Unst

Unst
Map of the North Isles ( Yell , Unst and Fetlar )
Waters	North Sea
Archipelago	Shetland Islands
Geographical location	60 ° 45 ′  N , 0 ° 53 ′  W Coordinates: 60 ° 45 ′  N , 0 ° 53 ′  W
length	20.4 km
width	9.5 km
surface	120.68 km²
Highest elevation	Saxa Vord 284  m
Residents	632 (2011) 5.2 inhabitants / km²
main place	Baltasound
Map of the North Isles from 1755, with the breakdown of Unst into NORTH PḤ, MID PḤ and SOUTH PḤ

Ordnance Survey map sheet from 1961

Unst is the northernmost large island in the Shetland archipelago and the northernmost inhabited island in Great Britain . It is sparsely populated and had 632 inhabitants at the last census on March 27, 2011. Compared to 1991 (1055) and 2001 (720), this is a significant decrease. Most of the residents are fishermen, many young people are now drawn to the mainland or mainland Scotland.

geography

In terms of character, Unst is very different from Mainland (mountainous) and the neighboring island of Yell (especially peat ). In spring the green meadows are covered with daisies ; many sheep graze there. In winter the island is stormy and occasionally snow-covered. Unst is the "motherland" of the Shetland ponies , which can still be seen today in herds, some of them wild, across the island, and of which "Beware of the pony" warnings.

In Hermaness , a large nature reserve in the northwest, you can watch seabirds up close on the cliffs. On Unst, as in almost all parts of Shetland, one finds a large number of orchids, in the Keen of Hamar a flora similar to that of the Alps and occasionally specimens of the rare Edmondston's hornwort ( Cerastium nigrescens ) that grows only there .

The largest civil settlement on the island is Baltasound with a few dozen residents, a few shops, a hotel and a telephone booth. The bar at the Baltasound Hotel is the only noteworthy social meeting place in town. The northernmost post office in Great Britain was until 1999 a few kilometers further north in Haroldswick . It had to close because no successor could be found for the post office worker who had worked for decades. Haroldswick was also a Royal Air Force base until 2006 , which has now been converted into the Saxa Vord Resort .

Civil parish Unst includes the formerly inhabited islands of Uyea in the south and Muckle Flugga in the north, as well as a few smaller islands , including Balta off the east coast, Haaf Gruney in the south and Out Stack in the very north. Unst has always formed a unit with its neighboring islands in administrative and ecclesiastical terms, but is divided into three natural districts:

• North Parish
• Middle Parish
• South Parish

Transport and sights

The island is easily accessible all year round with the regular car ferries. A bus line operates on the island, which is mainly used to transport students. Noteworthy is the “ Unst Bus Shelter ” bus stop , which changes its face depending on the occasion (for example the Queen's crown anniversary). It is the only bus stop in the world that has its own website. The in Ordale lying airfield is now used only occasionally for training and emergencies.

The remains of two brochs and the foundation of an oval house, which was probably part of an ancient cooking place and is also called the Burned Mound , have been preserved from prehistoric times . The rings of Tivla , ( English Rounds of Tivla ) and the menhir of Bordastubble lie / stand on the island. One of the main attractions are the ruins of Muness Castle, built in 1598 .

• 

  Muness Castle on Unst

• 

  The UK's northernmost post office in Baltasound

• 

  " Unst Bus Shelter " in July 2004

• 

  St. Olaf's Church on Unst

Web links

Commons : Unst  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Unst website ( Memento from November 19, 2005 in the Internet Archive )
• Bus stop website

swell

1. ↑ 2011 census data
2. ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from March 17, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
3. ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from March 17, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
4. ↑ [1]
5. ↑ [2]