Skaw, Unst
Coordinates: 60°49′30″N 0°47′28″W / 60.825°N 0.791°W
Skaw is a tiny settlement on the Shetland island of Unst. It is located north of Haroldswick on a peninsula in the northeast corner of the island, and is the most northerly settlement in the United Kingdom.[1] The burn (stream) of Skaw flows from the uplands to the west through the constellation of small crofts that make up Skaw, and then east into the Wick of Skaw, a bay of the North Sea. A sheltered sandy beach lines the coast of the Wick of Skaw.
During World War II, the Royal Air Force built a Chain Home radar station at Skaw. A combined Coastal Defence U-Boat and Chain Home Low station was also built at Saxa Vord; after the war this became a ROTOR radar station. RAF Saxa Vord continued as a radar station after the end of the ROTOR programme.
The unclassified road from the B9087 to Skaw is the most northerly road in the UK road network.
Walter Sutherland, a former inhabitant of the northernmost cottage in the UK, was reportedly the last native speaker of the Norn language.
See also
References
- ↑ "Overview of Skaw". Scottish Places. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
External links
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