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Yamna Field, Gluss

Standing Stone / Menhir

Nearest Town:Lerwick (38km SSE)
OS Ref (GB):   HU334773 / Sheets: 2, 3
Latitude:60° 28' 42.25" N
Longitude:   1° 23' 32.41" W

Added by FlopsyPete


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Fieldnotes

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A maniacal huge lump of red granite (1.6m high), almost nothing in common with other Shetland stones save for its one smooth face, angled toward the sky like a transmitter (facing west), a splodgy mess of lumpyness. It is propped up by a couple of stones and I presume other than this this stone hasn't been moved anywhere by people, its just too huge and unshapely. You can prominantly see Ronas Hill from here and its cairn, but this stones' flat face isn't facing it. It is stood atop a rounded pinnacle that is itself halfway up a steep hillside and bcos it has this hill at its back and despite its size looking at it from below, like from the road, you have to know where it is to see it. There's a stone beside it, flat faced, thin and oblong that is perhaps a fallen accompanying standing stone.

Directions: where the A970 and A9075 meet (the Hillswick junction), cross the smaller of the two sandy lochs beside that junction (three swans upon that loch) at its southern end (the other sides a boggy nightmare) and walk up the hill.
Posted by FlopsyPete
30th April 2002ce
Edited 17th March 2004ce

Folklore

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The rock you are talking about (I think) is called Cropna. Legend has it that on Yule morning (Old Christmas) when it hears the cocks crowing at Orbister, it goes down the hill and washes its feet in the loch below.

It also has a friend somewhat squarer and a little smaller called Bonna.

Nearby there is a flatter rock with a space below it where apparently men used to hide from the press gangs.
Posted by peterj
9th June 2002ce