GarthsCroftBressay
GarthsCroftBressay
5
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Monday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Tuesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Wednesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Thursday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Friday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Saturday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Sunday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
About
Garths Croft, Bressay, Shetland, is a smallholding specialising in native and heritage breeds together with visits to and interpretation of natural and cultural heritage sites on the island on Bressay. Open all year.
Duration: 2-3 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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5.0
58 reviews
Excellent
57
Very good
1
Average
0
Poor
0
Terrible
0
Jody R.
Heriot Bay, Canada2 contributions
May 2024 • Friends
Chris Dyer is a fascinating, very educational guide of Shetlands archeology and historian and current Shetland culture. This is my third visit. I always learn something. In addition, as a fibre artist, he has the most lovely Shetland sheep fleeces
Written 27 May 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stewart Y
1 contribution
Jan 2025 • Friends
I visited Sheltand with my friend for the Up Helly Aa festival and ended up having a lovely couple of days in the company of Chris who took us on tailored tour of some of the further reached areas and less seen places on the various islands of Shetland as well as a tour of his Croft and its inner workings.
Chris is phenomenally suited to take tours as he genuinely cares about the wants and needs of the people he leads and tailors tours to what would suit them best, his knowledge and passion for the islands, its culture and heritage are evident and it was an absolute pleasure to experience it. As someone that has a keen interest in history and culture of the outer Hebridean islands (Gaelic heritage) he really made the tour come alive for me and was just excited as I was even though he'd have seen it a hundred times over.
The tour of his croft was also a great experience for me as I had crofting family a few generations back on Lewis, his care and attentivity of his croft and livestock was great to see and it was a pleasure to see efforts into sustainability in the modern world.
Many thanks Chris, I can't wait to come back!
Chris is phenomenally suited to take tours as he genuinely cares about the wants and needs of the people he leads and tailors tours to what would suit them best, his knowledge and passion for the islands, its culture and heritage are evident and it was an absolute pleasure to experience it. As someone that has a keen interest in history and culture of the outer Hebridean islands (Gaelic heritage) he really made the tour come alive for me and was just excited as I was even though he'd have seen it a hundred times over.
The tour of his croft was also a great experience for me as I had crofting family a few generations back on Lewis, his care and attentivity of his croft and livestock was great to see and it was a pleasure to see efforts into sustainability in the modern world.
Many thanks Chris, I can't wait to come back!
Written 12 February 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
WI_roam
Wisconsin64 contributions
Jul 2024 • Friends
My husband, a friend and I spent a wonderful day with Chris. He met us at the ferry from Lerwick and took us to his farm to meet his beautiful Shetland sheep. He had just sheared them so we got to see the fleece in the shed as well.
Since we were interested in archaeology, we then spent the rest of the day being shown sites on Bressay. We saw the Victorian lighthouse, many abandoned croft houses, an Iron Age broch, Viking house foundations, a ruined medieval church, and some abandoned water mills, all set in the gorgeous scenery of the island. Chis is knowledgeable in many fields - he explained the local archaeology, history, and island culture beautifully, and since I grew up on a farm I had a great time discussing his sheep and chickens and other farm topics as well. He is a considerate and attentive host to his guests and he made sure we all enjoyed our time on Bressay.
We had corresponded by email prior to our tour and Chris took what we told him about our interests and put together a great itinerary for us. I'd love to go back and see more with him!
Since we were interested in archaeology, we then spent the rest of the day being shown sites on Bressay. We saw the Victorian lighthouse, many abandoned croft houses, an Iron Age broch, Viking house foundations, a ruined medieval church, and some abandoned water mills, all set in the gorgeous scenery of the island. Chis is knowledgeable in many fields - he explained the local archaeology, history, and island culture beautifully, and since I grew up on a farm I had a great time discussing his sheep and chickens and other farm topics as well. He is a considerate and attentive host to his guests and he made sure we all enjoyed our time on Bressay.
We had corresponded by email prior to our tour and Chris took what we told him about our interests and put together a great itinerary for us. I'd love to go back and see more with him!
Written 20 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
el m
Lugano, Switzerland4 contributions
Jun 2024 • Friends
We had an absolutely unforgettable and truly enriching experience with Chris on Bressay! Book him at the beginning of your trip, and you'll understand and see Shetland better as Chris generously shares his incredible knowledge and experience in different fields. It's infectious!
You can learn so much from him about the local history, the many archaeological sites and excavations, but also about farming in harsh conditions (incl. polycrubbing), sheep farming, wool harvesting, Shetland's current challenges and more!
We spent a whole day with Chris first in his croft and then on an archaeological tour of Bressay. We learned a lot and sailed that evening over to Lerwick very much inspired and rewarded .
Chris also gave us some brilliant tips for our hikes around Shetland. And if you're a knitter, you're in in the right place! His sheep are incredible creatures, and their fleece is really beautiful.
You can learn so much from him about the local history, the many archaeological sites and excavations, but also about farming in harsh conditions (incl. polycrubbing), sheep farming, wool harvesting, Shetland's current challenges and more!
We spent a whole day with Chris first in his croft and then on an archaeological tour of Bressay. We learned a lot and sailed that evening over to Lerwick very much inspired and rewarded .
Chris also gave us some brilliant tips for our hikes around Shetland. And if you're a knitter, you're in in the right place! His sheep are incredible creatures, and their fleece is really beautiful.
