SHETLAND ISLANDS
East and West Burra (Scalloway Islands)
East Burra (Old Norse: "Barrey") is one of the
Scalloway Islands, a subgroup of the Shetland Islands. It is connected by a
bridge to West Burra. With an area of 515 hectares (1,273 acres) it is the
twelfth largest of the Shetland Islands.
East Burra has a much smaller population than West Burra and
no substantial settlement; rather, there are a few hamlets and a scattering of
individual croft houses. It is known for its Neolithic remains including a
burnt mound, and for sea caves. The roofless, plain, Old Haa (manor or laird's
house) of Houss is a prominent feature.
The nearby south-facing sandy beach at Meal is a popular
place on a warm day. At the south end of West Burra is Kettla Ness, with
impressive cliff scenery; it is linked to the main island by a shingle and sand
tombolo which also provides another attractive sandy beach.
At Duncansclett, from where you can walk across to Kettla
Ness, a traditional thatched cottage has been restored by the local history
group; the building featured in the BBC television series, 'Restoration'.
SHETLAND ISLANDS
Eshaness
This remote
location of mainland Shetland is not exactly round the corner, not from
anywhere, but it is a place that ought to draw everyone who visits these
distant Scottish islands. Closer to the Arctic Circle than to London, they say
- and I have no reason to doubt them - there is a distinct Scandinavian feel
about many things here, most notably the architecture. It reminded me of the
Faroe Islands, which are not all that far away.
But the
journey to Eshaness is a joy in itself. When I first came this way 15 years
ago, I met a couple at Eshaness who bemoaned the fact that they'd been looking
all the way for red-throated divers. I was surprised; so were they when I told
them, truthfully, that I'd seen a pair on virtually every small loch I'd passed
on the way. That was true again in 2015, as I drove out to Eshaness once more.
And you can add black-throated divers, great northern divers, great skua and
Arctic skua, plus a great many little tern and common gull.
Eshaness can
boast one of the highest energy coastlines in the world. Blasted by the full
force of the North Atlantic it displays a stunning array of stacks, blowholes
and geos (steep-sided inlets from the sea). However, the Eshaness peninsula
also tells a fascinating story of a long extinct volcano and a very different
past environment.
The
spectacular cliffs you see today cut right through the flank of what was the
Eshaness volcano. It has been described as 'the best section through the flank
of a volcano in the British Isles'.
The cliffs
reveal layer upon layer of lava and pyroclastic rock (volcanic ash that was blasted
through the air from the volcanic crater). As eruption followed eruption, these
layers built up rapidly. They formed a very steep and unstable cone around a
central vent, from which the lava and ash continued to spew.
Even on a
blustery day, this is a stunning place...just don't get too close to the edge.
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