Historic Shetland (I'm digging you!)

The Shetland Islands have been inhabited for over 5000 years, the islanders living off the land and sea, grazing sheep, cattle and fishing. With little use of the land for agriculture, the stone built remains here on Shetland are some of the best to be found from a range of historic periods. Whether your interest is in the Iron Age, the Picts of the 7th century, the Vikings or Medieval times, there is something to be discovered and to see here on each of the Shetland islands.

On the Mainland, my hope was to explore what Viking archaeological sites there may be and I was not disappointed. Though in pursuing the Vikings, I discovered a wealth of equally outstanding archaeological remains that had me excited. Snow had fallen overnight and the temperature was only at 3 degrees (with an expected top of 4 LOL) so not perhaps ideal weather for stomping around in for hours however I did not let that put me off my expedition. The down side of travelling at the colder times of the year is that often the historic sites are closed. I can understand the reasoning for this and despite the tourist brochures identifying summer (open) and winter (closed- phone for information) advice, my hope was that given the influx of tourists into Shetland for Uphellyaa, the sites of particular interest to me would indeed be open.

Jarlshof is an important archaeological site with human occupation ranging from the prehistoric through to the 1600's. The site gained its name 'Jarlshof' from that Scottish literary icon, Sir Walter Scott. The name was created when Scott wrote the adventure "The Pirate" and set it at Sumburgh Head. The novel was published some eight years after Scott visited Shetland when he was working for the government as an inspector of lighthouses. A very fine lighthouse still stands at Sumburgh Head to this day, visible from the Jarlshof archaeological site.

With winter access confirmed, I purchased my ticket for Jarlshof from the nearby hotel's reception. Leaving my car in their car park, I walked a scarce 50 feet and entered into Jarlshof. Standing  at the gateway entrance I was amazed by how large and accessible the archaeology was. Jarlshof itself is situated on the headland of the island and a small walkway brings you to the foot of the remains of the 1600's Laird's manor alongside the water and rocky edge. Large noisy seagulls circle overhead. A thick dusting of snow sits upon the ground and covers the many ledges and walls of the buildings before me. Entering the site, I made my way past the The Smithy - a building made for bronze-working around 800 BC. One of the great things about Jarlshof is that as one walks around the site, one is able to walk in and enter the buildings themselves. The raised landscape allows one an overall view then one can walk down and through the buildings themselves, making imaging what life must have been like so many years ago, so much easier. I ask myself, as I always do when exploring, "who was it that lived here"? "Who loved whom here"? So many questions, so few answers.

There are three distinct houses from the Bronze Age on site. The houses share a common design; a central hearth area surrounded by small alcoves set around it.  One item remains of domestic usage, a quern stone. A large oval shaped stone with a hollow worn into the surface. This is done by placing the grain onto the stone and then using another smaller handheld stone to grind the kernels down, wearing away and deepening the surface of the quern over time. The Iron Age occupants arrived after The Smithy had fallen into disuse and they built larger, more comfortable houses. Internally the large buttresses were replaced with lighter pillars giving the inside more room for occupation. The Iron Age saw the introduction of new technology - textile production through the finding of the remains of spangle whorls and weaving tools on site. They kept a broader range of animals in the enclosures one can still walk through; pigs, small ponies and dogs.

I was particularly intrigued by the Wheelhouses of the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. The name reflects the internal layout of the structure, the roof supported by radial piers, arranged like the spoke of a wheel and at the centre, a hearth. Each stone in the construction of the wheelhouse is deftly placed, there is no cement or adhesive to hold this together and yet it still stands today. I duck my head as I walk through the house, the alcoves in the 'spoke' of the wheel, are enough space perhaps for a bed, or storage. They must have been dark places to reside, but strong and secure against the winter storms. And warm, packed low into the ground and insulated by the very stones themselves. These houses were still in use through to approximately 800 AD and just prior to the Viking invasion and occupation. The guidebook tells me that here, a slate was found inscribed with a Christian cross decoration suggesting a possible Pictish period of occupation. Intriguing but I was here for Vikings!

