Showing 1-20 of 489 fieldnotes. Most recent first | Next 20 
04/11/2023 - After sunset visit to Geallaig Hill. This a fine hill with a good loop from Glen Gairn. We reached the top at pretty much sunset. Misty and a cold wind. We sat by the cairn, had our tea and waited for the dark. A few stars on the way back down but the mist and clouds didn't clear much. It was a chilly visit but just what we needed.
The nice cairn on the top of Geallaig Hill. I'd forgotten how big the footprint was. Looks prehistory to me. There's over 14 hut circles and a field system at the bottom of the hill. Could the people who lived there have built this cairn back in the Bronze age?
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01/07/2023 - Our run of good weather came to an end. Today it chucked it down for most of the day. We headed north to Eshaness to try and dodge the rain but it found us in the end. Whilst there me and Mrs T made a quick dash up and down Sae Breck in the rain to have a look for the broch. There was not much to see (or we just missed it). Still nice views of the surrounding landscape and a bonus trigpoint.
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30/06/2023 - A boat trip to Mousa. 9 years since my last visit, 25 years for my dad. We were both happy to be back. I'd rushed it a bit last time, nervous about missing the boat back (didn't need to be as you get plenty of time). It was great to get a chance to visit again, enjoyed it more. My dad made it to the broch and back too, which was pretty ace as his knees ain't great nowadays. On the way back to the boat we were lucky to hear Storm petrels calling from the old stone walls nearby which was proper magic. Top day out with my dad, I'd not seen him for ages as we don't live near to each other. Just great that he made the trip up. Mousa is a special place.
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29/06/2023 - Heading back to Sumburgh in the afternoon we stopped by the Pool of Virkie, a tidal area good for birds. At the entrance are the remains of a broch and settlement.
Canmore has an old entry stating - 'the broch may have given a name to the Pool, for ‘Virkie’ is derived from a Scandinavian word for a fort.'
The broch is mostly destroyed by erosion. Walls can still be seen though. There looks to be the remains of outer buildings too. Maybe a large settlement like at nearby Old Scatness.
Easy access with good parking at the harbour and then just a short walk to the broch.
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26/06/2023 - Last cairn for us on a cairn filled walk to Crussa Field. Nice position with lovely views of north Unst and the sea. We sat and had a brew. Tired but it had been a good day.
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26/06/2023 - I have no idea what's going on with this! Reading Canmore didn't help at all. Most of the stones have been displaced. The north side ones thrown down the hillside. Cairn is supposed to be at the summit but what's that hole next to the top? Bit of a head scratcher but nice views from it.
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26/06/2023 - Heading back from visiting the cairns on Crussa Field, we detoured to Muckle Heog to have a look at the cairns here (if you like a cairn this hill is for you). Muckle Heog West heel-shaped cairn is big with two cists still showing (4 were recorded in the past). The wall, where I guess most of the stones from the cairn ended up, cuts across the north side. I liked this cairn a lot.
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26/06/2023 - The Rounds of Tivla. I just don't know what to make of this site, just south of the two cairns at the top. Never come across one like it before. High on the hillside (Crussa Field) in Unst. Three cairns, the main one has a small mound of stones in the middle surrounded by three circular low stone banks with two intermediate ditches. Canmore use the term 'disc-type cairn' which I hadn't come across before. Second cairn seems to have just one bank and ditch. There’s a small third cairn to the west. A really interesting site. Access is OK, we started from the petrol station/shop to the east. Walls and fences but there are gates. Plenty of Shetland ponies on the hillside. Really enjoyed my time here, main cairn is great with its banks and ditches. A bit of a mystery.
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26/06/2023 - After 3 days on Mainland Shetland we moved on north through Yell to Unst. Rainy in the morning so we hid in a coffee shop. Afternoon was better so we headed up Crussa Field for a walk. Top hill for ancient cairns, it's got at least 8! All with their own character. Magic place with great views. Two good size cairns at the top, big stones used. Large cist in the main one, cairn just to the south uses outcrop rock.
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26/06/2023 - Off the ferry, the first place I wanted to visit in Unst was this stone. It looked big at first sight, up close it seemed massive. It stands all alone, the passing of time surely means little to it. It stands there as if it always has and always will. It's the most northerly standing stone I've been to and now one of my favourites. It's a 12ft loveable monster.
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25/06/2023 - A sunny walk in the lovely named Button Hills above Brae. It's a peaceful place. Lots of Bonxie, Golden plover and Dunlin on the hill. On the way back we visited these two cairns next to each other, one a heel-shaped cairn. Both in not great condition but nice to see and a good location with easy access. A nice day taken slow. Reading Carl's notes below, I think I had better luck, the cows were there but maybe too warm a day to bother crossing the field to give us any hassle.
