YELL

Yell, the second largest Shetland island, has a varied scenery of rolling peat hills, lochs and cliffs, along with the award-winning beaches of West Sandwick and Breckon. The RSPB reserves here make it an ideal destination for nature lovers. Not only is there a wide variety of birdlife such as Red-throated Divers, Storm Petrels, Whimbrels and Golden Plovers, but the Lumbister Reserve has a thriving population of otters, so much so that Yell is considered to be the otter capital of Britain. There are also common seals, and dolphins, harbour porpoises and even the occasional killer whale can be spotted offshore. Yell can be reached by ferry from Mainland, and there are also links by ferry from here to Fetlar and Unst. The coast of Yell, which is dotted with crofting townships, offers fine walking. While out and about on Yell, visitors should look out for two reminders of past disasters. The first is a figurehead called "Da White Wife" from a German vessel called the Bohus which was wrecked off the island near Otterswick in 1924 on her way from Gothenburg to Chile. The second is the Catalina Memorial, which commemorates the crew of an RAF flying boat which crashed in the Yell hills during the Second World War.

Map of the area.

Breckon Sands, Yell, Shetland - geograph.org.uk - 1654588. Photo by Ruth Sharville, via Wikimedia Commons.