Uyea (Unst)
| Shetland Islands | |
|---|---|
| OS Name: | Uyea |
| Shetland Name: | Uyea |
_Map.jpg) | |
| UK Grid Reference: | HU602990 |
| Area (ha): | 205 ha |
| Population: | |
| Community Council: | |
| Ferry Services: | |
| Notes: | |
Photo from Shetland Museum and Archives.
Uyea is an uninhabited island in off the south coast of Unst, and separated from Unst by Skudda Sound and Uyea Sound. The highest part of the island is The Ward, at 50m.
Attractions on the island, which was once home to Sir Basil Neven-Spence, MP, include a Bronze Age chambered cairn, and the 12th century Saint Olaf's chapel overlooking Brei Wick.
On the 4th of August 1745 two girls, servants of the Laird of Uyea, who had rowed to the nearby island of Haaf Gruney to milk cows, were caught in a storm and blown out to sea. They eventually made land at Karmøy in Norway, where they settled, and their descendants still live there. Various versions of this story are told, both in Unst and in Norway, and various texts on the subject have appeared over the years, including a section in the book "Drifting alone to Norway" (The amazing adventure of Betty Mouat), by T.M.Y. Manson.
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