Ronas Hill (or Rönies Hill) is a hill in Shetland, Scotland. It is classed as a Marilyn, and is the highest point in the Shetland Islands[2] at an elevation of 450 m (1,480 ft). A Neolithic chambered cairn is located near the summit.
| Ronas Hill | |
|---|---|
 The chambered cairn on the summit of Ronas Hill | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 450 m (1,480 ft) |
| Prominence | 450 m (1,480 ft) |
| Listing | Marilyn |
| Coordinates | 60°32′02″N 1°26′46″W / 60.53393°N 1.44605°W |
| Naming | |
| English translation | stony ground or scree |
| Language of name | Norse |
| Geography | |
| OS grid | HU305835 |
| Topo map | OS Landranger 3 |
| Official name | Ronas Hill - North Roe & Tingon |
| Designated | 11 August 1997 |
| Reference no. | 916[1] |
Location
editRonas Hill (Old Norse: rön, meaning stony ground or scree) is on the Northmavine peninsula of Mainland, Shetland, at HU305835. The Norse name certainly describes the hilltop. Ronas Hill also gives its name to Ronas Voe, which it sits adjacent to. On a clear day, much of Shetland can be seen from the summit. It looks over Yell Sound, the North Sea, across to the Atlantic Ocean[3] and even the highest points of Fair Isle.[3]
Flora and fauna
editRonas Hill is a Ramsar site,[4] containing many rare Arctic plants.[3] Peculiarly for Shetland, there are several species of woodland fungi, notably ceps and chanterelles, which normally grow on the roots of deciduous trees (notable by their absence on Ronas Hill). Here, they are associated with creeping willow, which grows extensively on the hill.[citation needed]
The hill forms part of the Ronas Hill – North Roe and Tingon Important Bird Area (IBA), designated as such by BirdLife International because it supports a suite of moorland-breeding birds, including red-throated loons, great skuas and merlins.[5]
Chambered cairn
editOn top of the hill, there is a Neolithic chambered cairn,[6] 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.[7] Before 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.[citation needed]
References
edit- ^ "Ronas Hill - North Roe & Tingon". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
- ^ Haswell-Smith, Hamish (2004). The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh: Canongate. ISBN 978-1-84195-454-7.
- ^ a b c "North Mainland". Visit Scotland. Archived from the original on 15 September 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2009.
- ^ "Special Areas of Conservation (SAC)". JNCC. Retrieved 26 April 2009.
- ^ "Ronas Hill – North Roe and Tingon". BirdLife Data Zone. BirdLife International. 2024. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
- ^ "Ronas Hill". Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 26 April 2009.
- ^ "Shetland Oil". Archived from the original on 8 September 2008. Retrieved 26 April 2009.
External Links
edit
Media related to Ronas Hill at Wikimedia Commons