Logged Visits:

24th Apr 2025  09:30  by sheepsocks

FB Number: S9542  Condition: Good  Score: 8/10

Got off the Aberdeen ferry and drove straight here, so had has the tombola and island to ourselves: a lovely walk, clockwise round the island on a bright sunny morning.

23rd Jan 2025  15:00  by Foinavon

FB Number: Not logged  Condition: Good  Score: 8/10

First Trigpoint for me on Shetland. Finally breaking my 25 year old record for most Northerly Trig (it was Ben Hope)

24th Aug 2024  15:35  by Trigobsession

FB Number: S9542  Condition: Good  Score: 8/10

Lovely walk out to it and plenty of parking at the beach

5th Apr 2024  12:41  by Dubvine

FB Number: Not logged  Condition: Not Logged  Score: 5/10

6th Aug 2023  19:16  by She of the Shenanigans

FB Number: Not logged  Condition: Good  Score: 8/10

29th Jul 2022  00:00  by explorer_olway

FB Number: S9542  Condition: Good  Score: 5/10

Found whilst completing the circuit of St Ninian's Isle on Shetland. Another great location for a TP with great views.

TP 6134 ©explorer_olway
TP 6134 ©explorer_olway

13th Jul 2021  19:57  by MJC

FB Number: Not logged  Condition: Not Logged  Score: 5/10

24th Jan 2021  12:49  by kenjoalejandro

FB Number: Not logged  Condition: Not Logged  Score: 8/10

what a beautifull wee corner of the world muddy walk once on the isle and the trig is close to the edge but a beautifull place

Kenneth Alexander At ninians isle was stunning
Braw day for it St nininians trig is close to the edge

5th Jan 2021  14:00  by MKH

FB Number: Not logged  Condition: Not Logged  Score: 5/10

2nd Nov 2020  22:23  by Eduardo

FB Number: S9542  Condition: Good  Score: 9/10

Beautiful walk around St Ninians Isle followed by a swim in the sea!

St Ninians Isle pillar ©Eduardo

26th Mar 2020  12:00  by Swisha551

FB Number: Not logged  Condition: Not Logged  Score: 7/10

13th Oct 2019  11:11  by GAnder88

FB Number: S9542  Condition: Good  Score: 9/10

8th Jun 2019  09:44  by trigging on an island

FB Number: S9542  Condition: Good  Score: 10/10

Second time across to St Ninians but managed to not notice the trig pillar previously. Absolute delight to visit and we had a gorgeously bright morning for it, having also just rolled off the overnight ferry only an hour or two earlier.

2nd Jun 2019  09:28  by vegibagger

FB Number: S9542  Condition: Good  Score: 5/10

Walk out across the tombola sand bar with Douglas Law. Little of the sand there. And waves washing a little bit over it on way back. Walk across the machair to the NW High point n trig in gently deteriorating weather.

Trig pillars slippy when wet ©vegibagger
Trig n Dugswell ©vegibagger
FB ©vegibagger
Top ©vegibagger

2nd Jun 2019  09:25  by dugswell2

FB Number: S9542   Condition: Good  Score: 8/10

Bagged in the rain with Charles, a stunning island.

27th Aug 2018  17:07  by jonglew

Gridref: HU 36124 21898   FB Number: S9542  Condition: Good  Score: 7/10

Lovely walk over the sands and up onto St Ninian's. Followed the cliff tops round to the pillar, then on for a complete circuit of the 'island' in late pm as the sun began to sink. Pillar retains original centre cap, raised lettering; LHS sight hole open. Great location on the headland, descended as far as I dared to get a shot of Loose Head. Super views.

Pillar TP6134©jonglew
Spider TP6134©jonglew
Flush Bracket TP6134©jonglew

27th Jul 2018  13:20  by Ingrid

FB Number: S9542  Condition: Good  Score: 5/10

Beautiful.

