Fitful Head

A substantial axe-shaped headland in the SW of the Shetland Mainland, Fitful Head is located 3 miles (5 km) northwest of Sumburgh, from which it is separated by the Bay of Quendale. Its cliffs reach 283m (928 feet) above sea level and an air-traffic control radar, associated with Sumburgh Airport, alongside communications masts are located here. Four smaller headlands project from Fitful Head; namely The Nev and The Kame in the north, and Siggar Ness and Garths Ness in the south. Having passed by in 1814, Sir Walter Scott (1771 - 1832) set his novel The Pirate in the vicinity, including a character Norna of the Fitful Head. The Halifax Memorial at The Punds commemorates the loss of the crew of an RAF bomber which crashed into the cliffs in 1942.


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