Walking around the exposed site in the cold and through the snow, I reflected upon how hardy the people must have been who lived here at Jarlshof. While the coastline has eroded over time bringing the sea nearer to the settlement remains we see today, the headland location must have brought with it not only the benefits of produce from the sea but hardship as well as the winter storms and wild wind set in. As my fingertips began to feel frozen and my breath continued to fog up with the cold, I headed to the Viking part of the settlement.

The Vikings settled at Jarlshof and built a range of buildings including a farmhouse, a bathhouse/temple and a range of living quarters and this was done over a period of 300 years. The Longhouse was a long, low building constructed of stone. At one end, a small kitchen is attached to the large living area. When in use, the walls would have been packed with alternate stone and turf layers and a roof made of turf or straw from which the smoke of the central fire would drift and escape through. Standing at one end of the long house I gaze down at the stone walls and gaze through centuries thinking, imagining, the life the walls once contained. What Sagas would have been sung! What toasts to Odin and the other Gods of Valhalla would have been made! While the stories of Viking warriors, those fierce crazy hordes who came to England for rape and pillage are enthralling, the reality is that many came to find a more comfortable home. A land easier to farm and graze animals, to raise children. I have no Viking ancestry that I am aware of though my daughter with her father's Norwegian heritage, may have much closer links. Still with my blonde hair braided I imagine myself briefly a Viking shield-maiden. For surely one joy of history is to imagine oneself back in the past, and I experience such joy today.

Yet it is so cold that even I for all my love of wandering the site I am driven back into the hotel for a coffee and to bring feeling back into my fingers and toes. I skirt around the medieval farm and take the cliff facing path past the remains of the New Hall and Laird's House. The path is still covered with snow though lots of footprints have begun to turn it to slush but my sight is really taken in by the low sun rising through the clouds and turning the sea from grey to golden waves. Blue sky is breaking through the cloud cover and I can feel a little warmth on my face. From a seat in the window alcove of the hotel's restaurant, I can look out and admire the Sumburgh Head lighthouse. "Well done you Walter Scot!" I think to myself. 

Driving back to Lerwick, stopping for the traffic lights at Sumburgh Airport,  through the countryside I am on my way to the next notable archaeological site on my itinerary which is Clickimin Broch. It is only 5 minutes out of Lerwick and is perhaps one of the most notable and accessible Iron Age towers one can see. There are approximately 80 visible brochs around the coast of Shetland but their true purpose remains elusive to us. Possibly a range off defensive towers serving as a network to guard the shores? Clickimin Broch is thought to have been built of drystone around 2400 - 2100 years ago for a powerful local ruler. It is accessible only via a causeway until recently (in 1874) the freshwater loch level was lowered. Today I can walk from the main road into Lerwick to the brooch. It is still a formidable structure rising up before me with no competing structure to take one's attention away from it. It stands some 10-12 metres high at my estimate.

The brooch sits jutting out from the landscape deftly positioned looking out to sea. The low treeless hills look down upon it from some distance away. The snow adds an almost surreal and eerie quality to the tower today. It is quiet with few other visitors so it is easy to once again imagine the original people here living and working the area. The building appears to be built in a series of concentric circles, each one moving you in closer to the centre and no doubt, safer and warmer too when it was originally built. Each stone in the walls again, carefully placed. High up, I spy a small opening - an ancient window facing the water. I inevitably think "who once looked out through that window?"

Walking through the building, small dark openings beckon one to look inside. One a compartment, perhaps storage or single purpose use? There are no windows here. Another and I bend to wiggle my way in for it to open into a large open space ready to hold a crowd. Looking up,I can see that the brooch is not a single story building but three stories high. To one side a staircase leads upwards but today only to the sky.

Each of the Shetland islands have their own range of archaeological sites showcasing the incredible diversity of how the islanders lived for many centuries. I wish I could explore them all.