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Scalloway was Shetland's ancient capital, a harbour village on the west side of the Mainland some five kilometres from Lerwick, overlooked by the ruin of Scalloway Castle — built by the ruthless Earl Patrick Stewart around 1600 and now one of the most evocative castle ruins in the Northern Isles. The village has a working harbour used by fishing boats and the Shetland College is based here. Scalloway sits at the head of Scalloway Voe, with the West Mainland landscape of sheltered voes, green farmland and moorland ridges stretching north and west; the protected waters of the East and West Burra islands lie to the south-west across Clift Sound. The valley between Scalloway and Lerwick carries some of the best-sheltered garden ground in Shetland, and sycamore in the town gardens provide a reliable May flow.

Heather is the dominant forage plant of Shetland, covering the vast majority of the island landscape with bell heather and ling running from mid-July through September; the heather honey of Shetland has a distinctive strong character from the pure moorland sources. White clover on improved croft land in the valley bottoms and the more fertile western Mainland parishes provides the main June-to-July summer flow. Gorse — whin — is exceptionally abundant throughout Shetland from March into June, flowering earlier than most mainland sites thanks to the Gulf Stream influence, and providing critical early pollen and nectar for spring colony build-up. Sycamore in the sheltered town gardens and policies of Lerwick and Scalloway gives a productive May flow where trees are established. Bramble on disturbed ground and croft edges from July to August. Dandelion on roadsides and improved grassland in April and May provides early pollen. Ivy on older stone buildings in the more sheltered settings around Lerwick closes the season into October on mild years.