30 August, Friday, 2024
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HomeSourcesmirror.co.ukInside UK's most isolated island

Inside UK’s most isolated island

The UK has thousands of islands dotted around its coast, ranging from the big to the absolute tiny… and they don’t come much smaller than the remote island of Foula.

Foula has claimed the crown of the country’s most remote inhabited island. It’s about 20 miles west of the Shetland mainland, and roughly 100 miles north of the Scottish mainland.

The island itself is quite small – it’d take about half an hour to walk from one side to the other. But, despite its teeny tiny size and incredibly remote location, it’s not entirely empty.

About 30 people live on Foula, which loosely translate to ‘Bird Island’ in Old Norse. It’s been inhabited since Neolithic times, and the community has a strong Norse transition and folklore.

It’s become well-known as the island celebrating Christmas and New Year 12 days later, as it adheres to an ancient calendar for both occasions. The community’s Christmas Day is on January 6 and Newerday (New Year’s Day) is not until January 13.

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