Foula, pronounced Foola (Norse, fugl-oy, "bird island") lies 27 m. west of the main island of the Shetland group. It measures 3km. long by 2km. wide. The cliffs on the west coast attain at the Sneug (Norse, Snjoog, "hill top") a height of 1272 ft. They are the home of myriads of sea-birds and one of the nesting-places of the bonxie, or great skua (Lestris cata- ractes). The islanders carried on a running battle with the Northern Lighthouse Board to build a lighthouse on the island. Finally in 1986 a lighthouse was built on the south and flat end of the island. The building is modern and is powered by solar panels.

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