Fair Isle (/ˈfɛər aɪl/ FAIR eyel; Old Norse: Friðarey), sometimes Fairisle, is the southernmost Shetland island, situated roughly 38 kilometres (20+1⁄2 nautical miles) from the Shetland Mainland and about 43 kilometres (23 nautical miles) from North Ronaldsay (the most northerly island of Orkney).

Fair Isle has been occupied since Neolithic times, which is remarkable given the lack of raw materials on the island, although it is surrounded by rich fishing waters.

There are two known Iron Age sites: a promontory fort at Landberg and the foundations of a house underlying an early Christian settlement at Kirkigeo.

In 1469, Shetland, along with Orkney, was part of the dowry of the King of Denmark's daughter, Margaret, on her marriage to James III of Scotland.

[13] On 20 August 1588 the flagship of the Spanish Armada, El Gran Grifón, was shipwrecked in the cove of Stroms Hellier, forcing its 300 sailors to spend six weeks living with the islanders.

[15] Fair Isle was bought by the National Trust for Scotland in 1954 from George Waterston, the founder of the bird observatory.

[16][17] In that decade, electricity was not yet available to residents and only some homes had running water; the population was declining at a level that created concern.

[20] The island has 14 scheduled monuments, ranging from the earliest signs of human activity to the remains of a Second World War radar station.

The island houses a series of high-technology relay stations carrying vital TV, radio, telephone and military communication links between Shetland, Orkney and the Scottish mainland.

[21] In this respect it continues its historic role as a signal station, linking the mainland and the more remote island groups.

During the Second World War, the Royal Navy built two radar stations on top of Ward Hill (712 ft or 217 m), which operated from February and March 1940 and played an important role in detecting German bombers approaching Scapa Flow on 8 and 10 April 1940.

On 17 January 1941, a German Heinkel He 111 bomber, modified as a meteorological aircraft, crashed on the island; wreckage remains on the crash-site.

The pilot managed to make a crash-landing on Fair Isle to avoid ditching his crippled aircraft in the sea.

[26] On 22 July 1941, Spitfire X5401 piloted by Flying Officer M. D. S. Hood crash-landed on Fair Isle returning from a reconnaissance mission over Ålesund, Norway.

This 60+ year temperature span is actually smaller than many places in inland southern England will record within a given three-month period.

This is explained by a lack of heavy convective rainfall during spring and summer months due to the absence of warm surface conditions.

Fair Isle's ocean moderation is so strong that areas on the same latitudes in the Scandinavian inland less than 1,000 km (620 mi) to the east have average summer highs 2–3 °C (4–5 °F) higher than Fair Isle's all-time record temperature, for example the Norwegian capital of Oslo and the Swedish capital of Stockholm.

The winter daily means are comparable to many areas as far south in the British Isles as south-central England, because of the extreme maritime moderation.

In 1702, the Dutch, who were interested in Shetland's herring fisheries, fought a naval battle against French warships just off the island.

Fair Isle is noted for its woollen jumpers, with knitting forming an important source of income for the women of the islands.

[51] Following the installation of three wind turbines, combined with solar panels and batteries, in a £3.5 million scheme completed in October 2018, the island has had a 24-hour electricity supply.

[56] In October 2011, a contract for the construction of a £140,000 purpose-built fire station was awarded to Shetland company Ness Engineering,[57] who completed the construction and equipping of the fire station, including its connection to the island power and water supplies, and the installation of a rainwater harvesting system within the building.

In the event of accident and emergency the community nurse provides first aid until casualties can be removed to Shetland Mainland, usually by helicopter air ambulance.

The north harbour is the main route for goods, provisions, and Royal Mail postal services arriving at and departing from the island.

The ferry Good Shepherd IV plies between Fair Isle north harbour and Grutness on Shetland Mainland.

Islanders of secondary school age are generally educated off-island, on Shetland Mainland, where they board in halls of residence, returning to Fair Isle during holiday periods.

[69][70] The island and its surrounding seas are also designated by NatureScot as a Special Protection Area (SPA) due to the important bird species present.