Mavis Grind

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Mavis Grind - incoming water on the eastern banks (left, we can see the water), low tide to the west (right, no water visible on the Atlantic side)

Mavis Grind, ( Old Norse : Maefeid grind = The gate to the Narrow Isthmus ) is the name given to a narrow isthmus joining the Northmavine peninsula to the rest of Shetland Mainland. It is just 35 yards wide at its narrowest point.

It carries the main A970 road to Hillswick in the north west of Shetland and is a few miles from the settlement of Brae. The road was blasted through under the cliffs in 1851.

Mavis Grind is said to be the only place in the UK where you can toss a stone across land from the North Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. It is a regular crossing point for European otters, which in Shetland are sea-dwelling and unfortunately often become road casualties.