Shetland Pony Express
Recommended by 91% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Shetland Islands, Scotland
- 1 to 2 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Overview
A visit to the Shetland Islands is incomplete without spotting the islands' adorable native ponies, but getting close to the privately owned animals can be tricky. This tour from Lerwick takes you around Shetland's Central Mainland to Scalloway to meet a herd of Shetland ponies, as well as their owner who can provide insights into the breed and their role in Shetlandic culture.
- Option to spend time exploring Scalloway independently
- Get great photo opportunities with the Shetland ponies
- Enjoy a scenic drive through the Tingwall Valley on the return to Lerwick
- This compact tour is perfect for travelers short on time in Shetland
What's Included
- Carol's Ponies
- Fuel surcharge
- GST (Goods and Services Tax)
- Parking Fees
- Gratuities
- Lunch
- Snacks
- Entrance to Scalloway Museum
Meeting and Pickup
Itinerary
1
Scalloway
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
2
Scalloway
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Tingwall (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Transportation is wheelchair accessible
- Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 33 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
stephen_b
We really enjoyed our trip to the ponies. Our driver “Warren” was very helpful and friendly. We didn’t visit Scallowaybut everyone else did. We had Carol and the ponies to ourselves for about twenty minutes. Carol was great to talk with and very knowledgeable. It’s worth the visit but it may not be what you think going by previous comments. It’s not a ranch it’s a field. You get up close with the ponies for photos and can touch. We really enjoyed it.
Reviews
4.6
based on 58 reviews
Bettina_L, Sep 2025
Very nice busdriver, had good information about the city.
I would have enjoyed if bus tour would go a little further, it was a bit short.
there is also a cheap public bus transfer, check this out as an alternativ
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Good Afternoon,
Thank you for travelling with us and taking the time to review your experience of the Pony Express.
We're so pleased to hear you enjoyed the tour. This is designed to be a short tour, and is the shortest one we offer. If you make it back to Shetland, we have plenty of longer trips on offer which showcase even more of the island.
For the information of future guests, a public bus is indeed available to Scalloway. However there is no bus service to Carol's Ponies who are not open to the public, only pre-booked bus tours.
Safe travels,
Robertsons
stephen_b, Sep 2025
We really enjoyed our trip to the ponies. Our driver “Warren” was very helpful and friendly. We didn’t visit Scallowaybut everyone else did. We had Carol and the ponies to ourselves for about twenty minutes. Carol was great to talk with and very knowledgeable. It’s worth the visit but it may not be what you think going by previous comments. It’s not a ranch it’s a field. You get up close with the ponies for photos and can touch. We really enjoyed it.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Hi Stephen,
Thank you so much for travelling with us and taking the time to leave this kind review.
We're delighted to year you enjoyed your trip on the Pony Express and got Carol & her ponies all to yourself.
All the best,
Robertsons
Nancy_P, Sep 2025
Beautiful! Wonderful experience! I would highly recommend it. The tour was the right amount of time from port.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Hi Nancy,
Thank you for travelling with us and taking the time to leave this kind review.
We're delighted to hear you enjoyed your trip on the Pony Express.
Hope the rest of your cruise was amazing.
All the best,
Robertsons
William_W, Sep 2025
Enjoyed the Standing Stones of Stennes, Shetland Ponies and the tour guides information. Nice way to see the area and get a bit of shopping in!!!
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Hi William,
Thank you for travelling with us and taking the time to leave this kind review.
We're delighted to hear you enjoyed your trip on the Pony Express.
Just for the advice of future travellers- this tour does not include the Standing Stones of Stenness which are in Orkney.
Safe travels,
Robertsons
Nancy_Q, Sep 2025
Stop in Scalloway was not necessary. While the town is lovely it is very small not many ships or cafes and the only castle there is under renovation, closed. The Scalloway .museum was very interesting. Ponies were awesome and so was the information given by Carol.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Hi Nancy,
Thank you for travelling with us and taking the time to rebiew your experience.
We're delighted you enjoyed your time at Carol's and Scalloway Museum.
I think the stop in Scalloway is very much down to personal preference- some guests love it, others rather skip it, hence why it's an optional stop.
I hope the rest of your trip was amazing.
