Several glowing accounts of this area are given in writings by nineteen century visitors, but it was not until the North of Scotland's Steam Navigation Company started to developed the tourist trade to Shetland and to Northmavine that any quantity of visitors were seen here.

 

Probably the biggest benefit seen by locals was the start of the Westside Steamer Service, in 1881, for roads did not reach as far as Hillswick at that time, so a regular boat service had many advantages for the community.

Another boost to this area and to tourism was when the company purchased and rebuilt the St Magnus Hotel at Hillswick in 1902, after it had been on show, at the Great Exhibition of 1896 in Glasgow. Built in Norway, this was the first all wooden hotel in Britain offering accommodation.

As Hillswick was the summer terminus of the Westside route, with Shetland's best scenery on its doorstep, an all inclusive holiday was offered sailing from Edinburgh's port of Leith, onboard the Queen, via Aberdeen and Orkney to Hillswick where flit boats ferried passengers to the wooden pier that was erected each summer.

During the height of the herring fishing in this area, the steamer would also make occasional calls along Ronas Voe. In 1939 the Westside Steamer Service was discontinued. The picture on the right shows the Steamer lying in Ronas Voe.

However in October 2007 the hotel re-opened under new owners Paul Bird and Andrea Manson, who over the following years since re-opening have worked hard to bring this beautiful old building back to its former glory and up to modern standards. Now it is back up for sale. Hopefully someone will buy the property and allow it to continue trading for many years to come.