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Park at the end of the road at Neap and take the path to the right past the ruined Manse. Ground can sometimes be boggy. There may be livestock in the vicinity, please close all gates and follow the countryside access code.
Thing sites, from the Old Norse Þing, are the early assemblies found throughout Northern Europe as a result of our shared Norse heritage.
When the Vikings and early Norse settlers arrived in a new place they brought with them their customs and legal systems. Political decisions were made at the thing, laws upheld and disputes settled. Proceedings were overseen by the local ruler and the law-speaker (judge), whose job was to memorise and recite the law. At some things, known as Althings, any free man was entitled to vote. At others - Lawthings - the crown and local communities acted together to interpret the law.
The thing was also a focus for religious activity, as well as trade and exchange. At Thingvellir in Iceland you can still see the remains of the booths, or huts, where traders came to do business with people attending the meeting.
The thing system for sharing and legislating power can still be recognised today. Several things continue to be active. The Icelandic parliament is still known as the Althing, the Norwegian parliament is called the Storting and the Faroese parliament goes by the name of Løgting. The Manx parliament, known as Tynwald, still holds a midsummer court on the thing mound at Tynwald Hill every year.
There are Thing Sites caches in and around the locations of Norse and Viking assembly sites in Norway, Iceland, The Faroe Islands, Orkney, Shetland, Highland Scotland, and the Isle of Man. Follow in the footsteps of the Vikings, and explore some of these fascinating sites.
A quick look at Shetland's parish names will show you that many of them contain the element 'ting'. Each of these names suggests that there was once a thing held in that area. Most of these names concern a local township or settlement, such as Aith, in Aithsting, or Dale, in Delting. Nesting is one of the more mysterious names. It suggests that a thing once met at a ness, or headland, in the parish, but which one?
Once clue comes from the use of the place name 'Gnípnaþing' (Neapnating) in documents dated c1510 and 1682. This can be translated as 'the thing at the neap' (ON: gnipa – a steep hill). Local tradition says that the thing was once held here on the headland below the hill of Neap – could this be the ness referred to in ‘Nesting’?
Take a look at the landscape as you approach this cache, and imagine what it would have been like to hold a meeting here. The high hill of Neap would provide an excellent point on which to watch out for people approaching the meeting. The area is ideal for access by the sea, and on a clear day you have excellent views out to Skerries, Whalsay and the east coastline of Mainland Shetland. You will see a number of ‘nousts’ – places where boats are pulled up to the shore – as you walk along the coastline here.
The promontory below Neap has been an important place for people to visit for thousands of years. There are remains of an Iron Age fort, as well as other early buildings on the island of Hog, just off the end of the headland, and you can still see the remains of large earthwork ramparts on the coastline. You may also spot the remains of an early prehistoric stone dyke running across the top of the headland. Elsewhere you will see remains of crofting activity, including old field boundaries and drainage ditches.
The large ruined building you pass as you begin this walk is the old Manse of Neap, built in 1770. Directly opposite it is the new manse, built later in 1910.
An approximately 0.5 mile walk over undulating terrain. Accessible by children with care.
Follow the path to the right from the parking spot towards the house at Neap (not the one marked ‘foot path’). Walk past the ruined Haa and pass through the gate to proceed to the cache.
The area can be quite boggy at certain times of the year, wear appropriate footwear. Livestock graze in this area, please close any gates behind you and keep to the countryside access code.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Vg'f va gur ebpx bhgpebc oruvaq gur ehvarq rapybfher