All the best,
Robertsons
Jane_P, Aug 2025
Friendly guide with lots of information. Carol, the Shetland pony lady, was welcoming and full of chat about her ponies and Shetlands in general. We got to meet about 10 of them and pet them. The rest of the tour took in sights around the middle part of the island. It was a 1 hour trip, so did not include a lot of extras.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Hi Jane,
Thank you for travelling with us and taking the time to review your experience.
We're delighted to hear you enjoyed your trip and were provided with plenty of information about Shetland.
Hope the rest of your trip was amazing.
All the best,
Robertsons
Dave_S, Aug 2025
Great driver. Excellent narrative. Good tour. Overachieved from what we expected. Very informative trip.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Hi Dave,
Thank you for travelling with us and taking the time to leave this kind review.
We're delighted you enjoyed your trip on the Pony Express and we were able to exceed your expectations.
Hope the rest of your trip was amazing.
All the best,
Robertsons
Brian_S, Aug 2025
A great experience and wonderful to get so close to the ponies. Excellent tour guide on the bus and very informative and interesting presentation from the host at the pony property.
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Hi Brian,
Thank you for travelling with us and taking this time to leave this kind review.
We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed your trip on the Pony Express and hope the rest of your trip was just as good.
All the best,
Robertsons
kari, Aug 2025
Nice bus ride and local commentary through the countryside to see Carole’s ponies. Easy and inexpensive to pick up as a cruise port stop. Carole was lovely and knowledgable. Glad we did it!
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Hi Kari,
Thank you for travelling with us and taking the time to leave this kind review.
It's great to hear that you enjoyed your time in Shetland and trip on the Pony Express.
I hope the rest of your cruise is amazing.
All the best,
Robertsons
Kevin_G, Aug 2025
Saw ponies. Nice background explanation about Shetland ponies and why they were valued. Nice scenery on the way.
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Hi Kevin,
Thank you for travelling with us and taking the time to leave this positive review.
We're delighted to hear you enjoyed your trip on the Pony Express and found Carol's wealth of information valuable.
All the best
Robertsons
Britt_E, Aug 2025
The busdriver/guide was full of interesting facts and fun comments. The ponies and Carol were very friendly and nice. We enjoyed every bit of the tour except for the midges!
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Hi Britt,
Thank you for travelling with us and taking the time to leave this lovely review.
We're very pleased to hear you enjoyed your trip on the Pony Express.
Totally agree on the midges! It's been an awful year for them.
Safe travels,
Robertsons
Jill_D, Aug 2025
Carol knows everything there is to know about the ponies. Nice to interact with some of them and fun names for the ponies. One was only 11 weeks old.
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Hi Jill,
Thank you for travelling with us and taking the time to leave this kind review.
We're delighted you enjoyed your trip on the Pony Express and got to meet Thor, Carol's youngest foal.
Hope the rest of your trip was amazing.
Safe travels,
Robertsons
ashleytruong, Aug 2025
The Shetland ponies were cute- even if they didn't do much but stand there. The bus tour around town was insightful. We weren't able to get off at the one stop in town as the buses were full that day and they couldn't guarantee when they'd be able to pick us back up. That was a bit of a bummer.
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Hi Ashley,
Thank you for travelling with us and taking the time to leave this kind feedback.
We're pleased to hear you enjoyed seeing the ponies and were provided with some insightful information from the driver.
Sorry you weren't able to get off in Scalloway- the last trip of the day doesn't allow for a stop there although if you were on an earlier departure, you should have been guaranteed a space on the next bus. I apologise if this wasn't the case.
Hope the rest of your trip was amazing.
All the best,
Robertsons
Michael_G, Aug 2025
The same tour that my cruise line used but for a fraction of the cost. The cellular service was down near the port and we could not download the meeting point to our phone, but luckily a local guide was able to point us to the meeting points just 50' away. The bus was running 30 minutes late so we weren't able to stop in the old town like earlier tours.
The tour guide, Sam was amazing and funny. He drove us around his island, told us the history, waved to his ex step-father who was walking Sam's dog. And we had extra time to pet the Shetland ponies.
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Hi Michael,
Many thanks for travelling with us and taking the time to leave this lovely review.
