Hildasay
{{Short description|Island in the Shetland Islands, Scotland}}
{{For|the Northlink ferry|MS Hildasay}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox Scottish island
|Map=
|coordinates = {{coord|60.14|-1.36|display=inline}}
|location_map=Scotland Shetland
|GridReference=HU355403
|celtic name=
|scots name=Hildasay
|norse name=Hildasey
|meaning of name= battle island, or island of Hilda
|area= {{convert|108|ha|acre|0|abbr=on}}
|area rank=146
|highest elevation= {{convert|32|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
|Population= 1
|population rank=
|main settlement=
|island group=Shetland
|local authority=Shetland Islands
|references=2001 UK Census per List of islands of Scotland{{Haswell-Smith}}Anderson, Joseph (Ed.) (1893) Orkneyinga Saga. Translated by Jón A. Hjaltalin & Gilbert Goudie. Edinburgh. James Thin and Mercat Press (1990 reprint). {{ISBN|0-901824-25-9}}E. H. Lind. Norsk-Isländska Dopnamn ock Fingerade Namn från Medeltiden. Uppsala: A.-B. Lundequist. 1906-1915. s.n. Hildir, cols. 543-544. https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/009007424
}}
Hildasay ({{langx|sco|Hildasay}}; {{langx|non|Hildisey}}) (from the Old Norse masculine name Hildir with ey "island"), also known as Hildisay, is an uninhabited island off the west coast of the Shetland Mainland.
Geography and geology
Hildasay has an area of {{convert|108|ha|acre|0}}, and is {{convert|32|m|ft|0}} in elevation at its highest point. It consists of red-green granite (epidotic syenite) that was quarried for many years.{{cite web| title=Hildasay| url=http://www.scottish-places.info/features/featurefirst1399.html | publisher=Gazetteer for Scotland| access-date=20 April 2020}}
The south coast has two narrow inlets, Cusa Voe and Tangi Voe. "West", the larger of two lochs, has a single islet. A satellite island, Linga lies to the south east. A long line of skerries and holms lies to the north west.
History
Hildasay has been uninhabited since the late nineteenth century, but as late as 1891 had a population of 30. The island's former industries included curing herring and quarrying granite. The remains of a railway line leading from the quarry to the harbour can still be seen.
As of 2020 there was one house on the island, which was temporarily occupied by charity walker Chris Lewis and his dog Jet when movement restrictions were imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-52344025 |title=Former paratrooper self-isolating on 'uninhabited' Hildasay |website=BBC News |publisher=BBC |date=20 April 2020 |access-date=20 April 2020}}
Notes and references
{{reflist}}
{{Scalloway Islands}}
{{Shetland}}
{{coord|60|8|48|N|1|21|35|W|display=title|type:isle_region:GB}}
Category:Uninhabited islands of Shetland
Category:Former populated places in Scotland
{{Shetland-geo-stub}}