Mountain or 'Blue' Hares were introduced into Shetland by Mr. Anderton from Perthshire who introduced two pairs to Vaila (an island off the west Mainland) in about 1900. In addition, Dr. Munro brought individuals from Scotland to the Kergord estate in about 1907. The species is now widespread throughout Mainland and is apparently still surviving on Vaila.
I Saw two hares still in their winter coats, first time i have seen them in Shetland, they were about 10 m from me, standing up on their hind legs,
when they saw me, they ran down the hill at lightning pace, rather more agile than me i am afraid.
still did it in good time though approx 10 km up and down hills reached summit at 450m 1475ft and then returned same route in 2hrs 40 Min's including time to take in the views at the top.
Beautiful still morning not a breath of wind even at the top
On top of the hill, there is a Neolithic chambered cairn unusual for its position on top of a hill. Most surviving Neolithic British cairns are sited in prominent places, but not generally on the top of taller hills. According to local farmers, until the construction of Sullom Voe Terminal in the mid-1970s, the cairn contained a variety of "sacrifice" items, such as coins (some "very old") and other items.. Prior to that time, Ronas Hill would have been far off the beaten track.
Ronas Hill cairn shows evidence of substantial rebuilding of its upper structure, as evidenced by the lack of lichen on stones above the entry passage and main cyst. The current peak of pink granite stones is clearly visible from the valley below and may have been raised in height to serve as a "mede " or fishing mark in past centuries. The cairn was certainly altered by soldiers during a military exercise in the 1960s, when a wall was built around its entrance to turn it into a foxhole.
Ronas Hill cairn shows evidence of substantial rebuilding of its upper structure, as evidenced by the lack of lichen on stones above the entry passage and main cyst. The current peak of pink granite stones is clearly visible from the valley below and may have been raised in height to serve as a "mede " or fishing mark in past centuries. The cairn was certainly altered by soldiers during a military exercise in the 1960s, when a wall was built around its entrance to turn it into a foxhole.
A chambered cairn is a burial monument, usually constructed during the Neolithic,
Spent the weekend in the gym at work, as i was on shift both days,using the power jog hill programs, did another 20km in preparation for Ronas,
No real problems, but definitely will need walking poles to make the descents easier in Nepal, as on some of the days we climb up and down about 1000m for six to seven hours, and my knees are already sore.
well that's it for today
Cheers Dave
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