Ness of Burgi is an intriguing Iron Age ruin. Situated on a narrow promontory, the site is dominated by a so-called ‘blockhouse fort’ – a rare type of monument of which there are only three confirmed examples, all in Shetland. The blockhouse is bordered on three sides by steep coastal cliffs, and defended on the landward side by a ditch and rampart.
It’s a fairly difficult walk to reach the monument, so access is only recommended for those comfortable with traversing uneven ground and rocks. To get to the Blockhouse go to the end of the Scatness road and go through the gate following the track alongside the dry stone dyke. A walkway handrail has been provided to enable a safe crossing of a narrow part of the track.
Jarlshof has presented evidence of nearly 5,000 years of human activity on the one site whose dramatic location on a headland overlooking the West Voe of Sumburgh was revealed after a storm in the 1890s.
Archaeologists have since discovered its secrets in the...
Old Scatness is the most recent archaeological site on Shetland and is a stone’s through away from the runway of Sumburgh Airport. It comprises several epochs of Shetland history, namely Medieval, Viking, Pictish and iron Age, having been a settlement for thousands...
Broch of Mousa (or Mousa Broch) is an exceptionally well preserved example of an Iron Age broch or round tower in not just Shetland or Scotland but Europe. It is built of dry stone with no mortar. At 13.3m high and accessible via a single entrance at ground level, a...