Getting to Orkney was six hours from Aberdeen harbour by a massive boat on the North Sea Ferry line. Sal is not a natural seafarer and was a bit nervous about the trip. However, a travel pill helped with the slow rolling motion, and she lay down inside for most of the trip. The majority of the journey was at night, and it was raining much of the time, so we only popped our heads out briefly onto the wet and windy deck.
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| View from our ferry, leaving Aberdeen in the early evening, Scotland, UK |
Luckily our Air B and B host met us at midnight at the Kirkwall terminal, and whisked us through the town to our cosy and warm little digs in a flat above their house. We had a big bathroom and little place to prepare food, and best of all, an adorable kitten who hung out in our room with us.
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| Kitten was in love with Richard, Orkney |
Most of our days in Orkney involved dodging the weather. The temperature wasn't cold, but the rain was intermittent. As we were travelling everywhere by foot or by bus, we couldn't plan too far ahead. We really just had to wait until the morning and look out the window to see what the sky looked like.
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| The Orkney Isles- our time there was solely on the "Mainland" |
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| Map showing Orkney's location with the region |
The main things we had heard about Orkney before arriving were the stories of the ancient stone sites. There's giant stones, burial mounds, cairns and tombs dotted all over the islands, but there's a concentration in a particular place that seemed to be special to the people of a bygone age. In the heart of the "Mainland" (that's what locals call the biggest island), there is an isthmus in between two lochs, with many ancient sites.
The Ring of Brodgar is a collection of large rock slabs arranged in a circle, in a especially scenic part of this region. Arriving early one sunny morning, we and a few others got off the bus and had the place to ourselves. There's no facilities at this site, and we loved walking the peaceful circle several times and checking out the views from the raised hill out to sea. It certainly was an exceptional spot.
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| Pink heather at The Ring of Brodgar, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
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| Gorgeous place, The Ring of Brodgar, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
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| Biggest rock, looking like a human form, The Ring of Brodgar, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
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| Quite a few of these ludicrous signs up around the sites, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
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Rich at The Ring of Brodgar, Orkney, Scotland, UK
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We walked along a causeway to another site quite close in the vicinity. There was a reason ancient people built structures in this area, and it seemed certain they all had to be connected in some way. The Standing Stones of Stenness group were larger in size than The Ring of Brodgar's, but in a smaller circle. The obvious remains of a village lay nearby- their hearths, entrance ways and floors made of flat stone.
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| Gigantic Stones of Stenness in a special place, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
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| The Stones of Stenness, the name doesn't really do them justice, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
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Long shadow of the stone, The Stones of Stenness
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We don't want to dwell too much on the "when" and "why" during this blog post. There seemed to be a scarcity of evidence in anything we read to know the exact dates, or reasons things were built in certain places. Most of it was ridiculously vague- way too many phrases such "may have", "possibly" and "thought to be" were used on signage. It was more interesting to think about who built them, but again, no one really knows.
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| An example of a frankly ridiculous surmisal, Orkney, Scotland UK |
There was an amusing story, true or not, about a local farmer in the 1800s, who was sick of having to plough around the Stenness Stones, and started to dismantle them. His neighbours were so incensed they tried to burn his house down. Well, we thought it was amusing, maybe not so much for the farmer.
During a brief visit to a nearby bird hide, we saw black swans swimming about. We were surprised, we thought they were native to Australia. After a chat with a woman whose husband was out on the water, and had been fishing trout on Orkney for more than 50 years, we started walking to Stromness. The hide lady stopped in her car and offered us a lift, which were grateful for. There is quite an extensive bus system on the Orkneys, with buses reaching many isolated spots (and all for £2 a trip). The only downside is that many lines don't run all through the day. We often caught a lift with passing cars.
Stromness, the second biggest town on the island, was an absolute delight. It was a small town, consisting of a couple of long narrow streets following the sea. When we visited, the little shops and cafes were mostly closed as it was a Sunday. We walked, admiring the cute stone houses and wee gardens fronting the water, and sitting in the sun on various benches set along the way. We were told about the Stromness Pub, a real institution in the old days, full of characters and people playing folk music. It had recently been bought by Muslims, and no longer served alcoholic drinks, much to the understandable ire of the locals.
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| Lovely little Stromness, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
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| A view of Stromness town, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
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Quiet winding street of Stromness, Orkney, Scotland, UK
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| Sal taking a sunny break, Stromness, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
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| Village cottage, Stromness, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
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| Interesting plaque on a wall, Stromness |
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| Narrow passage between houses, Stromness, Orkney |
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| Fishing boat in Stromness port, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
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| Exploring the small lanes in Stromness, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
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| Thistles on the edge of town, Stromness, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
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| Creels reminded Rich of when he had his little lobster boat, Stromness |
Last stop that day was the St Ola pub in central Kirkwall on the way home, and of course Rich made a bee line for a wizened old seadog sitting at the bar. They shared fishy stories about Scotland and the old days, and Rich was extremely happy! After the gentleman left, we discovered he was an out of control alcoholic (that accounts for the black eye), and that the pub refused to serve him alcoholic drinks anymore.
