In planning. This one isn’t ours to run — it’s the Simmer Dim committee’s rally and entry is by ticket only. Rally dates below are expected, not confirmed.
Simmer Dim Rally 🏴
The Simmer Dim is the Shetland name for the midsummer twilight — around the solstice it never really gets dark. The rally has run since 1982, always on the weekend closest to 21 June, and is capped at around 400 people, which is why everyone who goes says it’s the friendliest rally they’ve been to.
It’s held at Ollaberry, in the north mainland, about 36 miles up the road from the ferry in Lerwick. You camp. The ticket covers a hot meal every day and bar vouchers — the local hall committee, the Mid Brae Inn and the Voe Bakery do the feeding — plus six live bands, a disco, a run-out around the islands, silly games, trophies, and a Saturday visit from an Up Helly Aa Jarl Squad. Actual Vikings.
2026 ran Thu 18 – Sun 21 June. On the same pattern 2027 should be Thu 17 – Sun 20 June, but that’s our guess until the committee says so.
Different animal to a Scotland Spin: no hotel, no dinner table. It’s a tent in a field at 60° north. Still not suitable for learners.*
What We Know So Far
Expected — weekend nearest 21 June
North mainland, Shetland
Meals + bar vouchers included. Invites out early Feb
Rider + bike, return, peak, with a sleeping pod each way
Same, sharing an inner 2-berth each way
Want In?
Two things decide this trip: a rally ticket and a ferry cabin. Both run out. Drop me a message so we know numbers before February.
Simmer Dim Rally
The Plan From Dublin
Two ferries each way and the whole length of Scotland in between. It’s two days from Dublin to Shetland, so it’s Tuesday to Tuesday — six days off work.
Tuesday 15 June — Over To Scotland
The usual: Dublin to Belfast, Belfast to Cairnryan, then north. Aberdeen is about 240 miles from Cairnryan, so break it — overnight somewhere around Perth or Pitlochry and the hard miles are done.
Wednesday 16 June — Glenshee To The Boat
No motorway today. Up the A93 over Glenshee, down through Braemar and along Royal Deeside into Aberdeen — there are Snow Roads routes in the route library already. Be at the NorthLink terminal for 18:00: check-in closes 30 minutes before the 19:00 sailing, and Wednesday’s boat goes direct.
Dinner on board, a few pints, bed. It’s 12½ hours across open North Sea.
Thursday 17 June — Lerwick, Then Ollaberry
Dock in Lerwick at 07:30. Breakfast and supplies in town, then 36 miles north on the A970 through Voe and Brae and across Mavis Grind — the strip of land where the Atlantic and the North Sea are a stone’s throw apart. Pitch the tent, find the bar, first bands that night.
Friday & Saturday — The Rally
Days are yours, nights are the rally’s. There’s an organised run-out (weather permitting), and the good stuff is on the doorstep — see below. Two bands a night, supper at 10pm, disco till whenever. The Jarl Squad lands on Saturday and the trophies go out: furthest travelled, best bike, worst bike.
Tip: It doesn’t get dark. You will have no idea what time it is. Bring an eye mask.
Sunday 20 June — Pack Up, Sail South
Cooked breakfast, Sunday dinner, tent down. Back to Lerwick for the 19:00 direct sailing, into Aberdeen at 07:00 Monday. Most of the rally will be on the same boat.
Monday 21 June — Back Down Through Scotland
Off the boat at 07:00 after three nights of bands and a night at sea, so no heroics. A full day to wander south-west by whatever road looks good — the Cairngorms, the Trossachs, take your pick — and a hotel bed somewhere within reach of Cairnryan. It’s the longest day of the year; you won’t run out of light.
Tuesday 22 June — Home
Short hop to Cairnryan, ferry to Belfast, down the road to Dublin. Home for dinner.
Options: in a hurry? Aberdeen to Dublin in one push on the Monday is doable — 240 miles, an evening ferry and a late night. Not in a hurry? Stay in Shetland for the Monday, do Unst properly, and take Monday’s 17:30 sailing via Kirkwall.
Simmer Dim Rally
Tickets & Ferries
Neither of these is in our hands, so the order you do them in matters.
The Rally Ticket
Ticket only, around 400 of them. Email simmerdimrally@outlook.com or message the Facebook group to get on the list. Invites to apply go out in early February and it’s first to reply with payment. Price TBC.
The Shetland Ferry
NorthLink, Aberdeen to Lerwick, overnight. 2027 is already open for booking. 2027 peak singles: rider £46, bike £38.50, sleeping pod £18, reclining seat £3.50, inner 2-berth cabin £118 a room. 400 bikers want the same two boats — cabins go first.
The Irish Sea
Belfast to Cairnryan, same as every Scotland Spin. You book your own, and book it flexible — the Shetland boat is the one that can’t move, so everything else should be able to.
The catch: ferries are bookable now but tickets aren’t out until February. Check NorthLink’s amendment and cancellation terms before you book the boat on spec.
Simmer Dim Rally
Rough Figures
The back-of-an-envelope number going around is about €500 for boats, beds and the rally ticket. Here’s how that stacks up per person. Fuel is on top — call it 1,000 miles all in.
Per Person
Rider + bike + sleeping pod each way, 2027 peak fares (£205)
Book your own, flexible. Price moves with the sailing
One on the way up, one on the way back. Sharing a twin
Camping, a hot meal every day and bar vouchers. Price out in February
And yes — food is included for the rally weekend, along with a fistful of beer tokens. What you’ll actually spend money on is fuel, the ferry bar, and whatever happens in Lerwick.
While You’re Up There
Roads Worth The Boat
Shetland’s roads are quiet, fast-flowing and in better nick than they have any right to be. Inter-island ferries are cheap and turn up like buses.
Eshaness
Half an hour from the rally site. Volcanic sea cliffs, blowholes and a lighthouse at the end of the road. The one to do if you only do one.
Unst
Two short ferries (Toft–Ulsta, Gutcher–Belmont) get you to the most northerly island in Britain. Ride to the end of the road at Hermaness and look out at Muckle Flugga. There is nothing after that.
Sumburgh Head
The other end of the mainland. Puffins within arm’s reach in June, seals below, and the road crosses the airport runway on the way down.
Also: the rally’s own west-side run with a stop at the Cake Fridge, St Ninian’s Isle and its sand causeway, Scalloway, and Lerwick itself.
Your Bike
- Serviced, tyres with 1,500 miles left in them
- Puncture repair kit / basic toolkit
- Bikes get strapped down on the car deck — leave it in gear and know where your strap points are
- Fill up in Lerwick or Brae. Pumps get sparse further north
Your Camp
- A tent that can take wind. There are no trees on Shetland for a reason
- Proper pegs and spare guy lines
- Warm sleeping bag — midsummer nights are 8–10°C
- Eye mask and ear plugs
- A puck under the side stand
Your Bag
- Textiles or very good waterproofs
- Minimum of 3 pairs of gloves
- Layers. It can be 15°C and sunny or sideways rain, same afternoon
- Seasickness tablets, just in case
- Sterling
Do Your Own Research
Useful Links
NorthLink’s guide to the rally, their 2027 timetables and 2027 fares, and the rally on Shetland.org.