- Haaf Gruney
Haaf Gruney is a small island in the north east of the
Shetland Islands .Geography and geology
The island is between
Unst andFetlar which are to the north and south respectively. Between it andYell are a mini-archipelago of small islands including Linga,Sound Gruney ,Urie Lingey ,Daaey and Wedder Holm. Uyea is also to the west.There was formerly a
chromate mine here.Haswell-Smith, Hamish. (2004) "The Scottish Islands". Edinburgh. Canongate.]History
Name
The island's name is a corruption of the
Norse "hafgröney" Haswell-Smith, Hamish. (2004) "The Scottish Islands". Edinburgh. Canongate.] , "gröney" meaning "green island", and "ha(a)f" being an old word (still in some use in Shetland), meaning deep open water, especially that used for fishing. "Haaf" is added to distinguish it from other islands, such asSound Gruney nearby.A voyage to Karmøy
On the 4th August, 1745, two girls from Uyea rowed here to milk some of the cows grazing here. Unfortunately, their return was marred by a strong storm, and eventually they found their tiny boat blown to
Karmøy in south westNorway . The Uyea girls ended up marrying Karmøy men, and their descendants still live there.Haswell-Smith, Hamish. (2004) "The Scottish Islands". Edinburgh. Canongate.] [Manson, T.M.Y. "Drifting alone to Norway: the amazing adventure of Betty Mouat" (1986)]Wildlife
Haaf Gruney is notable for being a national nature reserve. This is because storm petrels breed here.
Mousa in the southern Shetland islands also has a strong colony.The islet is no longer used for grazing, but there are sea otters living here, and the usual seals.
References
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
