Fitful Head

About Fitful Head

Dominating the southwestern tip of Mainland Shetland, this dramatic Marilyn is defined by its colossal sea cliffs and sweeping views. While a restricted vehicular track offers a functional ascent from Quendale, the real draw is the dizzying 900-foot drop to the Atlantic, where sea stacks and crashing surf lie far below.

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Did You Know?

• •The name originates from the Old Norse 'Fitfugla-höfði', meaning the headland of the sea-birds. 'Fit' refers to the meadowland by the water’s edge, while 'fugla' highlights the area's historical importance for nesting colonies.
• •The hill gained literary fame through Sir Walter Scott’s 1821 novel, The Pirate. The character Norna of the Fitful Head, a 'weather-prophetess' and practitioner of ancient Norse magic, was said to dwell in a cave known as the Thief's House just below the summit cliffs.
• •From the trig point, the view south is exceptional; on a clear day, you can look past the runways of Sumburgh Airport and the lighthouse at Sumburgh Head to the isolated profile of Fair Isle sitting 24 miles out in the Atlantic.
• •The summit and surrounding slopes are a stronghold for the Great Skua, known in Shetland as the 'bonxie'. These birds are famously territorial and will dive-bomb walkers who stray too close to their nests during the summer breeding season.
• •The summit is crowned by a white NATS radar dome and various telecommunications masts. While these high-tech installations help guide aircraft into the northern isles, they provide remarkably little assistance to the hillwalker trying to navigate through a thick Shetland haar.
• •The western face consists of a 3-kilometre stretch of near-vertical cliffs, some of the highest and most imposing in the Shetland archipelago, dropping 283 metres directly into the ocean.