Linga, Yell
Encyclopedia
Linga is a very small uninhabited island in the Bluemull Sound
, Shetland, Scotland
. It is one of many islands in Shetland called Linga. It has an area of 45 ha and is 26m at its highest point.
Linga is made up of "coarse mica
-schist
and gneiss
".
It is situated off the east coast of Yell, near the village of Gutcher
, and has an area of 111 acre (0.44920146 km²). It is separated from Yell by Linga Sound, and Unst
is to the north east. Sound Gruney
, Urie Lingey
are to the south east, and Hascosay
to the south.
There is little freshwater on the island.
It is said that Jan Tait of Fetlar
once kept a bear
on the island, and this is commemorated in the placename - "Bear's Bait". It was said to be from Norway
, where he had been taken for trial for murder, but he was pardoned for capturing this particular bear, which had been causing problems over there.
An abandoned chapel is located on the island. An unknown duke once planned to build a large house there after buying land on it. However this was cancelled as doctors and other services refused to provide a service to such a small remote island.
On 19 July 1923, the SS Jane ran aground on the island. The 840 ton ship, carrying herring from Baltasound, Unst to Lerwick, later sank into 20m of water just off the island.
There is also the remains of a sheep fold in the north.
isle", very little grows here.
Otter
s, guillemot
s and seals breed on the island.
Bluemull Sound
Bluemull Sound is the strait between Unst and Yell in Shetland's North Isles. A ferry service crosses it regularly. Cullivoe is on the Yell side, and the island of Linga lies in the strait....
, Shetland, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It is one of many islands in Shetland called Linga. It has an area of 45 ha and is 26m at its highest point.
Geography and geology
Mica
The mica group of sheet silicate minerals includes several closely related materials having highly perfect basal cleavage. All are monoclinic, with a tendency towards pseudohexagonal crystals, and are similar in chemical composition...
-schist
Schist
The schists constitute a group of medium-grade metamorphic rocks, chiefly notable for the preponderance of lamellar minerals such as micas, chlorite, talc, hornblende, graphite, and others. Quartz often occurs in drawn-out grains to such an extent that a particular form called quartz schist is...
and gneiss
Gneiss
Gneiss is a common and widely distributed type of rock formed by high-grade regional metamorphic processes from pre-existing formations that were originally either igneous or sedimentary rocks.-Etymology:...
".
It is situated off the east coast of Yell, near the village of Gutcher
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 post office which doubles as a Bed and Breakfast...
, and has an area of 111 acre (0.44920146 km²). It is separated from Yell by Linga Sound, and Unst
Unst
Unst 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 the Mainland and Yell. It has an area of .Unst is largely grassland, with coastal cliffs...
is to the north east. Sound Gruney
Sound Gruney
For other islands with similar names, see Gruney Sound Gruney is one of the Shetland islands. It lies about north of Hamars Ness on Fetlar, south of Unst, and to the east of Yell.-Geography:...
, Urie Lingey
Urie Lingey
For other islands with similar names, see Linga Urie Lingey is one of the Shetland Islands. It is between Fetlar and Unst, and Yell is to the west.-Geography:...
are to the south east, and Hascosay
Hascosay
Hascosay is a small island lying between Yell and Fetlar in the Shetland Islands, Scotland.-Geography and geology:The island's rock is coarse micaceous gneiss....
to the south.
There is little freshwater on the island.
History
Fetlar
Fetlar is one of the North Isles of Shetland, Scotland, with a population of 86 at the time of the 2001 census. Its main settlement is Houbie on the south coast, home to the Fetlar Interpretive Centre...
once kept a bear
Bear
Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
on the island, and this is commemorated in the placename - "Bear's Bait". It was said to be from Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, where he had been taken for trial for murder, but he was pardoned for capturing this particular bear, which had been causing problems over there.
An abandoned chapel is located on the island. An unknown duke once planned to build a large house there after buying land on it. However this was cancelled as doctors and other services refused to provide a service to such a small remote island.
On 19 July 1923, the SS Jane ran aground on the island. The 840 ton ship, carrying herring from Baltasound, Unst to Lerwick, later sank into 20m of water just off the island.
There is also the remains of a sheep fold in the north.
Wildlife
Surprisingly for an island whose name derives from the Norse for "heatherCalluna
Calluna vulgaris is the sole species in the genus Calluna in the family Ericaceae. It is a low-growing perennial shrub growing to tall, or rarely to and taller, and is found widely in Europe and Asia Minor on acidic soils in open sunny situations and in moderate shade...
isle", very little grows here.
Otter
Otter
The Otters are twelve species of semi-aquatic mammals which feed on fish and shellfish, and also other invertebrates, amphibians, birds and small mammals....
s, guillemot
Guillemot
Guillemots is the common name for several species of seabird in the auk family . In British use, the term comprises two genera: Uria and Cepphus. In North America the Uria species are called "murres" and only the Cepphus species are called "guillemots"...
s and seals breed on the island.