Mavis Grind

The gateway to the rugged and spectacular district of Northmavine at the northern end of the Mainland of Shetland, Mavis Grind - the 'gateway of the narrow isthmus' - is the name given to the narrow neck of land where the island is reduced to a strip little more than 100m (328 feet) wide to the west of Brae. Here St. Magnus Bay and the Atlantic in the west are separated from Ell Wick, Sullom Voe and the North Sea in the east. It is thought that the Vikings dragged their boats across Mavis Grind to avoid sailing dangerous waters to the north of Shetland and fishermen did the same until the 1950s to move quickly between the Atlantic and North Sea fishing grounds.


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