BALTASOUND, a large and well-serviced harbour sheltered by the isle of Balta, has a swimming pool, leisure centre, pub, shop, diesel pumps, boatyard and marine engineers.

UNST is the most northerly inhabited island in Britain. It is very roughly rectangular in shape, and measures some 12 miles from north to south and 5 miles from east to west.

The land area is just over 12,000 hectares, or a little under 30,000 acres, and the highest point is Saxa Vord, at 285m or 935ft. This lies close to the northern end of Unst and has for many years been home to a military radar and early warning centre. The Ministry of Defence is the island's largest employer.

The population of Unst has diminished over the past century, but less quickly than on many Scottish islands. Its high point was 2269 in 1871, while by 1991 it stood at 1055.

The ferry service that connects Unst to Yell (and via it to the Mainland of Shetland) and Fetlar runs from Belmont, at the south west tip of the island. There is also a daily bus service from Lerwick.

The southern half and western side of Unst are both fairly uninhabited. A string of small settlements lead from Belmont east along the south coast to Uyeasound and beyond it to the south eastern tip of Unst. This is overlooked by Muness Castle, by far the grandest building on the island, albeit now in ruins. A little north is the fine beach at Sandwick.

The excellent main road from the ferry terminus leads north east as far as Baltasound, the scattered village "capital" of Unst. This is considerably less busy than it was a century ago at the height of the herring boom. But it remains home to many of Unst's services, including the leisure centre and school, the main harbour, and the airfield. The Baltasound Hotel is Unst's only hotel (and Britain's most northerly), while the nearby Valhalla Brewery is, in turn, Britain's most northerly brewery.

North again brings you to Haroldswick. The village is home to the main military base, while Saxa Vord above it carries aerials and domes. It is also home to Britain's most northerly church, plus a surprising number of other attractions.

From Haroldswick you can follow roads north west towards the cliffs, nature reserve and spectacular scenery of the nature reserve, cliffs and sea birds at Hermaness, or north east towards Britain's most northerly house (and road) at Skaw: plus more spectacular coastal scenery.

Baltasound Airport (Unst)

Airport Code : UNT
Airport name : Baltasound Airport
Runway Length : 2099 ft.
Runway Elevation : 62 ft.

City : Unst Shetland Is
Country : United Kingdom
Country Abbrev. : GB
World Area Code : 493
GMT Offset : +0.0


Longitude : 0° 51' 0" W
Latitude : 60° 45' 0" N

The content above was published at Airports-Worldwide.com in 2005.
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