Haroldswick
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Haroldswick, at the head of an inlet called Harold's Wick, meaning 'Harolds Bay', is on the island of Unst, and is one of the most northerly settlements in the British Isles.
The wick takes its name from the Norwegian Viking king Harald Hårfagre ( Harold Fairhair), and the sagas tells that it was here he landed when he came to Shetland to punish the Vikings who lived here and used to raid Norway. He made the Shetland and Orkney isles to an Earldom under Norway. A viking grave, attributed to Harold, has been found on the nearby Setter's Hill, overlooking the landing point. There is also evidence of early Christian activity, as the hillside most visible from the sea bears a large chalk cutting of the Christian fish symbol, in a manner reminiscent of white horses found in England. The position of the sign indicates it was, in effect, an early advertisement for a peaceful, Christian landing site.
It is a small bay in a crescent moon shape with a hill on either side, with steep cliffs and rough waters with good mackerel fishing grounds underneath. The beach is rocky until it comes to an old ruin of a pier, then it has huge boulders blocking traveller's way. Lining the beach are little cottages with their only barrier against the winds from the sea being a small wall on the other side of the road. A small maritime museum dedicated to the traditional small boats of Shetland, the Unst Boat Haven, is located at the head of the bay and is open to visitors from May to September. The beach is frequently populated with Grey Seals and Grey Herons. The depth is shallow for about 6 metres, then deepens considerably.
At Brookpoint, on the south west of the bay, is stored the Swedish modern-day longship 'Skidbladnir' which was purchased by Shetland Amenity Trust and is to be incorporated in the Viking Unst project. It is planned to erect a boat house for the vessel, fittingly just a few metres from the remains of a Viking Longhouse.
A little north of Haroldswick is the now closed radar station base at Saxa Vord. A steep road leads to the top of Saxa Vord, Unst's highest hill, 285 m. or 935ft. high. The radar station at the summit holds the unofficial wind speed record on the British isles, wich in 1962 was recorded at 177mph, just before the measuring equipment blew away.
To attain a sense of Haroldswick's remoteness, it is located some 615 km (382 miles) north of the closest UK city, Inverness, in Scotland's Highland region and 1,310 km (814 miles) from London. Even Lerwick, the Shetland's capital and only town, is some 96 km (60 miles) to the south. However, Haroldswick's claim to be the northernmost settlement in the UK is surpassed by the tiny hamlet of Norwick-Skaw, situated 8 km (5 miles) to the north.
You can often find small bottles, cutlery, or pieces of pottery littering the beach as well as sometimes finding large metal bits from boats.
'Skidbladnir' information here [1]
The Haroldswick Methodist Church is the furthest north church in Britain.