During World War II, 1300 Italian POWs who had been captured in northern Africa, were taken to Orkney and imprisoned there for the duration of the war. No-one we spoke to seemed to know much about them, or why on earth they were sent to Orkney. Perhaps it was to put them to work for four years to build the famous Churchill barriers. These causeways were ordered to be built after a German U-boat breached the Scarpa Flow entrance and sank a British battleship in 1939. Building the barriers was a huge project which involved massive rocks being put into the channels to prevent enemy boats entering and gaining access to the naval anchorage at Scarpa Flow. During their stay, several of the Italians, including skilled craftsmen, built a Catholic church, and decorated it with whatever was around. Nowadays, the church is a tourist attraction with a £4 fee being charged to enter. To say we were disappointed is an understatement. The church was underwhelming and tiny, and took about five minutes to look around. But more frustratingly, there was next to no information about the Italians, who they were and what happened to them.
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| Tiny little POW built church, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
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| Decoration in the apse of the church, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
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| Took five minutes to look around, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
We left the site and decided to walk along one of the causeways to get a feeling for the scale. At this point the weather decided to suddenly and drastically worsen. We zipped up our coats and braved the pouring rain and strong wind which was blowing huge waves over the road. Of course, by the time we had reached the other end, the sun had nearly come out. As we sat and ate our lunch at a picnic table in the wind, we watched some cheeky seals playing on the rocks, darting in and out of the water.
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| Who is that weirdo? |
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| Made it to the end of the causeway! Orkney, Scotland, UK |
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| Seals playing while we ate our lunch, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
Nearby at Loch Ayre, a lovely path led us around the water, with many birds and a small forest full of flowering bushes. We weren't to see too many interesting birds, as mostly they had left for the warmer climates. Geese were the exception with great skeins of them often appearing overhead and in the fields.
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| Change in the weather at Loch Ayre, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
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| Yay! Sun! |
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| Comorants, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
The most difficult day to arrange was a visit to The Brough Of Birsay, in the far northwest of the Mainland. A tidal island with remains of ancient Pict and Norse villages and a church, it is only reachable by a natural causeway during low tide. We set off on the bus, hoping we'd calculated the best time to cross. Thankfully, we were spot on and had plenty of time to explore the small island and escape before the tide came in! There were a surprising amount of visitors there, mostly with cars, but once on the island everyone spread out. We walked to a lighthouse on the far side of The Brough of Birsay, and along the coast to some more ruins.
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| Walking from the bus to the Brough of Birsay, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
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| Low tidal causeway, Brough of Birsay, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
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| Washed up items, Brough of Birsay, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
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| Low tide beauty on Brough of Birsay, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
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| Rich wandering amongst the ancient ruins, Brough of Birsay, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
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| Walk to the lighthouse, Brough of Birsay, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
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| Cliffs on the far side of the Brough of Birsay, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
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| Stunning scenery as far as the eye could see, Brough of Birsay, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
Dotted around Orkney are hundreds of ancient looking stone fisherman's huts, traditionally used for storing or sorting out nets or bringing in a catch. Sadly, we didn't see any that were still in use. Less than 4% of the island's residents are now employed in the fishing industry.
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| Old fisherman's hut, Brough of Birsay, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
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| Scenic bay, Brough of Birsay, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
Being of a very immature nature, we were both amused to see the village of Twatt smack bang in the middle of the Mainland. It seems we are not the only visitors with such smutty minds, as all the signs leading to the village, and any signage in the place had been stolen over the years. We were left only to snigger at the Twatt memorabilia in the Kirkwall souvenir shops.
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| Twatt memorabilia in Kirkwall town |
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| Says it all |
We felt extremely fortunate during our stay to only have one completely rainy day, and we happily filled the morning with a visit to the Kirkwall town center. The excellent Kirkwall Museum was a warren of little rooms with displays and narrow steps leading up and around the old building. It covered the entire past and cultural changes of Orkney, we just took some of the more fanciful historical stories with a grain of salt. It was quite informative to see the different eras set out- the arrival of the Picts, then the Vikings and the Norse, before being absorbed into Norway, then Scotland and the UK. Informative displays about the region's role in World War II as well as material relating to the fishing, agricultural and oil industries in the 19th and 20th centuries were all fascinating.
We found a spot on a bench in the main street to watch the hundreds of American tourists that poured into Kirkwall from their gigantic cruise boats a couple of times a week. It is such an amazing boon for local shops, although apparently not all locals are so enamored of the cruises. We found the twee central shops to be eye-wateringly expensive, but compelling enough for a poke around on a rainy day. Our accommodation host was one of the resident campanologists at St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall, and he got us motivated to visit the impressive structure, apparently the oldest cathedral in Scotland. It was certainly bigger than we imagined it would be, with plenty of history. Ornate graves, relics from sea disasters, and some grand stained glass windows decorated the interior. St Magnus was a great Norse king, and there is a long saga about his life, involving family rivalries, betrayal and murder which led to the cathedral being built for his remains. We sat in the hushed atmosphere for a while, and afterwards enjoyed wandering around the picturesque graveyard. Fish and chips in the steamy shop finished off that rainy day. We hadn't minded at all becoming slightly damp throughout the day- we had a lovely hot shower and warm bed to retire to that evening.
