I am fascinated by the stories of the wrecks which surround many of the beaches and coastal areas which I have visited. One such story is of a wreck near Burga Stack, not far from Culswick, on the west side of Shetland.

The Avanti Savoia was built at Genoa, Italy in 1891 and was a barque of 1441 tons displacement.  In 1915, during the First World War, she was caught in severe weather off the west coast of Shetland eventually sinking near Burga Stack with the loss of all on board. The views of Burga Stack and the beach at Swinis Taing are close to where the ship grounded. more

Although many of the wrecks can be over a century old some pieces of the ships that washed ashore still survive. These are mainly the substantial structures like masts, ribs and shackles. Pieces which have been found have been collected and renovated to show the beauty in these age old timbers.

Some images are given in the following pages of  recovered and restored driftwood.