Shetland - The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands - page 389

the British Isles. Seen from the Mainland, its distinctive mountainous form changes
subtly, depending upon the vantage point, but the outline is unforgettable. Its western
cliffs , the second highest in Britain after those of St Kilda, rise at The Kame to some
1220ft above sea level; a clear day at The Kame offers a magnificent panorama
stretching from Unst to Fair Isle. On a bad day, the isolation and exposure are complete
and the cliffs generate turbulent blasts of wind known as “flans”, which rip through the
hills with tremendous force.
Arriving on Foula, you can't help but be amazed by the sheer size of the island's
immense, bare mountains, whose summits are often hidden in cloud, known on the
Mainland as “Foula's hat”. The gentler eastern slopes provide good crofting land, and
plentiful peat, and it is along this “green belt” that the island's population is scattered.
The only road runs along the eastern side of the island, and is used by Foula's
remarkable fleet of clapped-out vehicles.
Foula's name is derived from the Old Norse for “bird island” and it's home to a quarter
of a million birds . Arctic terns wheel overhead at the airstrip, red-throated divers can
usually be seen on the island's smaller lochs, while fulmars, guillemots, razorbills, puffins
and gannets cling to the rock ledges. However, it's the island's colony of great skuas or
“bonxies” that you can't fail to notice with an estimated 3000 pairs on Foula, making it
the largest colony in the world. During the nesting season (May-Aug), they attack
anyone who comes near. Although their dive-bombing antics are primarily meant as a
threat, they can make walking across the moorland fairly stressful: the best advice is to
hold a stick above your head or stick to the road and the coast.

8 Brief history

Foula has been inhabited since prehistoric times, and the people here take pride in their
separateness from Shetland, cherishing local traditions such as the observance of the
Julian calendar (officially dropped in Britain in 1752), where Old Yule is celebrated on
January 6 and New Year doesn't arrive until January 13. Foula was also the last place
that Norn , the old Norse language of Orkney and Shetland, was spoken as a first
language, in the eighteenth century, and more of the Shetland dialect survived here

WALKING ON FOULA
Ordnance Survey Explorer map 467
Many people come to Foula to view the island's famous cliffs - though in actual fact they are
very di cult to appreciate except from the air or the sea. If the weather's fine, though, it's
worth climbing to the top of The Sneug (1373ft), for the views stretching from Unst to Fair
Isle. From the airstrip, climb up the southeast ridge of Hamnafield (1130ft), and then continue
along the ridge of Brustins to The Sneug itself. From The Sneug, drop down to The Kame
(1220ft), Foula's sheer cliff, the best view of which is from Nebbiefield, to the south. Return via
Da Nort Bank to Soberlie Hill, from where you can pick up the island's road. In total it's only a
walk of five or six miles, but it'll take three to four hours. If you're coming from the ferry at Ham,
it's probably best to do the circuit in reverse, which is no bad thing, as the climb from Soberlie
Hill up Da Nort Bank is one of the most exhilarating on the island, as the edge of the hill is an
ever-increasing vertical drop.
There are other, more gentle walks on Foula. The coastal scenery to the north of the island,
beyond Mucklegrind, features several stacks and natural arches, with the waves crashing over
skerries, and seals sunning themselves. One of the easiest places to spot seabirds is from
beyond the graveyard in Biggings, past Hametoun. The nearby hill of The Noup (803ft) is a
relatively easy climb, compared to The Sneug, and, if you descend to the northwest, brings you
to Sneck o' da Smallie , where there's a narrow slit in the cliffs, some 200ft high. You can
return to the airstrip by heading back down the valley known as The Daal, although the
bonxies are pretty thick on the ground. All Foula's cliffs are potentially lethal, especially in wet
weather, and all the usual safety precautions should be taken (see p.42).