Whalsay
Encyclopedia
Whalsay is the sixth largest of the Shetland islands in Scotland
.
and has an area of 7.6 square miles (19.7 km²). The main settlement is Symbister
, where the fishing fleet is based. The fleet is composed of both pelagic and demersal vessels. Other main settlements include, Clate, Isbister, Sandwick, Saltness, Huxter, Challister, Marrister, North Park and furthest north is Skaw.
The island is fertile and fairly densely populated, with crofting
taking second place to fishing
as the main local industries. There is little peat
on the Out Skerries, so the residents there have been granted rights to cut in on Whalsay.
sail from Symbister to Laxo
and Vidlin
on the Shetland Mainland
. When normal service is in operation two ferries run a tandem service between Symbister and Laxo. Departure times from the two terminals are normally around every 45 minutes according to a timetable, with the crossing taking approximately 30 minutes. The two ferries currently in service are the Hendra and the Linga. The Vidlin terminal is used when the weather causes the crossing to Laxo to become too rough. The journey between Symbister and Laxo takes around 45 minutes, but can take much longer depending on the weather and tides.
The island also has an airstrip at Skaw.
Sailing dinghies and Shetland model boats are popular, with an annual Whalsay Regatta, usually taking place in the last week of July. In recent times, the popularity of sailing has declined, with the number of participating boats decreasing with each passing year.
Whalsay has an amateur football club, as well as hockey and netball teams. These teams participate in Shetland leagues. Whalsay F.C.'s home ground is Harbison Park. In 2005, Whalsay F.C. took part in the Highland Amateur Cup, reaching the fourth knockout round. They beat Halkirk FC 2-0 in the 3rd round, but lost to Pentland Utd 2-1 in the 4th.
ruin of Benie Hoose and the settlement of Sodom
where Hugh MacDiarmid
lived in the 1930s and early 1940s.
Whalsay is the main location of Ann Cleeves
's novel
'Red Bones' (Macmillan, 2009), the third of her Shetland quartet.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
Geography
Whalsay, also known as "The Bonnie Isle", is a peat-covered island in the Shetland Islands. It is situated east of the Shetland MainlandShetland Mainland
The Mainland is the main island of Shetland, Scotland. The island contains Shetland's only burgh, Lerwick, and is the centre of Shetland's ferry and air connections....
and has an area of 7.6 square miles (19.7 km²). The main settlement is Symbister
Symbister
Symbister is the largest village on the island of Whalsay, Shetland. The focus of the village is the harbour, which is home to small fishing boats as well as large deep sea trawlers...
, where the fishing fleet is based. The fleet is composed of both pelagic and demersal vessels. Other main settlements include, Clate, Isbister, Sandwick, Saltness, Huxter, Challister, Marrister, North Park and furthest north is Skaw.
The island is fertile and fairly densely populated, with crofting
Crofting
Crofting is a form of land tenure and small-scale food production unique to the Scottish Highlands, the Islands of Scotland, and formerly on the Isle of Man....
taking second place to fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
as the main local industries. There is little peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
on the Out Skerries, so the residents there have been granted rights to cut in on Whalsay.
Transport
FerriesFerry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
sail from Symbister to Laxo
Laxo
Laxo is a small settlement at the end of Laxo Voe in Vidlin, Shetland.A ferry from the Mainland to Symbister in Whalsay operates from the nearby Laxo Ferry Terminal and is operated by the Shetland Islands Council....
and Vidlin
Vidlin
Vidlin , is a small village located in the Shetland Islands of Scotland.It is at the head of Vidlin Voe, is the modern heart of the old parish of Lunnasting, which centred on the early church at Lunna on Lunna Ness....
on the Shetland Mainland
Shetland Mainland
The Mainland is the main island of Shetland, Scotland. The island contains Shetland's only burgh, Lerwick, and is the centre of Shetland's ferry and air connections....
. When normal service is in operation two ferries run a tandem service between Symbister and Laxo. Departure times from the two terminals are normally around every 45 minutes according to a timetable, with the crossing taking approximately 30 minutes. The two ferries currently in service are the Hendra and the Linga. The Vidlin terminal is used when the weather causes the crossing to Laxo to become too rough. The journey between Symbister and Laxo takes around 45 minutes, but can take much longer depending on the weather and tides.
The island also has an airstrip at Skaw.
Recreation
Skaw is home to the most northerly 18 hole golf course in the UK. There is a club house with adequate parking. Other sporting facilities on the isle are the Whalsay Leisure Centre, a snooker club and Harbison Park artificial sports field.Sailing dinghies and Shetland model boats are popular, with an annual Whalsay Regatta, usually taking place in the last week of July. In recent times, the popularity of sailing has declined, with the number of participating boats decreasing with each passing year.
Whalsay has an amateur football club, as well as hockey and netball teams. These teams participate in Shetland leagues. Whalsay F.C.'s home ground is Harbison Park. In 2005, Whalsay F.C. took part in the Highland Amateur Cup, reaching the fourth knockout round. They beat Halkirk FC 2-0 in the 3rd round, but lost to Pentland Utd 2-1 in the 4th.
Attractions
Attractions on the island include the NeolithicNeolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
ruin of Benie Hoose and the settlement of Sodom
Sodom, Shetland
Sodom is a settlement on Whalsay, Shetland. The name is a corruption of the Old Norse Suðheim meaning "south home". It was formerly the home of Hugh MacDiarmid, who was greatly amused at the anglicised form of the name....
where Hugh MacDiarmid
Hugh MacDiarmid
Hugh MacDiarmid is the pen name of Christopher Murray Grieve , a significant Scottish poet of the 20th century. He was instrumental in creating a Scottish version of modernism and was a leading light in the Scottish Renaissance of the 20th century...
lived in the 1930s and early 1940s.
Whalsay is the main location of Ann Cleeves
Ann Cleeves
Ann Cleeves is a British crime-writer. In 2006 she was the first author to win the inaugural Duncan Lawrie Dagger, the richest crime-writing prize in the world, for her novel Raven Black....
's novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
'Red Bones' (Macmillan, 2009), the third of her Shetland quartet.