Written 23 June 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nancy L
2 contributions
May 2024 • Family
One of the best things my husband and I did during our May trip to Shetland was to hire Chris. We had one day with him on his croft and the isle of Bressay, exploring some of the history and archeology of the island. Chris was very knowledgable about all aspects of Shetland life and history, and was warm and entertaining to boot. We had a second day with him when we took ferries up to Unst (we let Chris do the driving!), the most northerly island where he took us to the most northerly spot in the UK! Fantastic scenery and loads of history--a ruined castle, ruins of Viking and early Christian settlements, as well as lots of newborn sheep as it was lambing season when we were there. We even had lunch in a replica of a Viking long house. We immensely enjoyed our days with him and highly recommend him.
Written 11 June 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mami-fasulye
2 contributions
Mar 2024 • Business
We visited Chris to learn more about the Shetland sheep used for Fair Isle knitwear and about the croft work.
His explanations were very clear and we learned a lot of new information. Having lived and worked in other places, so he is able to talk from different perspectives. It was wonderful! And his pride and passion for his work was inspiring.
His sheep were well cared for, lovely, and had a variety of beautiful coat colors.
In addition to the tour of the croft, we also visited a spot where we could feel the history of Bressay Island and the beautiful natural coast, which was an unforgettable experience. He is an archeologist, so he has special knowledge of the island history.
He was very flexible and helpful in presenting us with different options according to the weather, our schedule, and our stamina. We will definitely visit again!
His explanations were very clear and we learned a lot of new information. Having lived and worked in other places, so he is able to talk from different perspectives. It was wonderful! And his pride and passion for his work was inspiring.
His sheep were well cared for, lovely, and had a variety of beautiful coat colors.
In addition to the tour of the croft, we also visited a spot where we could feel the history of Bressay Island and the beautiful natural coast, which was an unforgettable experience. He is an archeologist, so he has special knowledge of the island history.
He was very flexible and helpful in presenting us with different options according to the weather, our schedule, and our stamina. We will definitely visit again!
Written 2 April 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Anne D
1 contribution
Jun 2024 • Couples
Last June, we've ended our wonderful holidays in Shetland with a visit in Chris Dyer's croft. We were overwhelmed by the visit, Chris is an extremely interesting person who has many strings to his bow, archaeology, the art of how to build a wall with dry stones, the croft and sheep and many others focus of interest which he loves to share with passion. Chris is very friendly and we have had an amazing time with him and his very cute sheep not forgetting his adorable sheepdog 🐶🥰
We would absolutely love to go back to spend some time with him why not this time learning from him some archeological knowledge, which is one of his passion.
We would definitely recommend a visit in Chris's croft, you will have an amazing experience !
We would absolutely love to go back to spend some time with him why not this time learning from him some archeological knowledge, which is one of his passion.
We would definitely recommend a visit in Chris's croft, you will have an amazing experience !
Written 30 June 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Caroline L
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK33 contributions
May 2024 • Friends
We visited the croft as a group of spinners. We were blessed with a beautifully sunny day to enjoy tremendous views. It was lovely to see the sheep and where Chris shears the fleece.
Lots of our group were excited by the polycrub.
Nice to learn about Chris and his many and varied interests.
I think for future visitors of a crafting persuasion, having something more interactive with the fleece would be beneficial. For those who haven't experienced fleece / wool from source, perhaps partnering up with someone for demonstration for visitors would be really good to show the whole sustainability story.
Wish we had longer to stay in Bressay, will see more of the archaeology next time.
Good luck with the knitting Chris, and shout if you want a spinner during silly season, I'm sure we can find you someone ;)
Lots of our group were excited by the polycrub.
Nice to learn about Chris and his many and varied interests.
I think for future visitors of a crafting persuasion, having something more interactive with the fleece would be beneficial. For those who haven't experienced fleece / wool from source, perhaps partnering up with someone for demonstration for visitors would be really good to show the whole sustainability story.
Wish we had longer to stay in Bressay, will see more of the archaeology next time.
Good luck with the knitting Chris, and shout if you want a spinner during silly season, I'm sure we can find you someone ;)
Written 8 June 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kurt
Kaiserslautern, Germany2 contributions
Jul 2024 • Family
We had a truly wonderful experience at and around the Croft. Chris is personable, professional, and deeply knowledgeable. We toured the Croft, fed livestock, held lambs in our arms, and explored Viking ruins in the area.
In addition, Chris put together a day trip for us to explore Unst together. It was a day filled with marvels.
Additionally, his archaeological knowledge and local involvement is incredibly varied. If you have questions or other areas you may like to explore around the islands, reach out. He may surprise you.
In addition, Chris put together a day trip for us to explore Unst together. It was a day filled with marvels.
Additionally, his archaeological knowledge and local involvement is incredibly varied. If you have questions or other areas you may like to explore around the islands, reach out. He may surprise you.
Written 23 July 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Maps15956541212
1 contribution
Apr 2024 • Family
It was a very nice day at Chris's farm. His love of animals is immediately noticeable and tasted in his products. Our daughter enjoyed the day very much. When we are in Shetland we will take Chris again to learn more about the life and history of these islands. Highly recommended, especially for families.
Written 21 April 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Written 1 May 2023
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