Ronas Hill – the Top of Shetland
Ronas Hill in Northmavine is the highest point in Shetland, a broad dome of red granite boulders 450 metres up, with a Neolithic chambered cairn on its summit.
Its top has a climate like the Cairngorms', with Arctic-alpine plants among the frost-shattered rock, and on a clear day the view reaches Fair Isle. It's a hill walk for fit walkers who can find their way.
- Time
- About three hours there and back.
- The path
- Uneven, often steep, boggy ground with no marked path.
- Where to start
- At the end of the track to the Collafirth Hill masts, off the A970; the track is unmaintained and uneven.
- Set off
- In daylight; from November to February start up by 11am.
- When to go
- All year in clear, calm weather; in winter start up by 11am.
- Children
- A pathless hill walk: for older children used to hills.
- Before you set out
- Snow often lies on the summit in winter.
The walk
Just west of the Bay of Collafirth, south of Housetter, a track leaves the A970 and climbs to the radio masts on Collafirth Hill. Drive to the end and park. The track isn't maintained and its surface is uneven, so take it slowly.
From the masts it's about an hour to the summit over rough and often steep ground, with boggy patches and no marked path: bring a map and compass or a map on your phone, and know how to use them. The top is a plateau of red granophyre boulders, shattered by frost, with Arctic-alpine plants and a Neolithic chambered cairn at the summit. Allow about three hours there and back.
The weather on top can turn fast. Don't go in low cloud or a strong wind. From November to February snow often lies on the summit and the days are short: start up by 11am at the latest, and turn back if the cloud comes down.
If it rains
Open high ground with no shelter and no path: in rain, low cloud or wind, leave it for another day.
For further reading, before you go.
Photograph by Conlyn McEvoy via Google