A 35-meter-long, 6-meter-wide Viking longship replica, built in 2013, featuring intricate carvings and ornate details, offering a glimpse into the Viking Age, with interactive exhibits and artifacts on board.
The Viking ship was the basis for much of their success. They used swift wooden longships, equipped with sails and oars or trading knarrs, which used mainly sail. The shallow draft of longships meant they were able to reach far inland by river or stream to strike and move before local forces could assemble. Ships had overlapping planks (clinker built), and measured between 17.5m and 36m in length. They were steered by a single oar mounted on the starboard side and could reach speeds of 10 to 11 knots. Crews of 25 to 60 men would be common, but larger ships could carry over a hundred people. Our Skidbladner is a full scale replica of the 9th century Gokstad ship, which was discovered in a burial in Vestfold, Norway in 1880. She was built in Sweden and in summer 2000 set sail for America. She never made it any further than Shetland, and was eventually purchased by Shetland Amenity Trust who moved her to Haroldswick where an experienced team of Unst boat builders volunteered to restore her. The original Skidbladner was a ship, made by the dwarfs and given by them to the god Freyr. It is large enough to carry all the gods, yet may be taken to pieces, and carried in a purse. As soon as her sail is hoisted, there is a fair wind to fill her sails. Visit Unst Boat Haven for more information on clinker built boats.
We enjoyed seeing this community project in Unst. Since our visit here, we have a better understanding of the importance of the Norse culture in Unst, and Shetland as a whole.
Interesting roadside attraction a replica including plumbing for underfloor heating and combi boiler extraction flu mount
Wow brilliant, thank you.
As a part of our journey to Unst we decided to go and see this fantastic feature. It is great to experience something reconstructed in 1:1 scale. There is an easy access to enter the boat and visitors have a chance to see what it was to be a part of the crew.
Interesting place I could of done with more to explore
Restaurant
Good for kids
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The Viking ship was the basis for much of their success. They used swift wooden longships, equipped with sails and oars or trading knarrs, which used mainly sail. The shallow draft of longships meant they were able to reach far inland by river or stream to strike and move before local forces could assemble. Ships had overlapping planks (clinker built), and measured between 17.5m and 36m in length. They were steered by a single oar mounted on the starboard side and could reach speeds of 10 to 11 knots. Crews of 25 to 60 men would be common, but larger ships could carry over a hundred people. Our Skidbladner is a full scale replica of the 9th century Gokstad ship, which was discovered in a burial in Vestfold, Norway in 1880. She was built in Sweden and in summer 2000 set sail for America. She never made it any further than Shetland, and was eventually purchased by Shetland Amenity Trust who moved her to Haroldswick where an experienced team of Unst boat builders volunteered to restore her. The original Skidbladner was a ship, made by the dwarfs and given by them to the god Freyr. It is large enough to carry all the gods, yet may be taken to pieces, and carried in a purse. As soon as her sail is hoisted, there is a fair wind to fill her sails. Visit Unst Boat Haven for more information on clinker built boats.
We enjoyed seeing this community project in Unst. Since our visit here, we have a better understanding of the importance of the Norse culture in Unst, and Shetland as a whole.
Interesting roadside attraction a replica including plumbing for underfloor heating and combi boiler extraction flu mount
Wow brilliant, thank you.
As a part of our journey to Unst we decided to go and see this fantastic feature. It is great to experience something reconstructed in 1:1 scale. There is an easy access to enter the boat and visitors have a chance to see what it was to be a part of the crew.
Interesting place I could of done with more to explore
