Fair Isle

Fair Isle
Old Norse nameFriðarøy[1]/Friðarey[2]
Meaning of name"fair island" or possibly "far-off isle"[1] or "sheep isle".[3] The Norse form Friðarey means literally "calm/peaceful isle" or "island (ey) of tranquility (frið(u)r)".[4]
Fair Isle viewed from the west.
Fair Isle viewed from the west.
Location
Fair Isle is located in Shetland
Fair Isle
Fair Isle
Fair Isle shown within Shetland
OS grid referenceHZ209717
Coordinates59°32′30″N 1°37′21″W / 59.54167°N 1.62250°W / 59.54167; -1.62250
Physical geography
Island groupShetland
Area768 ha (1,900 acres)
Area rank61 [5]
Highest elevationWard Hill 217 m (712 ft)
Administration
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
CountryScotland
Council areaShetland Islands Council
Demographics
Population65[6]
Population rank51 [5]
Population density7.16/km2 (18.5/sq mi)
Largest settlementStonybreck
Lymphad
References[1][7]
Fair Isle North Lighthouse
Skroo Edit this at Wikidata
The view eastwards towards the Fair Isle North Lighthouse
Coordinates59°33′08″N 1°36′34″W / 59.552142°N 1.609519°W / 59.552142; -1.609519
Constructed1892
Designed byDavid Alan Stevenson, Charles Alexander Stevenson Edit this on Wikidata
Constructionmasonry tower
Automated1983
Height14 m (46 ft)
Shapecylindrical tower with balcony and lantern
Markingswhite tower, black lantern, ochre trim
OperatorNorthern Lighthouse Board[8][9]
Heritagecategory B listed building Edit this on Wikidata
Fog signal3 blasts every 45 s
First lit1 November 1892 Edit this on Wikidata
Focal height80 m (260 ft)
Lenshyperradiant Fresnel lens Edit this on Wikidata
Light sourceengine generator
Intensity204,000 cd
Range22 nmi (41 km)
CharacteristicFl (2) W 30s.
Fair Isle South Lighthouse
Skadden Edit this at Wikidata
Coordinates59°30′50″N 1°39′09″W / 59.513906°N 1.652611°W / 59.513906; -1.652611
Constructed1892
Designed byDavid Alan Stevenson, Charles Alexander Stevenson Edit this on Wikidata
Constructionmasonry tower
Automated1998
Height26 m (85 ft)
Shapecylindrical tower with balcony and lantern
Markingswhite tower, black lantern, ochre trim
OperatorNorthern Lighthouse Board[8][10]
Heritagecategory B listed building Edit this on Wikidata
Fog signal2 blasts every 60 s
Focal height32 m (105 ft)
Light source
  • wind power
  • engine generator
Range22 nmi (41 km)
CharacteristicFl(4) W 30s, Fl(2) W 30s Edit this on Wikidata

Fair Isle (/ˈfɛər ˌl/; Old Norse: Friðarey; Scottish Gaelic: Fara), sometimes Fairisle, is the southernmost Shetland island, situated roughly 38km (24 mi) from the Shetland Mainland and about 43km (27 mi) from North Ronaldsay (the most northerly island of Orkney).[11]

The entire archipelago lies off the northernmost coast of Scotland, in the North Sea. As the most remote inhabited island in the United Kingdom (and among the most northerly settlements in Great Britain),[12] Fair Isle is known for its wild bird observatory, interesting historic shipwrecks, Scottish and Shetland-style traditional music, and its traditional style of knitting. The island has been owned by the National Trust for Scotland since 1954.

  1. ^ a b c Haswell-Smith, Hamish (2004). The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh: Canongate. ISBN 978-1-84195-454-7.
  2. ^ Anderson, Joseph (ed.) (1873) The Orkneyinga Saga. Translated by Jón A. Hjaltalin & Gilbert Goudie. Edinburgh. Edmonston and Douglas. The Internet Archive. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  3. ^ Mac an Tàilleir, Iain (2003) Ainmean-àite/Placenames. (pdf) Pàrlamaid na h-Alba. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
  4. ^ The form friðar is the genitive singular.
  5. ^ a b Area and population ranks: there are c. 300 islands over 20 ha in extent and 93 permanently inhabited islands were listed in the 2011 census.
  6. ^ "Tiny Scots island with population of just 65 self-isolating in bid to beat coronavirus". Daily Record. 31 March 2020. Archived from the original on 4 April 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  7. ^ Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 4 Shetland (South Mainland) (Map). Ordnance Survey. 2014. ISBN 9780319228104.
  8. ^ a b Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Scotland: Shetland". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  9. ^ Fair Isle North Archived 5 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine Northern Lighthouse Board. Retrieved 28 May 2016
  10. ^ "Fair Isle South". Northern Lighthouse Board. Archived from the original on 25 June 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  11. ^ "Fair Isle - Shetland.org". www.Shetland.org/visit. NB Communication; Promote Shetland.
  12. ^ Crane, Nicholas (18 February 2016). "Britain's 10 best islands". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 1 January 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2016.

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