Portal:Scotland/Selected picture/February, 2010



Fair Isle (from Old Norse Frjóey) Scottish Gaelic Eileann nan Geansaidh is an island off Scotland, lying around halfway between Shetland and the Orkney Islands.

The most remote inhabited island in the United Kingdom, it is famous for its Bird Observatory and a traditional style of knitting. The island is administratively part of Shetland and lies 38 km south-west of Sumburgh Head on the Mainland of Shetland and 43 km north-east of North Ronaldsay, Orkney. It is 4.8 kilometres (3 miles) in length, 2.4 kilometres (1.5 miles) wide and has an area of 768 hectares (3 square miles), making it the tenth largest of the Shetland Islands.

Photo credit: Dave Wheeler