Balta, Shetland - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

Keen of Hamar is a nature reserve on Unst, in Shetland, Scotland, managed by Scottish Natural Heritage. The reserve is primarily of botanical interest, for example for populations of Cerastium nigrescens, a plant unique to Unst. This unique nature reserve may appear barren, but is in fact home to a unique collection of plants that have adapted to survive upon the rare serpentine rock that covers the land.

Bobby’s Bus Shelter in Unst has become a Shetland attractionin recent years, and arguably one of the most visited and photographed attractions on Shetland’s most northerly island. It might be the only bust stop in the world that is visited by bus loads of tourists every day during the summer. The shelter is equipped with a sofa and a television. It is furnished and redecorated periodically.

The Skidbladner is a full size replica of the Gokstad ship, found in a Viking burial mound in norway in 1880. The original ship is thought to have been built during the reign of Harald Fairhar. This type of Viking ship was suitable for a variety of purposes including trade, warfare and general travel. Visitors can board the ship and feel what it was like to have been aboard a Viking vessel. It now sits alongside the re-constructed longhouse as a permanent visitor experience.

Unst, the most northerly island in Britain, is thought to be the first foot-fall of Vikings in the North Atlantic. There are the remains of at least 60 longhouses, the highest density of rural Viking sites anywhere, including Scandinavia. The primary aim of the project was to increase understanding of Viking Norse settlement, and interpret and display excavated sites for public access.

A beautiful beach which has a fine cliff and also it is famous among tourists. The beach is of fine, white sand and is backed by a meadow hosting a profusion of wild flowers in spring and summer. There are excellent walks to be had on the low cliffs and headlands in this area.

Remote Radar Head Saxa Vord or RRH Saxa Vord (aka RAF Saxa Vord), is a Royal Air Force radar station located on the island of Unst, the most northern of the Shetland Islands in Scotland. As of July 2019 it is once more a fully operational radar station, after closure in 2006. The station's motto Praemoneo de Periculis reflects its role. RAF Saxa Vord is further north than Saint Petersburg in Russia, and on the same latitude as Anchorage, Alaska.