Scotland

Fair Isle

Britain's most remote inhabited island, midway between Orkney and Shetland — famed for knitwear, seabirds, and rare bird sightings.

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Fair Isle

Part of the Scotland islands map and the Shetland collection.

Names

Scottish Gaelic: Fara; Irish: Fara; Welsh: Fair Isle

Geography

A small island of cliffs and crofts, often the first British landfall for vagrant birds blown off course from Scandinavia or America.

Geology

Bedrock: Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated) (Conglomerate, Sandstone, Siltstone And Mudstone), Mid Devonian–Mid Devonian. Contains British Geological Survey materials © UKRI 2026, licensed under the BGS Open Data Licence (OGL v3.0). Source: BGS DigMapGB-625 Bedrock & Superficial WMS.

History

Gifted to the National Trust for Scotland in 1954. The Fair Isle Bird Observatory has logged migrants since 1948.

How to reach it

Good Shepherd IV ferry from Grutness (Shetland Mainland), and Loganair flights from Tingwall (Lerwick) and Sumburgh.

Accommodation

Limited self-catering and B&B; the new Bird Observatory is being rebuilt after a 2019 fire.

Nearby and related islands

Sources

Last reviewed: 2026-08-13.