Often called the "Gateway to the Northern Isles", Yell is the second largest of the Shetland Isles. If you are looking for peace and quiet, Yell is the perfect destination. With large stretches of uninhabited coastline and interior, you can walk for miles and enjoy the scenery, the wildlife and the plants without any interruption. During the summer the beaches and coast is alive with many different species of seabirds, but you can also see many of them at the Lumbister Nature Preserve. The island is also one of the best places to see otters in abundance as they feed on the rich food the shallow water provides.
The ferry to Yell runs from Belmont on Unst and on this 25–minute ferry ride, visitors will glimpse several small villages known in the Shetland dialect as "touns" or "tounships", such as Camb, Basta and North Sandwick. Once you arrive in Mid Yell, the largest village on the island, you will find a thriving settlement with many shops and a very protected harbour. At the mouth of this harbour lies the uninhabited Island of Hascosay where the soil is believed to have a magical property that prevents mice from coming onto shore.
The history of Yell includes settlement here by the Vikings who settled in Mid Yell in the 9
th century. The remains of prehistoric, Viking and Roman inhabitants are scattered along the coastline in villages such as Gloup, Cullivoe, Sellafirth and Aywick. Visitors will undoubtedly come across the deserted village of Volister, where the crofters were evicted during the Clearances. The towns of Mid Yell and North–a–Voe are separated by a large bay called the Mid Yell Voe. In fact two small bays, the Whalefirth and Mid Yell almost cut this rectangular shaped island in half.
Visitors to Yell have many tourist attractions to visit. Visit the most haunted house in Scotland at Windhouse. The ruins stand high on a hill and evidence shows that this site has been home to many over the past 5000 years. There is a 2000–year–old broch on this site as well. The side roads will take you to the coast where you will see panoramic views of the other Shetland Islands and to small villages nestled by the water's edge. At Otterswick, you can see the figurehead of a sunken German training ship. The locals have named this figurehead the "White Wife". Visit Gossabrough to see the incredible sandy beach and at Burravoe, take time to visit the Museum and Exhibition Centre to see the artefacts and get details of the history of this beautiful island.
At Gloup there is a memorial to a fishing disaster in 1881 and at Burgi Geos, you will find an Iron Age fort. The deserted House of Vigon will help you to picture life here in the 17
th and 18
th centuries. The north west corner of the island has so many attractions that you need to devote more than a few hours in order to enjoy them all.
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Photographs © Graeme G Storey ShetlandTourism.Com