St Ninian's
Isle became famous in 1958, when a schoolboy helping at an archaeological
dig on the island's tiny Celtic chapel discovered a hoard of silver bowls
and ornaments. The treasure, believed to date from around 800AD, is kept
in Edinburgh but replicas are displayed at the Shetland Museum in Lerwick.
The island,
now inhabited only by sheep, is a favourite spot for picnics, swimming and
coast walking. Another fine bathing beach is Levenwick, on the North Sea
coast just three miles east of Bigton. Nearby is the scenic inlet of
Channerwick and the villages of Sandwick and Hoswick, which lie on
latitude 60 degrees North the same parallel as Cape Farewell, Greenland.
The Warp & Weft visitor centre in Hoswick has a good range of local
hosiery and provides facilities for the disabled.
