Mousa Island and Lerwick, Shetland, Scotland
Our morning was spent on the small island of Mousa and what an eye widening experience it was! The western side of the island is dominated by a tall stone circular tower known as a broch. These structures are almost exclusively confined to Shetland, Orkney and some of the Western Isles and were essentially defended single family homesteads. The broch on Mousa was erected around two thousand years ago by the Iron Age inhabitants of this area and consists of a lofty, drystone tower the base of which is much thicker than the upper section. This gave structural stability to the overall building. Inside the tower the inhabitants were housed in timber framed structures affixed to the inner face of the wall which afforded them comfort and protection from the elements. A single narrow stairway within the wall gave access to the top which allowed commanding views of the surrounding countryside. Mousa is regarded as the finest example of a broch and though long abandoned by humans is now home to storm petrols who nest within its walls. We spent some time exploring its nooks and crannies. The island is a nature reserve and large numbers of seabirds including shags, guillemots and Arctic terns were seen as we explored the shoreline. We viewed a colony of shags, in full breeding plumage, nesting on a series of ledges on the sides of a narrow inlet.
Back on board we ate a scrumptious lunch as we docked at Lerwick, the capital of Mainland, Shetland. The Shetland Islands are very much Norse in character. This is not surprising when one considers that it is only forty eight hours sailing to Norway. The Vikings settled here in the early ninth century and dominated the area, both culturally and linguistically for centuries. Many of the place names are derived from ancient Norse, for example Lerwick means 'muddy bay'. The afternoon was spent exploring the archaeological ruins at Jarlshof on the southern end of Mainland in the company of our local guides. This is a remarkable multi- period site where remnants of continuous habitation of over four and a half thousand years have been exposed through archaeological excavation. On our way to Jarlshof we passed a soapstone quarry known as Catpund. Here Vikings carved this stone into a wide variety of items including bowls, lamps, loom weights, spindle whorls and baking plates and remains of the workings are still visible. On our way back to the ship we were dropped off at the Shetland Museum which had only opened to the public today. Displays inside highlighted the natural history, geology, archaeology, folklife and social history of the Shetlands in a fresh and engaging way.
Our morning was spent on the small island of Mousa and what an eye widening experience it was! The western side of the island is dominated by a tall stone circular tower known as a broch. These structures are almost exclusively confined to Shetland, Orkney and some of the Western Isles and were essentially defended single family homesteads. The broch on Mousa was erected around two thousand years ago by the Iron Age inhabitants of this area and consists of a lofty, drystone tower the base of which is much thicker than the upper section. This gave structural stability to the overall building. Inside the tower the inhabitants were housed in timber framed structures affixed to the inner face of the wall which afforded them comfort and protection from the elements. A single narrow stairway within the wall gave access to the top which allowed commanding views of the surrounding countryside. Mousa is regarded as the finest example of a broch and though long abandoned by humans is now home to storm petrols who nest within its walls. We spent some time exploring its nooks and crannies. The island is a nature reserve and large numbers of seabirds including shags, guillemots and Arctic terns were seen as we explored the shoreline. We viewed a colony of shags, in full breeding plumage, nesting on a series of ledges on the sides of a narrow inlet.
Back on board we ate a scrumptious lunch as we docked at Lerwick, the capital of Mainland, Shetland. The Shetland Islands are very much Norse in character. This is not surprising when one considers that it is only forty eight hours sailing to Norway. The Vikings settled here in the early ninth century and dominated the area, both culturally and linguistically for centuries. Many of the place names are derived from ancient Norse, for example Lerwick means 'muddy bay'. The afternoon was spent exploring the archaeological ruins at Jarlshof on the southern end of Mainland in the company of our local guides. This is a remarkable multi- period site where remnants of continuous habitation of over four and a half thousand years have been exposed through archaeological excavation. On our way to Jarlshof we passed a soapstone quarry known as Catpund. Here Vikings carved this stone into a wide variety of items including bowls, lamps, loom weights, spindle whorls and baking plates and remains of the workings are still visible. On our way back to the ship we were dropped off at the Shetland Museum which had only opened to the public today. Displays inside highlighted the natural history, geology, archaeology, folklife and social history of the Shetlands in a fresh and engaging way.