9th May 2018  13:23  by Triggers

FB Number: Not logged  Condition: Good  Score: 5/10

simpler walk. lovely spot above cliffs

©Triggers

18th Mar 2018  13:30  by DavidLees

FB Number: Not logged  Condition: Good  Score: 7/10

©DavidLees

27th Jan 2018  21:27  by pricklyangelduo

FB Number: Not logged  Condition: Not Logged  Score: 5/10

Blowing a Hoolie Wow set off in a light drizzle rounded the cliff edge in a gale and torrential rain. Fab walk to this though.©pricklyangelduo

29th Oct 2017  10:23  by Luckyuk26

FB Number: S9542  Condition: Good  Score: 9/10

Now I can honestly say that for me was the hardest trig pillar I have gotten since I started finding them. Crossing the Tombolo and the walk along the cliffs edge made me very wary of footing. This was all going well until I slipped on a patch of peat/water and knocked the wind out of myself and filthy to add to it as well. Right, I am now not giving up I will get the Trig Point. Hats of to those guys who had to carry every item from the nearest land fall on the main island to the head land. I was certainly feeling my age when I got there. With the recent storm the sea was wild.

Is this photo straight On approach to the Trig point after a long walk up hill©Luckyuk26

22nd Sep 2017  12:19  by bobandjenny

FB Number: S9542  Condition: Good  Score: 8/10

6th Jul 2017  08:32  by Wildfell

FB Number: Not logged  Condition: Not Logged  Score: 5/10

22nd Jun 2015  19:13  by coinea

Gridref: HU 36120 21882   FB Number: S9542  Condition: Good  Score: 10/10

Lovely place. Visited the old chapel ruins, read about the buried treasure found there--then saw the actual treasure 5 days later in Lerwick Museum.

22nd Jun 2015  19:11  by clochandighter

Gridref: HU 36121 21880   FB Number: S9542  Condition: Good  Score: 10/10

HISTORY: Pillar completed 27th July 1959 costing £39.9s.5d. Computed as tertiary triangulation station HU46/T40 in 1961. Levelled for height also in 1961. Last maintained by the OS in June 1980. SITE VISIT: Public car park by end of road at HU377208. There is only one route to the island which is via the connecting sandy tombolo which can occasionally go under the tide. Once on the island, feintly worn footpaths and stiles lead to the clifftop summit. Pillar close to the edge. Land used for grazing. Occasional dive bombing activity by bonxies enroute. Column in good condition. Spider retains OS centre cap with raised large narrow letters. Flush bracket faces due south ~180°, inland. Vented through west sight hole. Full 360° panoramic view includes Foula.

S9542 - St Ninians Isle pillar & GRP
Panorama https://photosynth.net/search.aspx?q=s9542
S9542 - St Ninians Isle pillar & FB

2nd Aug 2013  13:53  by grianaig

FB Number: S9542  Condition: Good  Score: 6/10

St Ninians Isle Trig ©grianaig
St Ninians Isle FB ©grianaig

1st Jul 2013  13:00  by fasgadh

FB Number: S9542  Condition: Good  Score: 9/10

Out at the furthest end of the island, visited during a walk around the coast.

St Ninians Isle ©fasgadh
St Ninians Isle ©fasgadh
St Ninians Isle ©fasgadh

2nd Jun 2013  17:30  by peregrinus

FB Number: S9542  Condition: Good  Score: 5/10

Metal cap, wide raised letters, pillar surface slightly crazed. Superb cliff top location

Montaged by Jon Rouse

23rd Sep 2012  16:34  by Da Lipper

Gridref: HU 36121 21886   FB Number: Not logged  Condition: Good  Score: 8/10

Been to St. Ninians hundreds of times but never noticed the trig point before! Great views from this end of the isle. Also went for a look at St. Ninians well whilst i was on the isle

