Description of the meteorological station
Perhaps Britain's most isolated inhabited island, Fair Isle is only some 5 kilometres by 3 kilometres in extent, roughly rectangular in shape, with a heavily indented west coast. The landscape has been moulded by the effects of ice during the Ice Ages, with large areas of glacial till covering the southern third, which is lower, more fertile, and mostly taken up with the cultivated crofting area. The remainder is largely rough grazing and rocky moorland, rising to the 217 metre Ward Hill.
Though the area around the impressive landmark of Sheep Rock on the east coast has cliffs of over 100 metres, the west coast, with its deep slash-like geos, offers some of the island's most impressive scenery, with cliffs rising to almost 200 metres along the north-west coast.
The Meteorological Station at Field is situated on well drained, gently sloping agricultural land some 61 metres above sea level.
The land to the east is bounded by steep cliffs, rising to a maximum height of 132 metres at the very prominent Sheep Rock, one kilometre from the station. Northwards the land rises gently across open moorland to Ward Hill. To the west the land is more or less level for a distance of some 800 metres before rising sharply to the cliffs of Hoini at 110 metres. To the south-west another prominent landmark is the 107 metre high headland of Malcolm's Head. Southwards from Field the land slopes gently down to the lower, more fertile crofting area.
Here, along the south coast, about 2 kilometres from Field, the cliffs are - at around 10 metres - the lowest anywhere on the island.
Station Details
Name: FAIR ISLE International Station No : 03 008 County: SHETLAND Rainfall Station No : 93-764671 Post Code: ZE2 9JU Telephone: (+44)01595-760-224 e-mail: dave.wheeler@zetnet.co.uk Fax/computer: (+44)01595-760-252 CompuServe: 70374,225 Latitude: 59 deg 32 min North Longitude: 01 deg 38 min West Nat. Grid Ref: HZ 210712
Height of Barometer above Sea Level : 61.0 m (200 feet) Height of Rainguage above Sea Level : 56.7 m (184 feet) Observations began: January 1974 Sunshine: June 1976 Anemograph: January 1983