Out Skerries

The Out Skerries are three tiny islands four miles off Whalsay in the east of Shetland.

The Out Skerries are three islets in the North Sea in the far east of the Shetland Isles. They are in fact only 164 miles from Norway. On the map, they look almost too small to be inhabited, and indeed Housay isn't, yet more than 70 people live on Burray and Grunay, which are joined by a bridge.

The first sight of Out Skerries is spectacular, either from the ferry entering the narrow harbour entrance with its imposing stacks, or flying in to the tiny airstrip over scattered islands dominated by the lighthouse. The majority of visitors are scuba divers, drawn by the numerous wrecks around the coasts, and bird-watchers in search of wind-blown rarities at migration times.