©Da Lipper
©Da Lipper

11th Sep 2012  15:26  by edfielden

Gridref: HU 36122 21892   FB Number: S9542  Condition: Good  Score: 8/10

Spectacular! I parked at the road end beyond Bigton and walked across the tombolo with waves lapping a few metres away on either side. From here it was a fairly simple climb up onto St Ninian's Isle and over the rough grassland to the northern tip. Plenty of bonxies around! The pillar stands just a couple of metres from the edge of a sheer drop and the wind coming up and over the western cliff made it slightly nerve-wracking walking about! FB faces S; W sighthole open, others plugged; original metal cap with raised letters. Good views to the mainland coast but Foula was obscured by low cloud. On my return the tide must have come in a little and I got wet feet waking across the tombolo - if it weren't for this I would easily have given a score of 9!

S9542 - Pillar Looking WNW; Foula shrouded in low cloud ©edfielden
S9542 - Pillar Looking S towards Fitful Head; Ward of Scousburgh at far left of photo ©edfielden
S9542 - Top Looking WNW ©edfielden
S9542 - Flush bracket ©edfielden
S9542 - Trig pose! Looking N towards South Havra ©edfielden
View S Fitful Head in distance ©edfielden
Angry seas just below pillar Looking S ©edfielden
Heading back View SE over the tombolo from approx. HU367210; Ward of Scousburgh behind ©edfielden

4th Sep 2012  14:10  by plet56

FB Number: Not logged  Condition: Good  Score: 8/10

I imagined myself as Moses parting the Red Sea as I crossed over at high tide in a howling gale with big waves crashing down on either side. A very impressive sight (though not my Moses impression). Was almost on my hands and knees getting to the pillar - there's not much room for a wrong step!

9th Jun 2011  00:00  by Curlew

FB Number: Not logged  Condition: Not Logged  Score: 5/10

13th Apr 2011  11:00  by martine41

Gridref: HU 36124 21895   FB Number: S9542  Condition: Good  Score: 8/10

Sunny, windy and seas below cliffs were rough, first sighting this year of Skuas, see photo. Foula, to the west, just visible otherwise nothing else until North America.

View South from Trig Point
Trig Point with Skuas

10th Sep 2009  17:53  by Dodders

FB Number: S9542  Condition: Good  Score: 9/10

Trig visited whilst walking the wonderful St Ninians Isle. Great views from the trig and all around the island. OS map showed that there was another trig on the island but it was not there or on this website.

©Dodders
©Dodders

11th Apr 2009  15:00  by Swalastova

FB Number: S9542  Condition: Good  Score: 9/10

Sunny weather, for a change, and a stiff breeze made this an excellent walk. Loose Head interesting to look at in the gusting wind, especially as the trig point is fairly close to the edge.

©Swalastova
©Swalastova

18th Jun 2006  15:25  by dmwhite

Gridref: HU 36119 21878   FB Number: S9542  Condition: Good  Score: 8/10

Thick mist for the walk to this pillar but a window in weather gave some sort of view but having visited St Ninians Isle many times I know what delights can be seen in appropriate conditions.

Looking Northwards Dismal day with limited views up the west coast of Shetland

10th Jun 2005  12:00  by iainmac

FB Number: S9542  Condition: Good  Score: 9/10

S9542
S9542
S9542

4th Jun 2005  19:05  by Phil Clayton

FB Number: S9542  Condition: Good  Score: 10/10

Another Shetland superlative. Walk over tombolo and out to headland. Rabbits in abundance and Great Skuas diving down. Fabulous views.

27th Jul 2004  16:25  by Bridgeman

Gridref: HU 36100 21800   FB Number: S9542  Condition: Good  Score: 6/10

Easy access across tombolo from car park at Bigton.

St Ninians Isle trig point ©Bridgeman
St Ninians Isle trig point flush bracket ©Bridgeman

7th Jul 2004  18:00  by minstrelcat

FB Number: S9542  Condition: Good  Score: 9/10

Long walk to get here but worth it as there are amazing views from this trig! Pillar is in very good condition with a metal plug in the top hole rather than the usual rubbish.

Trig with a view
View in the opposite direction