History

The Pool of Virkie, during the late 15th and early 16th centuries, when it was much deeper than it is today, became the main Hanseatic

Hanseatic League

The Hanseatic League was an economic alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe...

 trading centre for the south end of Shetland. Because of this trade it became known as the Dutch Pool. This name was because locals pronounced Deutsch as Dutch. The actual Dutch visitors were called Hollanders. Flint

Flint

Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...

 stones are to be found round the shores of the Pool and as flint does not occur naturally in Shetland, it is assumed these are discarded ballast stones from the continental boats.

At the end of the 16th century the Pool silted up and became much as it is today, with the only anchorage available towards the east end or in the Virkie Marina which was formed in the 1980's.

Wildlife

Because of the large area exposed by the ebb tide, the Pool of Virkie has become an important site for bird watching in the South Mainland. It adjoins Sumburgh Airport

Sumburgh Airport

-Other tenants:*Maritime and Coastguard Agency *Bristow Helicopters*Bond Helicopters -Incidents and accidents:...

Sources