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24/06/2023 - A day of tops and stones from Brae to Muckle Roe and back. We passed by The Busta Stone west of Brae (it's a lump) then a few tops before heading to Skeo Of Gossaford cairn (remains of). North to Bays Water chambered cairn (nice heel-shaped cairn). Next to this cairn are the remains of four Neolithic houses. The setting next to the loch is lovely. We had come really to visit the chambered cairn but these houses proper made my day. They are fantastic. Good banks and stones. We spent a good while here, just looking about in the warm sunshine. Access is easy enough either over Gossaford or the track to Houlis Water and then over. Well worth a visit. The walking is really good round here and the wild flowers are lovely at this time of year.
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24/06/2023 - A nice heel-shaped chambered cairn on a rocky knoll just above Bays Water loch. The slightly concave front of the cairn faces SE. A fantastic Neolithic settlement just beyond.
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24/06/2023 - Heading over Gossaford after a visit to Muckle Roe we stopped by to see this cairn. It's a low cairn of stones but big diameter, round 17m. The location is just great, really fine view to the sea and Busta Voe. Worth a visit to while away an afternoon in the sunshine.
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23/06/2023 – After having a good look round the Neolithic Axe Factory, we walked the short distance to this chambered cairn. Passage and chamber survive. I wasn’t that sure about it at first. Placement on the hill and direction of passage seem unusual. We sat and had our sandwiches, after an hour it was time to leave. I felt happier about the cairn after spending some time with it. The location is wonderful.
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23/06/2023 - A sunny visit to Beorgs Of Uyea. West of North Roe at the top of mainland Shetland. Neolithic Axe Factory and a Chambered Cairn marked on the OS map proved too hard a pull to ignore. I've been wanting to visit here for years. Straight off the ferry and an early start. Good parking at North Roe and then a track west to the site. It’s a lovely place to spend the day. Neolithic Felsite quarrying is all over a large area. Broken stones of Felsite dykes are scattered everywhere. Grey stones of Felsite surrounded by pink stones of Ronas Hill Granite. There’s a gallery covered by lintel stones that could have been a workshop. Weather was just great. Magic day out.
The paper about the role of Felsite in Neolithic Shetland is well worth a look - see links below.
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27/05/2023 - Canmore has a 'probable crannog' listed at the north end of Loch Builg. We were passing on the south side so not really close to have a good look. I'm not too sure after looking at aerial photos online. Thought I'd add anyway, you never know.
Might go that way next time. It's a little bit in the middle of nowhere. Nice area though.
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19/04/2023 - Evening walk to Cairn-mon-earn. It's been 12 years since our last visit here. This was our first time up after sunset, just for something different really. Started from the small parking area just off the Slug Road. It's an easy 45min walk up a curving track to the top. Quiet this evening. We sat, had a brew and watched the sky slowly turn dark. Really good stars tonight. The Bronze Age cairn at the top is big, 17m in diameter by 3m in height. A nice midweek walk.
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31/03/2023 - Newgrange. Last stop of a lovely day out looking at stones and the main reason we had made the trip. Great to finally make it here after our cancelled trip 3 years back. We took a tour bus from Dublin. Mary Gibbons tour of Hill of Tara, Knowth & Newgrange. Can't recommend it enough. She's excellent. I know tours ain't everyone's thing, but you don't get any less or more time there than if you made your own way to Newgrange and it just takes all the hassle out of getting there from the city. Only small groups too which was a really nice bonus as it was peaceful.
Allowed time there is short but again like Knowth, not overcrowded. The entrance of Newgrange passage tomb is pretty in your face but I liked it. White quartz covers the front, the just fantastic entrance stone guards the way in, with its spiral motifs. A wonderful stone. The inside chamber is wow. To look up and see that wonderful corbelled roof, very special. The light demo is very well done. Too soon it was time to leave. We had a quick walk round the outside of the mound, looking at the rock art on the kerbstones then headed back to the bus, a bit soggy from the rain but very happy.
Just magic to have finally made it to the Boyne Valley. Guess we all spend most of our time at sites that get seldom visited and it’s just us and the stones. Always a bit of a worry going to the big sites like Newgrange, Stonehenge and Skara Brae that the people/noise/rush with spoil the vibe. Newgrange/Knowth tour turned out great though, really enjoyed it. Should mention the visitor’s centre too, it’s excellent, I got myself a Newgrange tea towel to add to my collection!
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31/03/2023 - Knowth Neolithic passage grave. Great site, big mound with 17 smaller satellite tombs surrounding it. I really liked this place. Top Site. Only a short time allowed there on the guided tour but that meant fewer people so the vibe was good. The rock art is just amazing. It rained but it didn't much matter, a must visit site. The very good tour guide took us round the outside of the monster mound. 127 kerbstones surround the base. The carvings are a wonder. just too much to take in on one visit. A few seem to show both waxing and waning phases of the moon maybe. Both passage entrances with good. I like the standing stone in front of each. The ground at the entrance is covered in quartz. I maybe just preferred Knowth to Newgrange. It is an amazing site. You can walk to the top of the mound. The view is nice and good for seeing Knowth's place in the landscape. It was a very good visit.
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Showing 1-20 of 489 fieldnotes. Most recent first | Next 20 |
We travel the Spaceways
Snaps of the stuff we see along the way
https://www.flickr.com/photos/spaceways/
https://toot.community/@Spaceways
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