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Balta, Shetland

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Coordinates:60°45′N0°47′W / 60.750°N 0.783°W /60.750; -0.783

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Uninhabited island in Shetland, Scotland

Balta
Location
Old Norse name	Baltey
Balta Balta shown within Shetland
OS grid reference	HP661081
Coordinates	60°44′59″N0°47′28″W / 60.749746°N 0.791144°W /60.749746; -0.791144
Physical geography
Island group	Shetland
Area	80 ha (198 acres)
Area rank	162 ^[1]
Highest elevation	44 m (144 ft)
Administration
Council area	Shetland Islands
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Demographics
Population	0

References	^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]

Balta Sound Lighthouse
South end of the Isle of Balta and lighthouse
Constructed	1895 (first)
Foundation	concrete base
Construction	metal skeletal tower (current) concrete tower (first)
Automated	2004
Height	6.5 metres (21 ft)
Shape	quadrangular tower covered by aluminium panels with light on the top (current) cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern (first)^[7]
Markings	white tower
Power source	solar power

First lit	2004 (current)
Focal height	17 metres (56 ft)
Range	white: 10 nautical miles (19 km; 12 mi) red: 7 nautical miles (13 km; 8.1 mi)^[6]
Characteristic	Fl WR 10s.

Balta (Old Norse: "Baltey"^[5]) is an uninhabited island inShetland,Scotland.

Geography

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Balta lies off the east coast ofUnst and is separated from it byBalta Sound. It has an area of 80 hectares (200 acres) and is about 2.4 km (11⁄2 miles) long.

There is anatural arch on the eastern side of the island.

Balta Island Seafare and Skaw Smolts are the most northerly fish farm and fish hatchery in Britain.^[8]

History

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Historic remains on the island include the ruins of abroch and of aNorse chapel dedicated toSaint Sunniva. There are no census records of more recent inhabitation.^[3]

John MacCulloch visited Balta in May 1820 to carry out the Trigonometrical Survey for theOrdnance Survey. Balta was the northernmost station of the zenith sector.^[9]

Lighthouse

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The Balta Light, at the southern tip of the island, was one of the first concrete structures in Shetland. Thelighthouse was designed byDavid Stevenson and built in 1895. It was demolished in 2003 and replaced by a smallsolar-powered light.^[10]

Footnotes

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^Area and population ranks: there arec. 300 islands over 20 ha in extent. 93 permanently inhabited islands were listed in the 2011 census and101 such islands in 2022.
^National Records of Scotland (15 August 2013)."Appendix 2: Population and households on Scotland's Inhabited Islands"(PDF).Statistical Bulletin: 2011 Census: First Results on Population and Household Estimates for Scotland Release 1C (Part Two)(PDF) (Report). SG/2013/126. Retrieved15 July 2025.
^^a ^bHaswell-Smith, Hamish (2004).The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh: Canongate.ISBN 978-1-84195-454-7.
^Ordnance Survey."Sheet 1 - Shetland Islands (Yell & Unst) - Ordnance Survey One-inch to the mile maps of Great Britain, Seventh Series, 1952-1961".National Library of Scotland. Archived fromthe original on 29 January 2016. Retrieved23 January 2016.
^^a ^bAnderson, Joseph (ed.) (1873)The Orkneyinga Saga. Translated by Jón A. Hjaltalin & Gilbert Goudie. Edinburgh. Edmonston and Douglas. The Internet Archive. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
^Balta Sound Light Lighthouses Explorer. Retrieved 30 May 2016
^Rowlett, Russ."Lighthouses of Scotland: Shetland".The Lighthouse Directory.University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved30 May 2016.
^"Balta Island Seafare". Archived fromthe original on 18 February 2008. Retrieved5 January 2008.
^Derek Flinn (1981). "John MacCulloch, MD, FRS and his Geological Map of Scotland: His Years in the Ordnance. 1795–1826".Notes and Records of the Royal Society of London.36 (1). London: The Royal Society: 91.doi:10.1098/rsnr.1981.0006.JSTOR 531659.PMID 11610947.S2CID 27602718.
^Marter, Hans J. (10 November 2003)."Historic lighthouse to go".shetland-news.co.uk/Wayback Machine. Archived fromthe original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved15 October 2013.

