Linga, Bluemull Sound
| Scottish Gaelic name | Unknown |
|---|---|
| Old Norse name | Lyngey |
| Meaning of name | heather island |
| Location | |
| OS grid reference | HU557986 |
| Physical geography | |
| Island group | Shetland |
| Area | 45 ha (111 acres) |
| Area rank | 205= [1] |
| Highest elevation | 26 m (85 ft) |
| Administration | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Country | Scotland |
| Council area | Shetland |
| Demographics | |
| Population | nil |
 | |
| References | [2][3][4] |
Linga is a very small uninhabited island in the Bluemull Sound, Shetland, Scotland. It is one of many islands in Shetland called Linga. It is 45 ha and 26m at its highest point.
Geography and geology
Linga is made up of "coarse mica-schist and gneiss".[2]
It is situated off the east coast of Yell, near the village of Gutcher, and has an area of 111 acres. It is separated from Yell by Linga Sound, and Unst is to the north east. Sound Gruney, Urie Lingey are to the south east, and Hascosay to the south.
There is little freshwater on the island.
History
It is said that Jan Tait of Fetlar once kept a bear on the island, and this is commemorated in the placename - "Bear's Bait". It was said to be from Norway, where he had been taken for trial for murder, but he was pardoned for capturing this particular bear, which had been causing problems over there.[2]
An abandoned chapel is located on the island. An unknown duke once planned to build a large house there after buying land on it. However this was cancelled as doctors and other services refused to provide a service to such a small remote island. The land is now owned by Charlie Henderson of Cullivoe.
There is also the remains of a sheep fold in the north.
Wildlife
Surprisingly for an island whose name derives from the Norse for "heather isle", very little grows here.
Otters, guillemots and seals breed on the island.
Footnotes
- ^ Area and population ranks: there are c. 300 islands over 20 ha in extent and 93 permanently inhabited islands were listed in the 2011 census.
- ^ a b c Haswell-Smith, Hamish (2004). The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh: Canongate. ISBN 978-1-84195-454-7.
- ^ Iain Mac an Tailleir. "Placenames" (PDF). Pàrlamaid na h-Alba. Retrieved 23 July 2007.
- ^ "Get-a-map" Ordnance Survey
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60°40′N 0°59′W / 60.667°N 0.983°W
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