St Ninian's Ayre

St Ninian's Isle is a small island connected by the largest tombolo in the to the south-western coast of the Mainland, Shetland. The tombolo, known locally as an ayre from the Old Norse for "gravel bank", is 500 metres long. During the summer the tombolo is above sea level and accessible to walkers. During winter, stronger wave action removes sand from the beach so that it is usually covered at high tide, and occasionally throughout the tidal cycle, until the sand is returned the following spring. The nearest settlement is Bigton, also in the parish of Dunrossness.