Skaw is a settlement in the Scottish archipelago of Shetland, located on the 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.[1] It is currently inhabited by a single inhabitant whose business is sheep farming.
Etymology
Skaw is derived from the Old Norse "Skagi" meaning a cape, headland, promontory or peninsula.[2][3]
Geography
The burn 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. The unclassified road (Holsens Road) from the B9087 to Skaw is the most northerly road in the UK road network, and the northernmost road in the world to use left-hand traffic.
Wick of Scaw
History
Walter Sutherland (died c. 1850), a former inhabitant of the northernmost cottage in Britain, was reportedly the last native speaker of the Norn language.
A combined Coastal DefenceU-boat and Chain Home Low station was also built during the Second World War 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.
^Jakobsen, Jakob (1993). The Place-Names of Shetland (reprint of 1897 ed.). Orkney. p. 96. ISBN978-1112000461.((cite book)): CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^Stewart, John (1987). Shetland Place-names. Lerwick. p. 246.((cite book)): CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
