Bruce takes a short stroll before work in Shetland unfortunately he forgot his Smidge !!!
Kenneth McKellar couldn't make it but sent a warning in Song about some of the local wildlife.
Sumburgh Head is located at the southern tip of the Shetland
Mainland in northern Scotland. The head is a 100 m high rocky spur capped by
the Sumburgh Head Lighthouse. The Old Norse name was Dunrøstar høfdi, it means
"The Head onto the loud tide-race", referring to the noise of
Sumburgh Roost. The cliffs are home to large numbers of seabirds and the area is
an RSPB nature reserve.
Robert Stevenson was the engineer in charge of building the
Sumburgh Head lighthouse. Work started on the building in 1819, and the light
was first lit in 1821. As well as birds, it has become a popular
viewing point for whales and dolphins.
Close to the head is the archaeological site of Jarlshof, at
which a series of settlements existed dating back to the Neolithic period.
Jarlshof is the best known prehistoric archaeological site
in Shetland, Scotland and has been described as "one of the most
remarkable archaeological sites ever excavated in the British Isles" It
contains remains dating from 2500 BC up to the 17th century AD.
The Bronze Age settlers left evidence of several small oval
houses with thick stone walls and various artefacts including a decorated bone
object. The Iron Age ruins include several different types of structure
including a broch and a defensive wall around the site. The Pictish period
provides various works of art including a painted pebble and a symbol stone.
The Viking age ruins make up the largest such site visible anywhere in Britain
and include a longhouse; excavations provided numerous tools and a detailed
insight into life in Shetland at this time. The most visible structures on the
site are the walls of the Scottish period fortified manor house, which inspired
the name "Jarlshof" that first appears in an 1821 novel by Walter
Scott.
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| Not much chance of getting lost |
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| Jarlshof |
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| Sumburgh Head & Light House |
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| Looking Down on Puffins, Guillemot's, Skua's & Fulmar's |
Oh well better go and do some work.
