Scarfi Skerries

Island in Shetland

Scotland

Scarfi Skerries

Hill of Setter, Noss Taken as we pass north east along the coast of Bressay, en route back to Lerwick, Shetland, I am looking back towards the distinctive Hill of Setter on Noss. — Hill of Setter, Noss Credit: Carroll Pierce

Scarfi Skerries is a small group of islands located in the Shetland archipelago, off the northeast coast of Scotland. Situated approximately 20 miles northeast of the main Shetland Island, this cluster of uninhabited islands is known for its rugged beauty and diverse wildlife.

The Scarfi Skerries consist of several rocky islets, with the largest and most prominent being Housay, Bruray, and Linga. These islands are characterized by their towering sea cliffs, which provide nesting sites for numerous seabird colonies, including puffins, guillemots, and razorbills. The surrounding waters are home to seals, otters, and a variety of fish species.

Access to Scarfi Skerries is limited due to its remote location and lack of infrastructure. However, visitors can reach the islands by boat, either through private arrangements or guided tours. Exploring the islands on foot offers stunning views of the dramatic coastal scenery, with jagged cliffs rising from the sea.

Housay, the largest island, was once inhabited, but the last permanent residents left in the mid-20th century. Today, the islands remain uninhabited, with the exception of a few seasonal birdwatchers and researchers. There are no shops or facilities on the islands, making it necessary for visitors to bring their own supplies and take necessary precautions for safety and conservation.

Scarfi Skerries is an ideal destination for nature enthusiasts, photographers, and birdwatchers seeking a remote and unspoiled environment. Its wild and untamed landscapes offer a unique opportunity to experience the natural beauty and tranquility of the Shetland Islands.

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Scarfi Skerries Images

Images are sourced within 2km of 60.151327/-1.0066501 or Grid Reference HU5541. Thanks to Geograph Open Source API. All images are credited.

Hill of Setter, Noss

Taken as we pass north east along the coast of Bressay, en route back to Lerwick, Shetland, I am looking back towards the distinctive Hill of Setter on Noss.

Carroll Pierce

Noss from Lunning Sound

Mike Pennington

Gannets on The Rump, Noss

The prime nesting sites in any gannetry are the flatter ones in positions still inaccessible to land predators from above. Easier, safer landings are one obvious benefit (a couple of days after this photo was taken, we came across a Gannet which had got its approach wrong and was hanging, dead, by one wing from a crack in the cliff - gusty downdraughts can hit at any time so misjudgements aren't the only cause of accidents). Beyond The Rump, the cliffs return to the vertical once more at Point of Heogatoug, beyond which the coast gets lower, and the bird nesting paradise soon comes to an end. It's an exciting couple of kilometres of paddling up to this point.

Andy Waddington

Paddling past Scarfi Skerries

Paddling anticlockwise round the island of Noss, Scarfi Skerries and East Punds Geo, just beyond, are almost the last rock-hopping opportunities. After Point of Pundsgeo, the coast is a little more subdued, and our route would take us further out on our way back towards Bressay, whose easternmost point lies on the Loder Head peninsula at Rules Ness, pretty much directly in front of the most distant paddler in the photo. There are far fewer birds here than on the east coast, but inland, the island is still inhabited by heavy tripod-toting chaps in camouflage jackets. They seem to move more slowly than sea kayakers, though that might simply mean that they stop more often to take photos.

Andy Waddington

Mansie's Berg, Noss, from the sea

Mike Pennington

Noss Head

Seen from the Whalsay ferry en route between Symbister and Laxo. I do not normally submit this type of 'long distance view' with no foreground, but this one seemed interesting enough to add to the site.

David Purchase

Noss from the SW, with a cruise ship on its way to Lerwick

The ship is the MV Boudicca, a cruise ship owned and operated by Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, which was built in 1973 by Wärtsilä Helsinki Shipyard in Finland as Royal Viking Sky.

Mike Pennington

Paddling past the Point and Geos of Hovie

Although we'd picked the sheltered side of Shetland after a day of high wind on our crossing from mainland Scotland, there was still some swell setting in from the east. Across that, wind waves from the southwest made for interesting conditions round the south side of Noss, with confused water particularly around the headland ahead of us. It still seemed less work than the people on the slopes of Hill of Setter who were trekking across above us with a big camera and heavy-looking tripod. It's a bit of a toss-up as to who would get the closer views of the Gannets and Razorbills - we would certainly feel safer down here than teetering on the cliff edge in the gusty wind, and find Razorbills rafting on the surface, but then they'd probably get better photos than those below in the waves !

Andy Waddington

Gannets fill the air at Noup of Noss

Whilst the southern tip of Noss is home to auks, Noss Head is the summer residence of a large number of Gannets. Very few were fishing in the immediate vicinity, but both the cliffs and the air were filled with noisy bird life, especially around the headland and in Rumble Wick, the bay to its south. The Devonian Old Red Sandstone hardly dips here, and the rock has eroded into ledges and pockets bigger than those further south where the rock beds dip more, suiting the Gannets better than the smaller species who prefer Holm of Noss.

Andy Waddington