A Viking Quarry

A warm and calm day, but typical Shetland, after a couple of fine days, the mist came in! 

Back to work today, I had a wonderful week off, and save up for the next adventures.  It was a busy start to the day in the museum, but a quieter afternoon.  There was a cruise ship in Lerwick.  A mad dash after tea, and an early shift in the pub.  Walkies with Sammy, and now feet are up.

A warm and humid lunch break, and with the mist, views were limited.  I headed up the Catpund burn for a walk.  The Catpund is a well known area for it's Viking quarry.  The Vikings cut out the soapstone, as it's easy to carve through, yet turns hard when heated.  They used the stone for pots, loom weights, fishing weights, lamps etc.  If you look closely, you can still see the chisel marks on the stone here, and still can see abandoned pots and other shapes in the site.  There was a landslide here a few years ago, which damaged some of the site, but also revealed a more larger area too.  Taken at Catpund, Cunningsburgh.