Skaw, Unst

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Skaw
Skawunst.jpg
The beach of Skaw
Shetland UK location map.svg
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Skaw
Location within Shetland
OS grid reference HP657163
  Edinburgh 348 mi (560 km)
  London 644 mi (1,036 km)
Civil parish
Council area
Lieutenancy area
Country Scotland
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town SHETLAND
Postcode district ZE2
Dialling code 01806
Police Scotland
Fire Scottish
Ambulance Scottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament
List of places
UK
Scotland
60°49′30″N0°47′28″W / 60.825°N 0.791°W / 60.825; -0.791

Skaw is a settlement in the Scottish archipelago of Shetland, located on the 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] It is currently inhabited by a single inhabitant whose business is sheep farming.

Contents

Etymology

Skaw is derived from the Old Norse "Skagi" meaning a cape, headland, promontory or peninsula. [2] [3]

Geography

The burn 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. The unclassified road (Holsens Road) from the B9087 to Skaw is the most northerly road in the UK road network, and the northernmost road in the world to use left-hand traffic.

Wick of Scaw Wick of scaw.jpg
Wick of Scaw

History

Walter Sutherland (died c.1850), a former inhabitant of the northernmost cottage in Britain, was reportedly the last native speaker of the Norn language.

During World War II, the Royal Air Force built a Chain Home radar station at Skaw. The radar station was built in 1941 and closed in 1947. It was part of the defences of the RAF Sullom Voe flying boat base.

A combined Coastal Defence U-boat and Chain Home Low station was also built during the Second World War 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 settlement is near the SaxaVord Spaceport. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">RRH Saxa Vord</span> Royal Air Force air defence radar on Unst, Shetland, Scotland, United Kingdom

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">1992 New Year's Day Storm</span> European windstorm in 1992

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The Holm of Skaw is a small islet off the northeast coast of the island of Unst. It is just northeast of the settlement of Skaw. The island is 57 feet (17 m) in height. There is a lighthouse on the island. Tidal currents are slack between Holm of Skaw and Herma Ness at high water, and the passage may be made by small boats. The Skaw Röst, a dangerous tidal race, forms off the shore of the Holm of Skaw and Lamba Ness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Aird Uig</span> Former RAF base in Scotland

Royal Air Force Aird Uig was a Royal Air Force radar station located on the western edge of the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. The main masts and operations room were located north of the village of Aird Uig on Gallan Head, with a separate domestic site nearer to the village, five-eighths mile further south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AMES Type 80</span> Cold War-era British early warning radar

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">SaxaVord Spaceport</span> Spaceport on Unst, Scotland

SaxaVord Spaceport, previously known as Shetland Space Centre, is a UK spaceport located on the Lamba Ness peninsula on Unst, the most northerly of the inhabited Shetland Islands off the coast of Scotland. The site is near the RAF Saxa Vord radar station and the settlement of Skaw, adjacent to the Saxa Vord distillery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saxa Vord distillery</span> Scottish distillery

Saxa Vord distillery is a Scotch whisky and gin distillery on the island of Unst, part of the Shetland islands. The distillery takes its name from its location immediately south of RAF Saxa Vord, an RAF station and headland. The distillery buildings are adjacent to the SaxaVord Spaceport.

Coastal fortifications in Scotland played a vital role during the World Wars, protecting shipping as they mustered to convoy. New fortifications were built and old defences were also rebuilt or strengthened around the Scottish coast in case of invasion. New technologies like Radar were also deployed.

References

  1. "Overview of Skaw". Scottish Places. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  2. Jakobsen, Jakob (1993). The Place-Names of Shetland (reprint of 1897 ed.). Orkney. p. 96. ISBN   978-1112000461.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. Stewart, John (1987). Shetland Place-names. Lerwick. p. 246.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. "Proposed Development, Rev. E". Shetland Space Centre. 24 September 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.