The external circle around the site is 50ft in diameter, here the picture captures the stones bending off into the distance
notjamesbond
It sure is a spectacular location for these stones to be positioned in. Alas it was a wet and windy day on Skye and I’m not sure my digital camera lens was up to it.
Good old Orkney and it’s changeable weather. The watchstone stands proud no matter how much it rains.
It was once believed that the Watchstone would come alive at midnight every New Year’s Eve and drink from the loch next to which it stands.
This tale of course stems from the time when folk believed that standing stones were petrified giants. I’m not sure how widely believed it is nowadays lol!
At 19 feet high, the Watchstone was once one of a pair of standing stones which guarded the causeway leading to the Ring Of Brodgar.
Although it will never really be known what the purpose for the Watchstone ever really was. It has been speculated that it could have formed part of a ceremonial link between the Standing Stones of Stenness and the Brodgar ring.
Heres a good link for those wanting to find out more about the excavation of the mysterious 29 steps.
Clivocast standing stone on the island of Unst beyond is the tiny island of Uyea.
The Shetland Amenity Trust and the University of Bradford have for the past 8 years been excavating a site in the south of shetland known as old Scatness.
The site slap bang next to sumburgh Airport and only a couple of miles from Jarlshof is a truely marvellous find.
The focal point of the site is the disovery of a 4m high Broch which is surrounded by the remains of an Iron Age village. Carbon dating points to the broch as having been built around 400BC. Later the site was used by the Picts and the Vikings.
Further evidence suggest that the site was in use during the bronze age with pottery discovered at the site thought to have been from then.
The tiny harbour just outside Sandwick on the Shetland mainland from which to travel to Mousa.
In 1958 a schoolboy helping to excavate the site struck upon a hoard of silver ornaments believed to have been hidden from Viking invaders. This treasure believed to be pictish in origin can now be seen at the Scottish Museum in Edinburgh.
Mousa Broch is the finest example of a 2000 year old Iron Age tower or broch anywhere. It stands 13.3 metres high and dominates the landscape of the small island of Mousa just off the Shetland mainland.
Accessibility is only by boat and it is thought that the only reason it still stands so proud today is because it would have proved too difficult for past generations to sail over and steal the stone.
Inside the wheelhouse at jarlshof. Just one of many buildings to have been uncovered.
The view of the mine through the legs of Lanyon Quoit :-)
Image credit: notjamesbond
This is the legend surrounding the beginnings of Out Stack...
Herma and Saxa were giants: they quarrelled as they fell in love with a mermaid singing on the Flugga rock, throwing stones at each other which landed in the sea to become Saxa’s Baa. A large one thrown by Saxa became the Out Stack. To be rid of them she agreed to marry whichever would go with her to the North Pole. Both followed and were drowned as they could not swim.
In another version a passing witch settled the dispute by shrouding Saxa in turf to form the hill and turning Herma into a wreath of mist over the ness.
...taken from the Shetland Today website
Here we were lucky enough to find a fire still burning at Castell Henllys, my father takes advantage and warms his hands.
Image credit: notjamesbond
This picture was taken in Spring 2002 looking away from Pentre Ifan towards the path. Isn’t it a lovely sight :-)
Image credit: notjamesbond
An interesting site which informs on the development of the dig at Old Scatness.
Taken in July 2002, students from Bradford university are helping uncover one of the most exciting archaeological finds of recent times at Old Scatness on Shetland.
Image credit: notjamesbond
Again looking from Hermaness, this picture shows the Flugga rocks in the near distance and Out Stack in the far.
Image credit: notjamesbond
Situated on the northernmost point of the British Isles, the rocks of Muckle Flugga and Old Stack are the last pieces of land before the Atlantic Ocean.
Looking from the hermaness nature reserve on the northernmost point of the island of Unst you can see Flugga rock with the lighthouse perched on top.
Image credit: notjamesbond
View looking from the top of the ruined manor house towards the Jarlshof visitor centre.
Image credit: notjamesbond
Discovered in 1905 when a tremendous storm uncovered parts of the village. Up until such time the only thing of note on the peninsula was the 17th century manor house.
The remains of many civilisations which inhabited the site have been found there, Picts and Vikings to name but a few.
The site is a wonderful place to look around but alas a lot of the clues that could have been present during the initial excavation were lost due to the innocent naievity of the archaeologists all those years ago.
Luckily a very similar site is at this moment being excavated not to far away at Old Scatness, this new site should help fill in the blanks about Jarlshof.
The remains of the 17th century manor house from which the settlement takes its name. It was Walter Scott in his book ‘The Pirate’ that originally named the house (not the settlement it had not yet been discovered) and the name stuck.
Image credit: notjamesbond
This picture was taken on a wet day in 2001. The stones are truely impressive and at one point we had to shelter behind one due to the ferocity of the wind and rain.
Image credit: notjamesbond
The view looking from the Dwarfie Stane, back along the path towards the road.
Image credit: notjamesbond
Looking from inside Clickhimin broch. The second best preserved broch on the Shetland Islands.
Image credit: notjamesbond
Here I am standing next to Bordastubble stone on the northern most island in Britain, Unst in Shetland. To give you an indication of its size, I am 5’ 10”.
Image credit: notjamesbond
Looking down into the wheelhouse at Jarlshof
Image credit: notjamesbond
The natural causeway which links the Shetland mainland with St. Ninians Isle is called a Tombolo. The tombolo is made up of sand and shell and will eventually erode cutting the isle off from the mainland altogether.
Image credit: notjamesbond
St. Ninians Chapel can be found on the aptly named St.Ninians Isle just off the Shetland Mainland. The church is believed to have been sacked during a Viking raid.
Image credit: notjamesbond
A very interesting site to visit (if a little expensive) we visited Skara Brae during a trip to Orkney in 2001. The day we chose to visit was wet and very windy. A storm was brewing and the sea next to the settlement was wipping up into a frenzy. The thought crossed our minds that it would have been a very similar storm that uncovered the site in the first place.
Image credit: notjamesbond
Taken on a very cold, wet and windswept day in 2001, my friend and I were lucky enough to have the Ring of Brodgar to ourselves. The area around the ring is bleak and a sense of wonder fills you when you see the circle for the first time.
Image credit: notjamesbond
Walking up to the Dwarfie stone from the road you follow this wooden path. If you don’t know what your loooking for, the stone looks nothing special from a distance. But as soon as you get close it’s a whole different story :-)
Image credit: notjamesbond
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