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Island of Yell in the Shetland Island Group

© Sharma Krauskopf

Yell is the second largest island in Shetland. It is 17 miles long and 7 miles Wide. In the north of Yell there is Gloup, where the second largest fishing station in Shetland was, and the disaster of 1881 occurred off. And in the south of Yell is Ulsta, where you can catch the ferry to Toft. Basta voe, Mid Yell voe and Whalfirth voe are all examples of Ice-created sea lochs (or small fjord.). These were created when the ice age ended and the ice began to melt, it carved the rocks deeper into the sea.

There are more than ten stacks on Yell which are found mostly on the west and north coast with one solitary one down in the south east. Going round the island in a clockwise direction you can start at West Sandwick. North from here there is a five mile long peninsula with the Nev of Stuis at its tip. It is separated from the rest of Yell to the east by the fjord-like Whale Firth. There are five stacks along its western side.

The local school has a great site with the history of the island and a page about the wildlife of the area.

Tourist information can be secured from the Shetland Times. An interesting place to stay would be a local Böd.

A significant event recently for the island was the 1997 Yell Conference which was

- to highlight the achievements of the past 35 years.

- to identify and clarify salient issues facing Yell at the present.

- to begin to address solutions and strategies to take Yell into
the new millennium and beyond

An even more current issue is the building of a bridge between Unst and Yell. which some feel would change the character of the island completely.

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