After my last post about Leradale/Liradale and its’ various archaeological features, I have been told a bit more by Archaelogy Shetland (thank you!)

Ok, so going WNW towards (the green circle at 21:30) first….

We walked up the hill (this is boundary that dog legs through the croft where the burn meets the fence).

(from another angle)

Below the fence boundary, there was this little tumpty (unmarked but perhaps of note).

This is the little green circle at the top of the fences (direct west).

On Pastmap.org.uk it is described as

Historic Environment Record
Breckna Scord

Site Type: FIELD SYSTEM, ENCLOSURE
Council: Shetland Amenity Trust
HER ID 8325

An oval shaped feature with a distinct “front door” with attached little stone place

(for scale reference)

Then below is the wiggly line on the map.

There was, we felt, evidence of terraces (which are very hard to photograph but if you were there, you could see them!)

Nex, the big green bit – the shaded large odd shape

This is the hook line, which is more like a complete stone circle.

And another interesting feature that is unmarked on the map.

This is the wiggly line below the hook shaped line

The tiny green circle is another possibly dwelling site.

Historic Environment Record
Lock of Breck
Site Type: SETTLEMENT, OVAL HOUSE
Council: Shetland Amenity Trust
HER ID 3610

And the two parallel stone walls above on the next door’s land.

Obviously, we ignored the new builds!

So, there you are.  We found we have an official listing.

We are an Historial Monument!

 

I had no idea.  Absolutely none.  We are of national importance!

http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/SM6158

“Type: Prehistoric domestic and defensive: field or field system; hall; settlement (if not assigned to any more specific type)

Location

• Local Authority: Shetland Islands
• Parish: Walls And Sandness

National Grid Reference

• NGR: HU 20965 48385
• Coordinates: 420965, 1148385

Description

The monument comprises the remains of a prehistoric settlement of at least one house together with the remains of contemporary fields.

The settlement is located on a NE-facing slope overlooking Loch of Breck. A single oval house has been revealed by peat-cutting. It measures some 6m by 4.5m internally, with walls up to 2m thick. The entrance has been from the SE, where a curving wall foundation suggests a porch or windbreak. Within the house, alcoves can be traced in the inner face of the wall on the NE side. To the N and NW of the house small squarish terraces probably represent contemporary fields, and there are a number of small cairns, perhaps of field cleared stones, in the area.

The area to be scheduled is irregular on plan, bounded on the NE by a modern fence, which is itself excluded. It measures a maximum of 95m NE-SW by 90m, to include the house, fields and cairns and an area around them in which traces of activities associated with their construction and use may survive, as marked in red on the accompanying map.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance as a small prehistoric farming settlement which has the potential, through excavation and analysis, to provide important information about prehistoric domestic architecture and subsistence economy.”

My friends, who take a huge interest in this sort of thing, think it is might be a Neolithic settlement.  We sat on our stones and tried to imagine how these folk lived and who they were.

i tried hard not to think about life with woolly mammoths!

Liradale needs to be excavated and I want to find out more.  Anyone interested?

 

Along my travels, I often meet photographers who go otter watching.

Accompanying them is a different matter.  People like to keep their otters to themselves.

So, today I managed to blag a ride!

And, guess what?  We saw an otter!

I have always wanted to photograph one ever since I bought this camera and managed to miss an all-singing-and-dancing otter close to home because I didn’t know how the camera worked.  Much to my frustration, I had some lovely photos of waves and a dark blur.

But now I know better – since then, I have read the manual!

Anywho, today I knew it was an otter because it wasn’t a seal!

I was taken on a lovely walk in the Shetland Autumn sunshine along the coast, looking for these elusive creatures.

Everyone in the whole world sees otters in Shetland and busily enjoys telling me how they trip up over them on a regular basis.

Everyone but me.

Like celebrities at Wimbledon, I can walk past and miss the lot!

So we were all sitting down, having a chat, putting the world to rights when I saw another!

It appeared out of nowhere and the movement was different from a seal.  I am very used to seals.

It had a fish and was sitting on a rock a little way out to see.

Best of all, it hadn’t seen us.

After eating, the otter swam around and then into shore.

Then it dived and came up on the shoreline, spotted us and quickly disappeared.

Who cares!  I have finally seen and photographed an otter.

For me, this is a huge achievement.

So, now I know how to spot the, where to look and where to go back.

One day.

A huge thank you to my friends. You have no idea how much this afternoon meant to me.

Coprophagia – from the Greek “kopros” for faeces and “phagein” for eat.

Yup, you get the gist!

After we had finished talking to Dreki and Lilja the other day, they went off together to be foals with whichever mare could put up with them.  Today, it was Hetja’s short straw.

One thing all foals have is coprophagia – the need for ingestion of faecal material.

Coprophagia is fascinating to watch.  The mare defaecates and the foals are instantly drawn to the newly dropped faeces and start digging/pawing at it, and then picking out little bits to eat.

To some, you might be revolted by this.

To us, I was very happy to see it occur – it means everything is normal and how it should be.

During this transitional time, the foals are beginning to eat grass but they also need to establish the micro-flora in their gut.

By eating a mare’s stools, the little ones will receive everything they need – minerals, vitamins, micro-organisms – all necessary for gut maintenance and therefore healthy development.

Stool eating in foals is also a method of developing the ability to graze selectively, ie deciding what is poisonous and what is not.

All very interesting.

Copraphagia should be encouraged – it maximises health and development in foals.

Foals usually grow out of it at about 6 months.

And now you know (and so do I – I vaguely did, but it was good to look up for the official version).

 

 

A friend and I went to visit Lyradale – I haven’t been back since we took everyone away early last Spring.

I didnt need to see it really but I just wanted to know if the grass was growing.

The answer isyes, yes it is.  Very much. So that’s good.

Last year, I didn’t buy Lyradale or move the ponies in until December so I am going to try and do the same again this year (unless, of course, we are desperate.)

Nothing is written in stone and you never know.  We will see what the winter weather brings.

Lyradale is special and particularly suited to winter grazing as it can offer natural shelter from three sides.

There is also more grass as there have been no sheep grazing this time.

So, my friend and I wandered around.

There are a few faint archaeological features which I would be very interested to know more about.

The first is the low rock boundary and parallel rocks down one side.

Next up, is the “round” house or long house” depending on your opinion.

And, lastly, there is the ninety degree turn on the wall boundary with an extra bit built in.  Now what is that all about?

So answers on a postcard, please.  If you want to come and dig or geo-phys the area, please do get in touch.  We would love to know more.

All being well, the equine inmates will arrive in January.  All not being well, they may come a few months earlier.

This afternoon we went down to see the Icelandic horse foals.

First up there is Lilja, who is our enchanting little filly.

And then there is Dreki, our solid colt foal.

 

(we teach them early about nose kisseys)

Some days, you don’t actually need the written word.  The photos speak for themselves.

Heaven.