Shetland cooking comes from crofting and fishing, with salting, drying and girdle baking still part of everyday food.
Local food
Salted and wind dried mutton, simmered into a potato soup that turns up at hall dances and winter gatherings across the islands. A carer can help with peeling and lifting the heavy pot while the older person runs the recipe from memory.
Source: shetland.org. Check opening times and access before you go.
Local food
Soft girdle baked bannocks, usually eaten warm with butter and often served alongside reestit mutton soup. Making them is a short seated job at a table, and a carer can manage the hot girdle and the shopping.
Source: northlinkferries.co.uk. Check opening times and access before you go.
How a companion helps
A carer does the lifting, the hot trays and the washing up, so the recipes, the judging and the tasting stay with the person who knows them.
Live-in carers who enjoy cooking & bakingCarers list their interests on their profiles. Search live-in carers on the Shetland Islands and the ones who share this interest are shown first.
Interest 4
Shetland has its own fiddle tradition with Norse and Scots roots, and tunes are still played in halls and community centres rather than only on stage.
In the calendar
Lerwick
An annual spring festival of folk and traditional music, with concerts in Lerwick and in halls around the islands and a festival club at Islesburgh Community Centre. A carer can book tickets early, arrange transport and choose an afternoon or early concert rather than a late night.
Source: shetland.org. Check opening times and access before you go.
Somewhere to join
Lerwick
A Lerwick based society of fiddlers formed in 1960 that plays regularly for folk dance and appears at island festivals. A carer can get someone there with their fiddle, or simply along to listen if playing has become harder.
Source: en.wikipedia.org. Check opening times and access before you go.
How a companion helps
Old records, a choir concert, singing along in the kitchen. Music often stays with people long after other things fade, and a companion who enjoys it makes it part of the day.
Live-in carers who enjoy musicCarers list their interests on their profiles. Search live-in carers on the Shetland Islands and the ones who share this interest are shown first.
Interest 5
Dancing in Shetland belongs to the hall and the fire festival season, where live fiddle music and old set dances still fill the floor.
Local tradition
Lerwick
On Up Helly Aa night the squads visit eleven halls in turn through the night, performing acts and then dancing with the guests. A carer can arrange a seat at one hall for part of the evening and get the person home before the small hours.
Source: shetland.org. Check opening times and access before you go.
How a companion helps
From tea dances to seated movement to music, a companion can find the right session, drive there, and make sure it is enjoyable rather than tiring.
Live-in carers who enjoy dancingCarers list their interests on their profiles. Search live-in carers on the Shetland Islands and the ones who share this interest are shown first.
Interest 6
Shetland has hundreds of trout lochs within a short drive of most settlements, alongside long standing sea fishing traditions.
Somewhere to join
The association manages trout fishing across more than 300 lochs, runs competitions and sells one season permit covering them all, with boats for hire on several lochs. A carer can sort the permit, carry the gear and drive to a loch with roadside parking.
Source: shetlandtrout.co.uk. Check opening times and access before you go.
Somewhere to go
Tingwall
A limestone loch in the Tingwall valley with good quality wild brown trout and an association boat for hire. A carer can set up a chair by the bank so fishing is possible without walking far from the car.
Getting around: The loch has easy access from the single track road through the Tingwall valley.
Source: lets.fish. Check opening times and access before you go.
How a companion helps
A carer can sort the permit and the tackle, drive to a bank spot close to the car park, and bring the chair, the flask and the patience.
Live-in carers who enjoy fishingCarers list their interests on their profiles. Search live-in carers on the Shetland Islands and the ones who share this interest are shown first.
Interest 7
Long summer light, seabird cliffs and changeable weather give Shetland photographers subjects within yards of the car park.
Somewhere to go
Sumburgh
An RSPB reserve at Shetland's best known lighthouse, where puffins and other seabirds nest on the cliffs below the visitor centre. A carer can drive to the top car park and settle someone at the accessible viewing platform with a camera and a flask.
Getting around: There are blue badge spaces beside the lighthouse buildings and a sheltered viewing platform with ramped access about 50m from the main car park.
Source: rspb.org.uk. Check opening times and access before you go.
Somewhere to join
A club bringing together photographers of all levels across the isles, sharing skills and entering local and national competitions. A carer can help with lifts to meetings and with printing or uploading images for a competition entry.
Source: shetlandtimes.co.uk. Check opening times and access before you go.
How a companion helps
A companion can plan an outing around the light and the tide, carry the kit, and help sort the pictures afterwards.
Live-in carers who enjoy photographyCarers list their interests on their profiles. Search live-in carers on the Shetland Islands and the ones who share this interest are shown first.
Interest 8
Shetland's light, coastline and textile patterns feed a working community of island artists and makers.
Somewhere to go
Weisdale
Shetland's first purpose built gallery, in a restored grain mill, showing local and visiting exhibitions of art and craft, with a shop and a café over the burn. A carer can time a visit for a new exhibition and build in a long sit in the café.
Source: shetland.org. Check opening times and access before you go.
How a companion helps
Setting up the table, washing the brushes, finding a gallery with a lift: a carer handles the practical side so the time goes on the painting.
Live-in carers who enjoy paintingCarers list their interests on their profiles. Search live-in carers on the Shetland Islands and the ones who share this interest are shown first.
Interest 9
Shetland has a strong written culture in dialect and in crime fiction, and library services reach well beyond the one town.
In the calendar
Mareel, Lerwick
A crime writing festival held at Mareel in Lerwick with author events, panels and workshops, returning in June 2026. A carer can book a single afternoon session rather than a full pass and handle the travel and seating.
