Situated near Sumburgh Airport at the southern end of the Mainland of Shetland, are the ruins of the ancient settlement of Jarlshof which was rediscovered in 1905 when a violent storm eroded the south face of a great mound to reveal sections of a huge stone wall. First settled in 2000 BC, the site was successively occupied by Bronze-Age dune dwellers, Iron-Age broch builders, Pictish wheel-house people and Vikings. The name Jarlshof, originally associated with a ruined mediaeval farmhouse, was coined by Sir Walter Scott in his novel The Pirate (1822).