External links

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Northern Lighthouse Board

Wikimedia Commons has media related toBalta, Shetland Islands.

v t e North Isles,Shetland Islands
Inhabited islands	Fetlar Unst Yell
Other islands	Balta Brough Holm Gloup Holm Haaf Gruney Hascosay Huney Linga Muckle Flugga Out Stack Sound Gruney Urie Lingey Uyea
Towns and villages	Aywick Baltasound Belmont Burravoe Copister Cullivoe Gloup Gutcher Houbie Haroldswick Mid Yell Skaw Ulsta Uyeasound West Sandwick
Points of interest	Belmont House Brough Lodge Burgi Geos Daal of Lumbister Hermaness Muness Castle Old Haa Museum RRH Saxa Vord Unst Bus Shelter Valhalla Brewery

v t e Shetland
Inhabited islands	Mainland Bressay Burra East Burra West Burra Fair Isle Fetlar Foula Muckle Roe North Isles Out Skerries Papa Stour Trondra Unst Vaila Whalsay Yell
Other islands	Balta Bigga Brother Isle Colsay Hascosay Hildasay Lamba Linga, Bluemull Sound Linga, Busta Voe Linga (near Vementry) Linga, Vaila Sound Linga, Yell Sound Mousa Noss Oxna Papa Papa Little Samphrey South Havra St Ninian's Isle Uyea, Northmavine Uyea, Unst Vementry Ve Skerries West Linga
Towns and villages	Lerwick Aith Baltasound Bigton Bixter Brae Cunningsburgh Grutness Gulberwick Gutcher Haroldswick Hillswick Levenwick Mid Yell Mossbank North Roe Ollaberry Quarff Sandwick Scalloway Symbister Toab Toft Ulsta Uyeasound Vidlin Voe Walls Weisdale Whiteness
Mainland Parishes	Delting Dunrossness Lerwick Nesting Northmavine Sandsting Tingwall Walls and Sandness
Insular Parishes	Bressay Fetlar Unst Yell
Maritime features	Balta Sound Bluemull Sound Burra Voe Busta Voe Calder's Geo Kettla Ness Ronas Voe St Magnus Bay Sullom Voe West Voe of Sumburgh Yell Sound
Extreme points (N S E W)	Out Stack The Skerry, off Fair Isle Bound Skerry Waster Hoevda, Foula
Related topics	Animal breeds Etymology History Prehistory
Museums and other sights	Shetland Museum Tangwick Haa Muness Castle Scalloway Castle

v t e Lighthouses of theNorthern Lighthouse Board
Scotland (except principal island groups)	Ailsa Craig Ardnamurchan Bass Rock Bell Rock Buchan Ness Cape Wrath Chanonry Corran Point Corsewall Covesea Skerries Crammag Head Davaar Duncansby Head Dunnet Head Fidra Fife Ness Girdle Ness Holy Island (Outer) Inchkeith Isle of May Kinnaird Head Mull of Galloway Mull of Kintyre North Rona Noss Head Pladda Rattray Head Rubh Re St Abbs Head Sanda Scurdie Ness Stoer Head Strathy Point Stroma Sule Skerry Tarbat Ness Turnberry Minor lights
TheHebrides	Barra Head Butt of Lewis Dubh Artach Eilean Glas Flannan Islands Haskeir Hyskeir Lismore Monach Neist Point Ornsay Rinns of Islay Rubha nan Gall Rona Lighthouse Ruvaal Scarinish Skerryvore Tiumpan Head Ushenish Minor lights
Orkney	Auskerry Brough of Birsay Cantick Head Copinsay Hoy Sound (High) Hoy Sound (Low) North Ronaldsay Noup Head Pentland Skerries Start Point Tor Ness Minor lights
Shetland	Bressay Eshaness Fair Isle North Fair Isle South Firths Voe Foula Hoo Stack Little Holm Muckle Flugga Out Skerries Point of Fethaland Sumburgh Head Ve Skerries Minor lights
Isle of Man	Chicken Rock Douglas Head Langness (minor light) Maughold Head Point of Ayre Thousla Rock (minor light)