Can you see Foula in a day by ferry? Not on the council boat. The New Advance is based on the island, so it leaves Foula at 09:30 and turns round at Walls at 13:30, and its sailing days are Tuesday and Thursday from October to April, with Saturday added from May to September. A ferry visit therefore means at least two nights on Foula, and a seat must be booked in advance.
Shetland Islands Council inter-island timetable, described by the council as effective from 5 October 2026; the PDF it links still carries a 6 October 2025 date. Sailing days confirmed with BK Marine's timetable page on 13 October 2026. Shetland Islands Council — Bressay, Whalsay, Skerries, Papa Stour, Fair Isle and Foula timetable · 2026-10-13
Foula is Shetland's most westerly island, five distinctive hills rising out of the Atlantic about 20 miles off the Mainland, and home to around 35 people according to the islands' tourism website. Its ferry is the opposite of a commuter link: one boat with twelve seats, a single round trip on each sailing day, and none on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays or Sundays.
Shetland Islands Council sets the timetable and fares, and BK Marine runs the service under contract and takes the bookings. The council lists Foula as bookings only, and its own booking office does not handle this route, so call BK Marine.
Because the vessel starts each sailing day on Foula, the timetable is built around islanders, who get a couple of hours on the Mainland around midday before the boat heads home, and visitors coming out can expect to stay until the next sailing.
Foula and Fair Isle are the two council routes where fares are singles, charged in each direction, rather than returns paid on the way out. Payment is taken at departure even though the seat is booked beforehand.
At £2.80 for an adult, it is the same fare the council charges for a return to Bressay, despite a crossing of about two hours.
| Adult | £ 2.80 |
| Over 60 with SIC pass, or child up to 19 | £ 0.40 |
| Disabled concessionary SIC pass holder | Free |
| Adult, 20-journey ticket | £ 56 |
Shetland Islands Council Fare Table 2026/2027, valid 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027; checked on 13 October 2026. Shetland Islands Council — Ferry Fares 2026/2027 · 2026-10-13
Pier to pier, Walls and Foula are about 28 kilometres apart, and BK Marine puts the island roughly 22 kilometres off the West Mainland coast. The boat crosses open water west of the Mainland, and the council allows two hours for it.
Shetland's other remote council crossing is to Fair Isle, sailing from Grutness in the far south of the Mainland and taking even longer. The everyday island links on the east side are shorter hops, such as the Laxo or Vidlin boat to Whalsay and the Yell Sound and Bluemull Sound ferries to Unst.
Walls is a village on the West Mainland, reached off the A971. The Foula boat leaves from the pier on Pier Road.
As the boat arrives from Foula in the morning and sails back at 13:30, visitors heading out have the morning to get across Shetland to Walls.
The pier is on the island's east side. There is no public transport, but islanders can provide lifts between the pier and the airstrip by arrangement.
Public toilets are at the airstrip rather than the pier, and there is no general store.
Shetland.org notes that Airtask flies from Tingwall Airport near Lerwick and that a day visit is possible by plane. Air and sea services both depend heavily on the weather.
The Foula Ranger Service leads guided walks tailored to the time you have, and Foula Heritage can supply maps for walking alone.
With the ferry giving no same-day return, plan for self-catering accommodation; Foula Heritage lists what is available.
Foula still follows the old Julian calendar for its festivals, keeping Christmas on 6 January and New Year on 13 January.
The island makes its own electricity from three wind turbines, a hydro generator, solar panels and batteries, run by the Foula Electricity Trust.
The Norse called it Fugla-ey, bird island, and the cliffs still hold great skuas, puffins, kittiwakes, guillemots and fulmars. Da Kame, at 376 metres, is among the highest sea cliffs in Britain, surpassed only on St Kilda according to BK Marine, while the Sneug at 418 metres is the island's highest summit.
Isolation shaped the island's history too. Shetland.org records that Foula was one of the last places where the Norn language was spoken, and that the White Star liner RMS Oceanic ran aground on da Shaalds, three miles east of the island, early in the First World War.
Tuesdays and Thursdays all year, and Saturdays as well from May to September. Each sailing day has one departure from Foula at 09:30 and one from Walls at 13:30.
No. The boat is based on Foula and makes only one round trip, leaving Walls in the afternoon, so a ferry visit lasts until the next sailing. Day visits are possible by plane from Tingwall.
Through BK Marine, which runs the service: 07881 827636 or 07726 328097. The council's own ferry booking office does not take Foula bookings.
£2.80 for an adult each way on the 2026/27 council fare table, while SIC concession pass holders over 60, and anyone aged 19 or under, pay 40p.
Not a car: the New Advance is a foot-passenger vessel with twelve seats. For anything bulky, ask BK Marine when booking.
Call the council's Foula voicebank on 01595 743976, or BK Marine's service information numbers. Bad weather is the usual reason for a cancellation.