Skaw (Unst)
| Shetland Settlements | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Skaw (Unst) |
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| UK Grid Reference: | HP656166 |
| Distance from Lerwick by road: | 61 miles plus 2 ferries |
| Community Council: | Unst |
| Google Street View: | |
Skaw is a small settlement at the northeast corner of the island of Unst. Located on the shore of the east facing Wick of Skaw, approximately 2km northeast from Norwick and 3km east of Saxa Vord, it is the most northerly settlement in Shetland.
In recent years the access road to the settlement has been diverted from a road which followed the cliff at the north side of Nor Wick, to the safer hill road further west.
Because of its strategic location at the northernmost tip of the UK, the Royal Air Force built a Chain Home radar station at Skaw during World War II. A combined Coastal Defence U-Boat and Chain Home Low station was also built at Saxa Vord, which after the war became an RAF radar station as part of the UK air defense system. A radar station still exists on Saxa Vord, but has been mothballed in recent years.
Walter Sutherland, a former inhabitant of the northernmost cottage in the UK, was reportedly the last native speaker of the Norn language.
The Russian trawler Orel SRT4240 was wrecked on the Point of Skaw on March 4th 1967.
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