TAP Field Report No. 5 A survey of Shetland's gallow hills Joris ...

TAP Field Report No. 5 Figure 17 Viewshed from Gallow Hill, Tingwall.Legend: see ig. 4 (DTM: Ordnance Survey. ©Crown copyright /database right 2010).A derelict, NNE-SSW oriented ield wall runspast the burial cairn and the enclosure to theeast (Fig. 16, C). About 50m west of this groupof structures, there is a large, oval enclosuresurrounded by a low, earthen bank (Fig. 16,D). While at irst sight it could be taken for anarchaeological site, it appears to be a clearingmade for feeding sheep some years ago. 14According to Michael Leask of Asta, there isa circular enclosure about 200 yards northwestof the site mentioned before, which hebelieves might delimit a burial ground associatedwith the gallows. 15 I did not ind theenclosure during my short survey of GallowHill. At the moment, there seems to be littleevidence to support the interpretation of aburial site.None of these structures is marked on theOS map or recorded by Historic Scotland, butat least the cairn quite obviously represents aprehistoric monument.The viewshed (Fig. 17) was created bycombining the viewsheds from three differentpoints on the summit of Gallow Hill, toachieve the closest correspondence to the actualvista from the small cairn on the summitof Gallow Hill (Fig. 53).To the north and northeast, the site overlooksTingwall valley, Whiteness and Laxirth.The view reaches as far as Nesting, Whalsayand the Out Skerries, and – according to theviewshed – even to Fetlar, more than 50kmaway. The site offers an excellent view of LochTingwall and the Loch of Asta and the hills atthe opposite side of both lakes. Towards thesouth, the view reaches down the valley andClift Sound and includes Scalloway, Trondra,East Burra, the Ness of Ireland and FitfulHead in the far distance. Towards the southwestand west, the site overlooks the moorlandbetween Tingwall and Whiteness Voe,with several small lakes. Behind it, one cansee the Scalloway islands, parts of Sandsting,Foula and the Atlantic. To the northeast, theview includes the Loch of Griesta and reachesas far as Weisdale.6) Gallow Hill, Walls, MainlandHU 2556 5104The Gallow Hill of Walls is located at thehead of the Voe of Browland, which extendsFigure 18 Topography of Gallow Hill, Walls.(Data: Ordnance Survey. © Crown copyright /database right 2010).14