Getty Images/Robert Harding World Imagery

Jarlshof

Shetland


Old and new collide here, with Sumburgh airport right by this picturesque, instructive archaeological site. Various periods of occupation from 2500 BC to AD 1500 can be seen; the complete change upon the Vikings' arrival is obvious: their rectangular longhouses present a marked contrast to the preceding brochs, roundhouses and wheelhouses. Atop the site is 16th-century Old House, named ‘Jarlshof’ in a novel by Sir Walter Scott. There’s an informative audio tour included with admission.


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