THE UK’s most isolated island celebrates Christmas on January 6 – despite the rest of Britain packing away the decorations weeks earlier.
Foula, a tiny Scottish island 20 miles off the west coast of Shetland, follows its own festive timetable.
The unusual timing is down to the calendar the island follows.
While the rest of the UK adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1752, Foula’s residents chose to keep using the older Julian calendar.
That decision means key dates slowly drifted, and after a leap year change in 1900, Christmas and New Year ended up falling 12 days later than elsewhere.
Home to just 35 people, Foula is often described as one of the most remote places in the country.
With no pubs, shops, bars, Wi-Fi or National Grid connection, supplies arrive only by boat or small plane, weather permitting, yet despite its isolation the island still offers plenty to see.
Foula covers around five square miles and is dominated by five dramatic peaks, including Da Kame, which is believed to be one of the highest sheer sea cliffs in Britain.
The island is also one of the best places in the UK to spot the Northern Lights.
Known locally as the Mirrie Dancers, they are most often seen between mid-October and mid-March, depending on conditions.
Wildlife is another major draw. Foula is famous for its native sheep, which are unique.
Foula is also popular with scuba divers due to several shipwrecks around its shores, notably the RMS Oceanic, launched in 1899, later used during the First World War, and wrecked just three miles east of the island.
Those who prefer to stay on dry land can join guided walks run by the Foula Ranger Service, or explore independently using maps provided by Foula Heritage.
The island can be reached by ferry or flight from the Shetland Mainland, with ferries running three times a week and taking about two hours, while visitors stay in self-catering accommodation and must bring all supplies.
Two other little-known islands to visit in the UK
HERE are two other little-known islands to visit in the UK.
The Isle of Erraid, Scotland
The tiny Inner Hebridean Isle of Erraid is a tidal island, just off the tip of the Ross of Mull.
For an hour or two either side of low tide, the Isle of Erraid is linked to the mainland by a broad expanse of sand that you can cross.
But Erraid’s major claim to fame is its inspiration for the famous novel Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson.
Erraid is one of the driest and sunniest places in Scotland, with less than 1,000 millimetres of rain and 1,350 hours of sunshine annually, so you’re virtually guaranteed great days out on the beach.
Unst, Scotland
Unst is roughly 178 miles away from the Scottish mainland.
There are thought to be just 600 people living on the tiny island, making it the most northerly inhabited place in the UK.
Unst has just one pub, one hotel, one school, three shops and a lone bus route.
Skaw Beach, the most northerly in the UK, is packed with golden sand, and it’s backed by a meadow that’s home to an array of wild flowers in the spring and summer.
Because of its shape, the beach is fairly sheltered from the winds.
There are limited facilities at the beach, so holidaymakers should aim to pack everything they need before visiting.
Despite its remote location, around 100 people have reviewed the beach on Google, with one person writing: “Wild and wooly, with nobody around. The water was freezing, as you would expect.”
It’s also a haven for birds including corncrake, lapwing, peregrine, hen harriers and sandpipers and you’ll also see plenty of deer, hedgehogs and Black Face sheep.
