| Unst | |
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| Location | |
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Unst
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| Unst shown within Scotland | |
| OS grid reference | HP600091 |
| Names | |
| Norse name | Ornyst |
| Meaning of name | Possibly Old Norse for "eagle's nest"[1] |
| Area and summit | |
| Area | 120.68 km² |
| Area rank | 14 |
| Highest elevation | Saxa Vord, 284 m |
| Population | |
| Population | 720 |
| Population rank | 19 out of 99 |
| Main settlement | Baltasound |
| Groupings | |
| Island group | Shetland |
| Local Authority | Shetland Islands |
| References | [2][3][4][5] |
| If shown, area and population ranks are for all Scottish islands and all inhabited Scottish islands respectively. Population data is from 2001 census. | |
Unst is one of the North Isles of the Shetland Islands, Scotland. It is the northernmost of the inhabited British Isles and is the third largest island in Shetland after the Mainland and Yell. It has an area of 46 square miles (120 km2).[3]
Unst is largely grassland, with coastal cliffs. Its main village is Baltasound, formerly the second largest herring fishing port after Lerwick and now the location of a brewery, a leisure centre and the island's airport. Other settlements include Uyeasound, home to Greenwell's Booth (a Hanseatic warehouse) and Muness Castle (built in 1598 and sacked by pirates in 1627); and Haroldswick, location of a boat museum and a heritage centre.
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The meaning of the name 'Unst' is unknown, but it appears to be of pre-Norse origin, like a number of other islands in the Shetland archipelago (e.g. Yell and Fetlar). It is therefore presumably a name given by the pre-Scandinavian inhabitants, and perhaps originated among people speaking a dialect of the Pictish language.[3] In Old Norse the island was called "Ornyst". This is possibly Old Norse for "eagle's nest".[1]
Unst is currently in the middle of a project to excavate and display the island's Norse heritage. The Viking Unst scheme is funded until 2010, and has already begun excavation on three longhouses - 30 are known of on the island. The project also runs living history events during the summer. The replica Viking ship Skibladner can currently be seen ashore at Haroldswick.
Robert Louis Stevenson's father and uncle were the main design engineers for the lighthouse on Muckle Flugga, just off Hermaness on the north-west of the island. Stevenson visited Unst, and the island is claimed to have become the basis for the map of the fictional Treasure Island[6] - a claim shared by Fidra in East Lothian.
On 7 January 2007, Unst was rocked by an earthquake measuring 4.9 on the Richter scale, which is believed to have been one of the most powerful earthquakes in the Norwegian Sea area in the past 10 years.[7]
The island lays claims to many "most northerly" UK titles: the tiny settlement of Skaw in the north-east of the island is the northernmost settlement in the UK; the Muckle Flugga lighthouse, just off the far north of Unst, was opened in 1858 and is the most northerly lighthouse in the UK, situated close to Out Stack, the most northerly rock in the UK.
Western Norway is 300 km away.
The islands of Unst and Fetlar are mainly formed of ultramafic and mafic igneous rocks which are interpreted to form part of an ophiolite,[8] a section of oceanic crust from the Iapetus ocean which was destroyed during the Caledonian orogeny.
Unst was once the location of several chromite quarries, one of which was served by the now-disused Hagdale Chromate Railway from 1907 to 1937.[9]
Ferries link Belmont on the island to Gutcher on Yell and Oddsta on Fetlar.
The Unst Bus Shelter, also known as Bobby's Bus Shelter after a child who saved it from removal, is a bus shelter and bus stop near the village of Baltasound which is equipped with home comforts such as a television set, and is maintained by local residents.[10]
Unst is also home to the Promoting Unst Renewable Energy (PURE) Wind Hydrogen project,[11] a community-owned clean energy system based on hydrogen production. This project is part of the Unst Partnership, the community's development trust.
At the southern end of Unst, above the island's ferry terminal, stands Belmont House. Dating from 1775, Belmont has been described as "possibly the most ambitious, least-altered classical mansion in the Northern Isles."[12] It was restored between 1996 and 2010 by a charitable trust, who now operate the building as a venue for hire.[13]
The usually resident population of Unst and Fetlar in the 2001 census was 806.
The Saxa Vord Royal Air Force radar station closed in 2006, with the loss of more than 100 jobs.[14]
In April 2007 RAF Saxa Vord's domestic site, plus the road up to the Mid Site, was purchased and renamed "Saxa Vord Resort" by Highland entrepreneur Frank Strang. Strang's company Military Asset Management (MAM) "specialises in the regeneration of redundant or surplus Defence Assets"[15] Another of Strang's ventures, Buchan Braes Ltd., went into liquidation in March 2010.[16]
The base is being converted to a tourist resort and natural and cultural heritage centre. The first phase is complete, and Saxa Vord currently (2007) offers 20 self catering holiday houses, a 16-bedroom bunkhouse, together with a restaurant and bar. 2008 will see the launch of an 80-bedroom study centre, leisure facilities and a guided walks/evening talks programme.[17]
Two local business have relocated their premises to the Saxa Vord site: Valhalla Brewery[18] (a company owned by Sonny Priest who also manages and supplies the Saxa Vord bar) and Foord's Chocolates, Shetland's only chocolatier [19]
Unst is important for its seabird colonies, including those at Hermaness National Nature Reserve. It is also known for its plant life, including the Norwegian sandwort and Shetland Mouse-ear, the latter unique to the island.
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