The North Isles are the northern islands of the

Shetland Islands Shetland, also called the Shetland Islands and formerly Zetland, is a subarctic archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands and Norway. It is the northernmost region of the United Kingdom. The islands lie about to the no ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. The main islands in the group are

Yell A yell is a loud vocalization; see screaming. Yell may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Yell, Shetland, one of the North Isles of the Shetland archipelago, Scotland * Yell Sound, Shetland, Scotland United States * Yell, Tennessee, an unin ...

Unst Unst (; sco, Unst; nrn, Ønst) is one of the North Isles of the Shetland Islands, Scotland. It is the northernmost of the inhabited British Isles and is the third-largest island in Shetland after Mainland and Yell. It has an area of . Unst ...

and

Fetlar Fetlar ( sco, Fetlar) is one of the North Isles of Shetland, Scotland, with a usually resident population of 61 at the time of the 2011 census. Its main settlement is Houbie on the south coast, home to the Fetlar Interpretive Centre. Fetlar is ...

. Sometimes the islands in

Yell Sound Yell Sound is the strait running between Yell (island), Yell and Mainland, Shetland, Scotland. It is the boundary between the Mainland and the North Isles and it contains many small islands. Sullom Voe, on the shores of which is a substantial oi ...

are included in this group.

Importance

They are a significant group, since Yell and Unst are the second and third largest islands in the archipelago, and also the third and fourth most populous (

Whalsay Whalsay ( sco, Whalsa; non, Hvalsey or ''Hvals-øy'', meaning 'Whale Island') is the sixth largest of the Shetland Islands in the north of Scotland. Geography Whalsay, also known as "The Bonnie Isle", is a peat-covered island in the Shetland I ...

, which is not in the group, is the second most populous). Combined, their total land area is far larger than the rest of the Shetland Islands (excluding Mainland) combined.

Extreme points

The group also contains the most northerly land of the United Kingdom and

Shetland Shetland, also called the Shetland Islands and formerly Zetland, is a subarctic archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands and Norway. It is the northernmost region of the United Kingdom. The islands lie about to the no ...

Out Stack Out Stack or Ootsta is an island in Shetland, Scotland and the northernmost point of both Scotland and the British Isles. It lies northeast of Muckle Flugga and north of the island of Unst. It is one of the North Isles of the Shetland Islan ...

near

Muckle Flugga Muckle Flugga () is a small rocky island north of Unst in the Shetland Islands, Scotland. It is often described as the northernmost point of the British Isles, but the smaller islet of Out Stack is actually further north. It used to be the nor ...

, and its most northerly settlement Skaw on

. These also happen to be the most northerly British territorial claims currently in existence, since Canadian independence. In similar fashion, Britain's most northerly maritime claims are also based on these islands, having great effect on its fishing and oil industries. Fetlar also contains some of the most easterly points of Scotland with the exception of the

Out Skerries The Out Skerries are an archipelago of islets, some inhabited, in Shetland, Scotland, and are the easternmost part of Shetland. Locally, they are usually called Da Skerries or just Skerries. Geography The Out Skerries lie about northeast of ...

, and much of Fetlar and Unst are under 350 km from

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. Travellers do not encounter any further land masses between Out Stack and the

North Pole The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distinguish from the Mag ...

if heading directly north. Other British records include - * Most northerly castle

Muness Castle Muness Castle is located on Unst, which is one of the Shetland Islands of Scotland. The castle is east of the village of Uyeasound. Unst is Scotland's most northerly inhabited island, and Muness is the most northerly fortalice in the British Is ...

* Most northerly post office - formerly

Haroldswick Haroldswick or Harold's Wick (Old Norse: ''Haraldsvík'', meaning "Harald's bay"), is on Unst, Shetland Islands, Scotland, and is one of the most northerly settlements in the British Isles. History The wick takes its name from the Viking King ...

now

Baltasound Baltasound (or Baltasund) is the largest settlement on the island of Unst in Shetland, Scotland. It comes from the Old Norse man's name Balti (Baltisund). Unst is the most northerly inhabited island in the United Kingdom. The village lies halfw ...

* Most northerly lighthouse -

* Most northerly road * Most northerly brewery -

Valhalla Brewery The Valhalla Brewery in Unst, Shetland, Scotland, was the northernmost brewery in the United Kingdom. It was opened by the husband and wife team Sonny and Silvia Priest in December 1997, and originally based in a large shed in Baltasound, in th ...

* Most northerly coastline -

Hermanness Hermaness is the northernmost headland of Unst, the most northerly inhabited island of Shetland, Scotland. It consists of huge sea cliffs and moorland, making it an ideal habitat for a variety of birds. Hermaness was designated a national natur ...

* Most northerly church - Haroldswick Methodist Church * Most northerly ferry route -

Gutcher Gutcher is a settlement on the northeast coast of Yell in the Shetland islands. From here, rollon/roll off ferry services to Belmont on Unst and Hamars Ness on Fetlar operate. The settlement has a harbour, and a former post office which, in 20 ...

(Yell) to Belmont (Unst) * Most northerly "wood" - near

Ferries

The regular ferries are the most northerly scheduled routes in the British Isles (excluding those going to the

Faroes The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway betw ...

and

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

). They operate between Yell and Unst, Yell and Fetlar and Yell and Mainland.

References

Landforms of Shetland Islands of Shetland Archipelagoes of Scotland {{Shetland-geo-stub