It's great to hear you enjoyed your trip on the Pony Express and we'll be sure to pass your kind words on to Sam.
I hope the rest of your cruise was amazing.
All the best,
Robertsons
Allen_W, Aug 2025
What a wonderful experience in the Shetland isles. The driver of the bus was also the guide and described many of the sights in town and along the way to Scalloway. Had plenty of time at Carrol's ponies to interact with the Shetland ponies. The circular route was very picturesque as well.
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Hi Allen,
Thank you so much for travelling with us and taking the time to leave this kind review.
We're delighted to hear you enjoyed your trip on the Pony Express and got the chance to see a little bit of Shetland.
I hope the rest of your trip is excellent.
Safe travels,
Robertsons
Marin_L, Aug 2025
Our driver was amazing! Informative, funny and helpful. 10 stars to him!
The route passes through some beautiful areas.
The ponies I regretted in the end. Their ears were back, looking very stressed, probably from having to stand all day long, every day, with thousands passing by. Worst though was the young boy working there who would pat and force the ponies to stand up when they laid down out of exhaustion. Even the 10 week old fawn was being pushed to stand up. So it is unfortunate to see that the ponies are forced for amusement. I regret my visit for that reason.
Glenn_N, Aug 2025
The bus driver was an awesome (Alec) he gave interesting facts about Lerwick. Carols ponies was very interesting - learned a lot about the Shetland ponies. Scenery along the way was beautiful. Scalloway was a nice little town but not too much to do there.
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Hi Glenn,
Thank you for travelling with us and taking the time to leave this kind review.
We're delighted to hear you enjoyed your trip with Alex and found Carol's Ponies to be interesting.
I hope the rest of your trip was great.
All the best,
Robertsons
Janet_S, Jul 2025
Good value and just the right amount of time.
Lovely to see the ponies and could stop off for an hour if you wanted to.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Hi Janet,
Thank you for travelling with us and taking the time for this kind review.
We're delighted to hear you enjoyed your trip on the Shetland Pony Express and hope the rest of your visit was excellent.
Safe travels,
Robertsons
Peter_T, Jul 2025
We had the best time ... the driver Sam was full of interesting information, was funny and friendly. He dropped us at Scalloway as a bonus walk around mid trip, then picked us up later and took us to see to see the wonderful Shetland ponies up close. Amazing value!
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Hi Peter,
Thank you for travelling with us and taking the time to leave this lovely review.
We're delighted to hear you enjoyed your trip on the Pony Express and have shared your kind words with Sam.
Hope the rest of your trip was amazing.
All the best,
Robertsons
Robert_D, Jul 2025
It's a nice way to get to know the Shetland Ponies. Carol explains about the breed and you can pet the ponies.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Hi Robert,
Many thanks for travelling with us and taking the time to review your experience.
We're delighted to hear you enjoyed your trip on the Pony Express.
Safe travels,
Robertsons
Kevin_W, Jul 2025
There is nor a lot to do in Scalloway. The driver was very informative and the ponies were beautiful and able to pat them. So cute and the owner, 4th generation lady was so good
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Hi Kevin,
Thank you for travelling with us and taking the time to review your experience.
We're delighted to hear you enjoyed the visit to the ponies and your driver gave you plenty of information.
All the best
Robertsons
Patti_E, Jul 2025
We did enjoy getting to see and pet the Shetland ponies, however, we did not go to Scalloway as advertised, so that was disappointing to say the least. Our driver did a great job telling us about the island and life on The Shetland Islands. Pointed out sites where Shetland has been filmed. Carol was a pleasure at the pony farm. However we were left with only 1/2 the tour.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Hi Patti,
Thank you for travelling with us and taking the time to review your experience.
We're delighted to hear that Carol and your driver made the tour an enjoyable one.
I'm sorrry that you were unable to visit Scalloway. I have checked and can see that all tours operated via Scalloway as planned. It may have been the case that you were travelling on the last tour of the day, in which case stopping for an hour in Scalloway isn't possible as stated on the listing on Viator.
I hope the rest of your trip was amazing and thanks again for visiting us.
