Foula’s Festive traditions & a guide to visiting
Gaada Stack, Foula
As we move into December, many of us are beginning to think about what our festive season might look like. Christmas is a time filled with tradition, and none hang on to the old traditions more than the island of Foula. Today, Foula is one of the last places to celebrate the old calendar dates for Christmas and New Year celebrations, on the 6th and 13th of January.
In the past, Christmas in Shetland meant something very different; we even held it on a different day. Known as Yule, it was a time of celebration and tradition, much of it stemming from pagan rituals and beliefs.
In the 16th century, Pope Gregory introduced the Gregorian Calendar to bring the calendar year back in line with solar equinoxes; as a result, the dates all shifted, bringing Christmas (Yule) and New Year (Newerday) forward 10 days (from the 5th and 12th). But, the festive celebrations in Shetland were still held as they had been traditionally, following the Julian Calendar. There were further discrepancies when adopting this new calendar system, and Foula lagged behind the rest of the islands holding their celebrations on the 6th and 13th – possibly adopting the changes on a leap year, creating this extra day.
As a result, the people of Foula celebrate Christmas and New Year 10 days after the rest of the UK.
Lying about 20 miles west of Shetland, Foula is one of the UK’s most remote islands, and arguably the most isolated of any island in the UK. With a population of about 35, many thousands of birds, and five square miles to explore, Foula has an ‘edge of the world’ feel and will leave a lasting impression on those who visit.
Sitting alone in the vast, often unforgiving expanse of the North Atlantic, Foula looms from the horizon and is visible on a clear day from most parts of Shetland’s west coast. Its looming silhouette represents the last outpost of the UK, a final frontier. Echoing noisily with the sound of hundreds of thousands of seabirds in summer, and hard to access in winter as its name suggests – the word Foula comes from the Old Norse Fugley, meaning ‘bird island.’
The island was the last place in Shetland where the old Norn language, brought with the Vikings, was spoken. The island, at its height, supported a population of 200, all living around the lower slopes on the eastern side of the island that looks across to Mainland Shetland.
Getting to Foula can be tricky, with weather always the deciding factor in whether a visit is possible; be prepared to amend travel plans according to the weather. You can get to Foula by plane or ferry. The ferry, which carries 12 passengers, runs from Walls twice weekly (three times in summer), and a regular flight from Tingwall Airport operates several times a week. Both ferry and flights are weather dependent and it’s best to check the forecast before travelling. The ferry is not a car ferry, and booking is essential.
Flight to Foula on the Islander plane
Ferry booking: Foula Ferry Service is operated by BK Marine and bookings should be made through them. +44(0) 7881827636.
(For up to the minute sailing information call the sailing information voicebank on +44(0) 1595 743 976). Ferries must be booked in advance and are a passenger-only service.
Plane booking: Airtask operates flights to Foula, carrying six passengers. To book please call the reservations office on: +44(0) 1595 840246.
(Service updates are provided on their Facebook page: Airtask Group inter Islands Air Services).
Foula’s runway
Foula Sheep in Foula
Today, the island has a population of around 35 who, for the most part, live and work on the island, tending their flocks of Foula sheep and Shetland ponies. Foula has its own breed of sheep, celebrated in yarn by Foula Wool. Due to its remote location, the sheep remained unchanged and are the most traditional Shetland sheep. To protect the species, no sheep are permitted to be brought into the island. Other island occupations include ferry crew, fire crew, a nurse, a postman, three rangers, a fisherman, accommodation providers, and electricity and water maintenance workers.
For most visitors, it’s the walking and birdwatching opportunities that draw them to the island which dominates Shetland’s western horizon, with its distinct silhouette of jagged peaks – not dissimilar to the profile of St Kilda’s Hirta from the sea – and makes for some tremendous hikes. Foula’s main peaks are; The Kame (1,220ft); The Sneug (1,373ft); Hamnafield (1,130ft), The Noup (803ft) – which descends to the Sneck o’ da Smaallie, a 200ft cleft in the cliffs.
A very young Laurie in Foula, 2009!
Foula boasts the second highest sea cliffs in the UK, second only to St Kilda, which rises from the west to a dizzying 1220ft at the Kame. Foula shares many parallels with the now-uninhabited island of St Kilda, with towering sea cliffs dominated by seabirds, and a community that is resilient and proud of their unique and isolated island home.
Foula is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for its flora and fauna, and for the geomorphology of the coastline. It’s also a National Scenic Area and a Special Protection Area (SPA) for birds. Foula has the world’s largest colonies of great skuas, known locally as bonxies. Every suitable small loch in the island is occupied by a pair of nesting Red-throated Divers, and The Bird Island’s cliffs teem with summer seabirds who come ashore to breed and include; puffins, guillemots, razorbills, shags, Arctic skuas, fulmars, kittiwakes and gannets. Over the previous few decades, the island has seen a decline in numbers of birds that have previously bred in great numbers, including: Leach’s petrel, storm petrel, and Manx shearwater. The island’s small lochs are all home to the elusive red-throated diver and many more moorland birds, including ringed plovers and skylarks make the island home, bringing it to life throughout the summer.
Foula landscapes
Alec Crawford, author of Farewell Fugley Island (2022), said that “Foula’s Achilles heel was its inaccessibility, but this was also its blessing as it gave the island its character and the islanders their peace”. Alec Crawford spent time in Foula excavating the wreck of the great liner RMS Oceanic that was lost off the island in the First World War. Commandeered by the Navy for wartime use, this White Star Line vessel was lost on da Shaalds, three miles east of Foula, on her first voyage carrying out naval duties in the North Atlantic.
The idea that Foula’s charm lies in its inaccessibility still rings true today. Yes, it can be difficult to plan a trip to Foula, and travel arrangements can be thrown into disarray at a moment’s notice. Foula often sits, in summer, with her ‘hat’ on, shrouded in a veil of low cloud and mist, rendering the small Islander plane useless, and with a 24-mile crossing across open Atlantic waters, the ferry can be just as unreliable. Foula isn’t blessed with a good harbour, and even the ferry must be winched from the water and cocooned in her cradle to avoid damage from heavy seas driven in on a rising wind. Yet, despite this, the island, once tasted, is never forgotten, and visitors are often compelled to visit again and again. Foula gets under the skin in a way that is difficult to convey in words alone.
A Foula Shetland pony!
Top tips:
The Foula Heritage group, created in 2000, seeks to preserve the island’s rich natural and cultural heritage and operates a part-time ranger service for visitors to the island. Tours can be booked online (www.foulaheritage.com).
In terms of amenities, Foula is limited. Without a shop, provisions for a trip must be brought in, and it’s worth considering taking in extra in the event that weather will leave you stranded for a few extra days.
Ensure you have travel insurance to deal with any delays or cancellations – even if you are travelling from within the UK. It’s also worth taking any prescription medications with you, in case you get stuck for an extra day or two.
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