The irony is that Bressay developed long before Lerwick. The crews of the Viking longships which arrived in Shetland in the 700s and 800s preferred to land in sheltered inlets where the water was shallow. The shore of the Lerwick side of Bressay Sound has very limited landing opportunities. But on Bressay the mouth of Leira Voe, which translates as muddy creek, was large enough and sheltered enough to allow many longships to overwinter here.