All the best,
Robertsons
Mikki_T, Jul 2025
Tour guide was great. Very friendly and had interesting tidbits about the area. The Shetland ponies were a hit and we were fortunate to see the baby!
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Hi Mikki,
Thank you for travelling with us and taking the time to leave this kind review.
We're so pleased to hear you enjoyed your trip with us and got to see Thor, the cute new foal.
Safe travels,
Robertsons
Michael_B, Jul 2025
Just as advertised. Very friendly. Location of meeting the bus was just as described and easy to find.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Hi Michael,
Thank you for travelling with us and taking the time to leave this positive review.
We're so pleased to hear you enjoyed your trip and everything went to plan.
All the best,
Robertsons
Barry_L, Jun 2025
A relaxing short trip to see some of the island and learn more about the local ponies. Even saw some locations used by the tv programme Shetland.
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Hi Barry,
Thank you for travelling with us and taking the time to leave this kind review.
We're so pleased to hear your enjoyed your tour with us and were able to see some Shetland highlights.
All the best,
Robertsons
Allison_F, Jun 2025
We were cruising on the MSC Virtuosa with an abbreviated stop in Lerwick due to poor weather and the need for tender boats to port. It was rainy and cool so we appreciated being able to wait in the bus stop shelter for the tour and then the tour bus was warm and dry. The driver doubled as a nice tour guide and we appreciated getting to see some of the area without getting soaked in the rain.
The pony stop was *quick*. Maybe 20 minutes? It was enough for a quick picture with our kids and family and then Carol hopped on the bus to give us some facts about the ponies.
This was an easy, inexpensive “tour” for a quick stop!
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Hi Allison,
Thank you for travelling with us and taking the time to leave this kind review.
We're delighted that you enjoyed your trip with us. Your description of the tour is exaclty what we're aiming for - a quick, inexpensive option for those who are short on time or want an alternative to the cruise line's shore excursions. It's a brand new tour for 2025, so it's especially good to hear we're delivering what we set out to!
I hope the rest of your cruise was amazing; thanks again for joining us.
All the best,
Robertsons
Lyons_S, Jun 2025
One of the most iconic sites while in Scotland! These ponies were absolutely the most calming, and beautiful creatures. At less than 3 ft tall, they just stand in front of you and look at you with sweet eyes and pink noses. Almost like stuffed animals. The high point of our visit was seeing the new colt just 3 weeks old, nursing from his mommy. Shetland ponies are very strong and they can pull more weight than Clydesdales (Budweiser commercials 😉). Since the introduction of heavy machinery in the Shetland Islands, the ponies no longer do heavy labor. A lot of them serve as emotional support to humans, especially children with disabilities. Shetlands ponies are treasures and very special animals. We really enjoyed our tour and our guide was also very nice.
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Hi Lyons,
Thank you for travelling with us and taking the time to leave this detailed review.
We're so pleased to hear you enjoyed your tour with us and the chance to see some beautiful Shetland Ponies- we agree, they're amazing animals!
Hope the rest of your trip was excellent.
All the best,
Robertsons
Martin_G, Jun 2025
Lovely experience with woman who raises Shetland ponies. Very informative. Besides the time spent with the ponies we got a very informative tour around the island. Recommend this trip.
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Hi Martin,
Thank you so much for travelling with us and taking the time to post this kind review.
We're delighted to hear how much you enjoyed your tour and hope the rest of your trip is just as good.
Safe travels,
Robertsons
Diana_K, Jun 2025
Loved seeing the ponies and listening to Carol talk about them. She nudged one closer to the fence so we could pet him. They are so sweet and docile. We were so lucky to see a one month old foal also.
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Hi Diana,
Thank you for traveling with us and taking the time to write this lovely review.
We're so pleased to hear you enjoyed your visit to Carol and her ponies.
Hope the rest of your trip is great.
Safe travels,
Robertsons
Angie_L, Jun 2025
Great experience. Very informative driver and great stop with the Shetland ponies. We really enjoyed this and it didn’t take up your entire day and gave enough info to determine what you may want to explore more!
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Hi Angie,
Thank you for travelling with us and taking the time to write this kind review.
We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed your trip on the Pony Express and hope the rest of your trip is just as good.
All the best,
Robertsons
From $34.21
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