Source: shetland.org. Check opening times and access before you go.
How a companion helps
Library trips, reading aloud when eyes tire, audiobooks set up and ready, and somebody to talk about the book with.
Live-in carers who enjoy readingCarers list their interests on their profiles. Search live-in carers on the Shetland Islands and the ones who share this interest are shown first.
Interest 10
Shetland runs on voluntary effort, from community halls and trusts to island wide clean ups that most households join in with.
Somewhere to join
Market House, Lerwick
The islands' volunteer centre and third sector support body, matching people with local groups that need help. A carer can go through the options, make the first contact and come along to an initial session.
Source: volunteer.scot. Check opening times and access before you go.
In the calendar
An annual community clean up of beaches, roadsides and public spaces, run by Shetland Amenity Trust every year since 1988. A carer can pick an easy stretch near a car park and do the bending while the older person keeps the bag and the company.
Source: shetland.org. Check opening times and access before you go.
How a companion helps
A carer can help find a role that suits sitting down or short sessions, and handle the lifts there and back.
Live-in carers who enjoy volunteeringCarers list their interests on their profiles. Search live-in carers on the Shetland Islands and the ones who share this interest are shown first.
Interest 11
Shetland knitting, from fine lace to Fair Isle colourwork, is a working island skill passed down in families rather than a revival.
In the calendar
An annual autumn festival of the islands' wool and knitwear heritage, with classes, exhibitions and events across Shetland and a new patron's hat pattern each year. A carer can book one short class or exhibition, sort the travel and carry the needles and wool.
Source: shetland.org. Check opening times and access before you go.
Somewhere to go
Lerwick
A community museum devoted to Shetland textiles, where knitters, spinners and weavers often demonstrate their work, open from late April to October. A carer can pre book for a small group visit and bring knitting along for a sit and a blether.
Source: shetlandtextilemuseum.com. Check opening times and access before you go.
How a companion helps
Winding wool, reading the pattern aloud, picking up dropped stitches, and a trip to the wool shop or a knitting group.
Live-in carers who enjoy knittingCarers list their interests on their profiles. Search live-in carers on the Shetland Islands and the ones who share this interest are shown first.
Closer to home
Not every good day involves going out. Each of these is easier, and more fun, with somebody to share it, and plenty of live-in carers list them.
From interest to introduction
Use the link under any interest on this page. It opens a search of live-in carers on the Shetland Islands with the carers who list that interest first; nobody else is hidden, so you still see everyone who could come.
Each profile shows the carer's interests next to their experience, the conditions they have cared for, their day rate and their reviews. Shortlist two or three.
Message and meet them for free. Ask about the hobby: someone who really gardens will tell you what they grow. Nothing is booked until you decide.
We set up the contract, handle invoicing and payment, and insure the care while the carer works. The rest of the week is theirs to fill.
Lee-Ann
Care manager for families on the Shetland Islands
Someone to talk to first
Most families start with a call: what your relative needs, what it would cost, which carers share your parent's interests, and whether live-in care or companionship visits suit them better, and what to ask a carer when you speak to them. Lee-Ann has those conversations every day and can tell you which of the carers on the Shetland Islands might suit, though the choice is always yours.
Questions
Yes. Getting out is a normal part of a live-in carer's week: a walk (Loch of Clickimin is a good one), a garden visit, a choir concert, the bowls club or a lunch with friends. Many carers drive, and the search shows who does. Mileage is only charged if you agree it in advance and in writing, and 55p a mile is the usual figure when a carer uses their own car. Entry tickets and cafe stops for the carer are worth agreeing up front too.
Use the link under the interest on this page: it opens a search of live-in carers on the Shetland Islands with the ones who list that interest shown first, and the rest still there below them. Every profile shows the carer's interests alongside their experience, rates and reviews. Message the ones you like, and talk about the hobby when you meet them: it is the quickest way to tell whether the interest is real.
For live-in care it matters more than people expect. A live-in carer shares the house for weeks at a time, and the hours between the care tasks are most of the day. Somebody who likes the same programmes, games or garden fills those hours naturally. It is still second to experience and temperament, so treat it as a tie-breaker between good carers rather than the first thing you filter on.
Live-in care through PrimeCarers is typically about £1,120 a week, with our fee included, and each carer sets their own rate, shown on their profile. That covers somebody living in and helping through the day. If your parent needs company rather than round-the-clock help, hourly companionship visits start from about £15 an hour. Companionship care on the Shetland Islands compares the two.
Then the interest comes to him. A carer can bring the garden to a table on the patio, put the old records on, set up the jigsaw, read the paper aloud or play cards most afternoons. The interests further down this page are mostly the ones done at home, and plenty of carers share them.
Each local suggestion was researched from published sources, and every one on the page has passed a check before appearing: either it was found on a map inside the Shetland Islands, or its source page, which we link to, is live and names the area. Anything that failed was left out. Opening times, prices and access change, so check with the venue before you go, especially for gardens such as Lea Gardens, where it is worth asking ahead about wheelchairs or mobility scooters.
Yes. Before a carer appears on PrimeCarers they have passed an enhanced DBS check, an identity check and a right-to-work check, and had an online interview with our team, with renewal or rechecks depending on the accepted route. Carers write their own profiles, including their interests and skills, so ask about anything that matters to you when you meet them. How we vet carers sets out each step.
See live-in carers with their photos, interests, rates and reviews, and talk to your favourites for free. Nothing is booked until you say so.
