Fair Isle Ghosts

Fair Isle is the most remote inhabited island in the UK today. At just three miles long and about a mile wide, it is a tiny speck of rock in a huge expanse of water. It is currently owned by the National Trust for Scotland.

Most of the population of about 60, lives in the southern half of the island, which is peppered by small crofts and enclosed fields. The island has two churches (one Methodist and one Church of Scotland), two harbours (South Harbour, and North Haven) a bunk house and a bird observatory, where hundreds of enthusiastic visitors stay each year. The island also has a shop, an air field and two lighthouses, the most southern of which was the last manned lighthouse in the UK. 

Fair Isle is probably most famous for its colourful knitware, the origins of which go back hundreds of years. Knitting is still carried out on the island today, along with crofting, fishing, and many other jobs and crafts. 

The island is also noted for the many rare birds that are seen there, particualrly in the spring and autumn, and for its amazing marine environment. It is home to thousands of seabirds, and whales and dolphins are frequently seen from its shores. 

Althought small, the Fair Isle community is very much alive!