Hidden Britain AtlasOpen the map
All places › Secret bunkers & war sites
Secret site

RAF Saxa Vord

Unst, Shetland

Britain's most northerly radar, watching for Soviet bombers.

On a hilltop on Unst, the most northerly island in Britain, the RAF ran a radar station that watched for Soviet aircraft over the North Sea throughout the Cold War. In 1992 its instruments recorded a gust of 197 mph, an unofficial British record, just before the equipment blew away.

Read the full story, see it on the map, get directions and find what else is nearby in the free Hidden Britain Atlas map.

When
1957–2006
Where
60.8200, -0.8400
Group
Secret bunkers & war sites

Visiting

Unst has a Heritage Centre and a boat museum.

Nearby mysteries