Above them all, stands the great skua, or bonxie as it's known locally. There are maalie (northern fulmars), tystie (guillemots), solan gos (gannets) and many more besides. Many of the words that endure today are names of seabirds. When Foula was repopulated by English-speaking Shetlanders, Norn was lost. However, they may not be aware that the reason the language finally died out was because of a pandemic – not Covid-19, but smallpox, lethal waves of which washed over the island in the 18th Century, killing the majority of residents. They may also know that this was the last place in the United Kingdom to speak a Norse language, Norn.
If outsiders know anything at all about the island it is likely to be that the residents still adhere to a version of the Julian calendar, having refused to change to the more modern Gregorian calendar in line with the rest of the country in 1752.
Not only had none of them been before, but they also didn't even know anyone who had. Before making the long journey north, I asked some Shetlander friends what to expect. To some people this is a surprise, but it is not the only one on Foula. Visitors must bring everything with them. Otherwise, Foula offers few distractions for those not interested in the outdoors: there is no wi-fi, no pubs or bars, not even a shop to buy basic supplies. The majority of visitors are birders, drawn here by the tens of thousands of birds that make this blustery island home over summer. Nonetheless, there is a limited amount of tourism, with just two guest houses – The Burns and Ristie – and a few camping sites providing accommodation. You have to be well-stocked, but you're used to it if you live here." "It's only really late April or May that the wind finally stops. "It could be like this until the next equinox really," said Sheila Gear, Foula resident of almost 60 years. This meant that the 30 or so permanent residents on the island depended wholly on the vagaries of light aircraft to bring them supplies. By that point in early October, the island's ferry hadn't sailed for a couple of weeks and wasn't expected to try again for several more. On the day I flew, the equinoctial gales were strong enough to decapitate any white horses forming below. Travel due west beyond it and there is nothing but the tumultuous North Atlantic until the east coast of Greenland. Sometimes referred to as Ultima Thule – Latin bywords for extremely remote destinations – it is said to be the most remote inhabited British island, reached by an unpredictable ferry or the frequently hectic 17-minute flight from the Shetland Mainland. In a year dominated by domestic travel, Foula has perhaps been the most extreme option available to Brits. Instead, however, half-an-hours' notice was given to scramble to the airport and make a narrow weather window. Our departure had already been delayed by the gales for many hours and for a time the forecast said that no flying would be possible for several days. "Things are likely to get pretty entertaining," said pilot Marshall Wishart as we boarded his BN-2B Islander to fly from the airport outside Shetland's largest town, Lerwick, to the airstrip on Foula, 31 miles west. In a place as exposed to the elements as Shetland, they can be definitive on its most distant island of Foula, they can act as a sort of gatekeeper.
It is frequently used to describe equinoctial gales, which can feel relentless this far north when the seasons change in spring and autumn. It means "of or relating to the equinox". I learned several new words during my time in Shetland, the distant island chain drifting between Scotland and Norway.
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