Skaw

For the Skaw municipality of Denmark, see Skagen; there is also a Skaw on Whalsay.

The road to Skaw

Skaw is a tiny settlement on the Shetland island of Unst. It is located north of Haroldswick on a peninsula in the northeast corner of the island, and is the most northerly settlement in the United Kingdom. The burn (stream) of Skaw flows from the uplands to the west through the constellation of small crofts that make up Skaw, and then east into the Wick of Skaw, a bay of the North Sea. A sheltered sandy beach lines the coast of the Wick of Skaw.

During World War II, the Royal Air Force built a Chain Home radar station at Skaw. A combined Coastal Defence U-Boat and Chain Home Low station was also built at Saxa Vord; after the war this became a ROTOR radar station. RAF Saxa Vord continued as a radar station after the end of the ROTOR programme.

The unclassified road from the B9087 to Skaw is the most northerly road in the UK road network.

Walter Sutherland, a former inhabitant of the northernmost cottage in the UK, was reportedly the last native speaker of the Norn language.

See also

• Extreme points of the United Kingdom

External links

• grid reference HP657165
• Pictures of Skaw
• Shetland Today's info about Skaw and Unst

Coordinates: 60°49′33″N 0°47′37″W / 60.82594°N 0.79371°W / 60.82594; -0.79371