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| Ornate grave, St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
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| Rich decoration inside St Magnus Cathedral |
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| Exterior of St Magnus Cathedral in between showers, Kirkwall, Orkney |
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| Fish and chips, Orkney style |
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| That's why it tastes so good! |
A trial bus was running for the summer out to a far peninsula called Deerness, and although there had been heavy rains the day before, we set out for a lovely bus ride. The landscape on the Mainland is mostly agricultural, with farming being by far the largest industry. More than 90% of the agricultural land is used for sheep and cattle grazing, and 90% of the milk production goes towards making Orkney cheese (very yummy). We were surprised to read in the museum that Orkney was the main supplier of eggs to Britain between 1900 and 1970. Anyway, we made our way to the coast where a long distance walk took hardy trekkers all around a lengthy loop along the peninsula. Although the ground was boggy underfoot, we absolutely loved this day, walking in the sun along the dramatic and wild cliffs on the ocean. Seeing something called The Gloup on the map, we had to investigate. It was a collapsed sea cave, the name derived from the old Norse for chasm. It was an impressive sight, a sheer drop down with a waterfall in full flow. A lookout had been constructed for a brilliant view into the chasm. Further on was a stony beach and a wee peninsula/island where what was claimed to be an ancient chapel had been constructed. The only access was around the slippery cliffside path, aided by chains. Although the chapel was underwhelming, the view of the soaring cliffs and coastline was sublime. Unfortunately, we had to cut the walk a bit short and rush back in order to catch the last bus of the day from Deerness back to Kirkwall, but it was still an absolute highlight of our Orkney stay.
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| Rich happy at Deerness, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
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| The Gloup, a dramatic chasm, Deerness, Orkney |
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| Moody and beautiful, the cliffs at Deerness, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
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| Rich getting creative at Deerness, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
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| Some of the scenery on the coast, Deerness, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
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| Walking along the coastal walk, Deerness, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
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| Walking up to the old chapel, complete with chains, Deerness, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
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| We were glad of the chains on the slippery path, Deerness, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
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| Grey day, Deerness, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
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| Wildflowers on the way, Deerness, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
On our last day, we headed down to St Margaret's Hope, a town sounding to Sal very much like a soap opera title. A short explore down "Front Street" and returning via "Back Street", and we'd seen the whole village! It was extremely quiet, without all the tourist taps of Kirkwall or Stromness, but the surrounding nature was gorgeous.
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| Stone jetty, St Margaret's Hope, Orkney, Scotland |
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| Front and Back Streets and we'd seen the whole village! St Margaret's Hope |
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| View of St Margaret's Hope village, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
We walked firstly to Hoxa Bay, a beautiful stretch of beach, stones polished smooth from years of being washed over, and the sun sparkling on the blue water. Although only a very short walk across to The Sands of Wright (love these romantic Orkney place names!), the scene was completely contrasting. A sandy beach, the wind was howling, and the waves high and crashing. We quickly returned to Hoxa to eat our lunch out of the wind.
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| Starting out the walk from St Margaret's Hope village, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
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| Taking in the wonderful weather, walk to Hoxa Bay, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
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| Encounter with a huge bull, walk to Hoxa Bay, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
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| Hoxa Bay, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
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| We loved this place, Hoxa Bay, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
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| Lovely setting, Hoxa Bay, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
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| Short walk to the windy and wild Sands of Wright, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
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| Taking refuge from the wind on a delightful path surrounded by hedgerows |
Leaving Orkney was slightly tense, as our ferry was re-scheduled the night before due to the coming bad weather. Not only did we have to change our times with uncertain connecting buses, but Sal was more anxious about being sick on the boat. Shortly after departure, a travel pill sent her to sleep down below. Rich reveled in the wild weather and giant waves on the deck and looking out the window from inside. It took a couple of hours to sail between Stromness and Scrabster in the north of Scotland. Everything worked out on arrival, with all the passengers travelling by public transport being relieved to see a bus waiting at the ferry terminal to take us all to our next destinations.
Orkney folk are called Orcadians, which is actually an ethnic group native to the islands, and their language is a dialect of the Scots language. This is not the same as Gaelic, which is mainly spoken in the highlands and Western isles of Scotland. We heard a wide range of Scots accents whilst on the Orkneys. Their flag is similar to the Norwegian flag, just one different colour. They certainly seem to think of themselves as separate from Scotland- some saying they are Orcadian first and Scots second. Their religion is Presbyterianism as in much of the rest of Scotland. On a final note- we particularly adored one charming Orcadian-ism - the use of peedie instead of small or wee. Eg. The Peedie Kirk (small church) in Kirkwall town.
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| Orkney's flag |
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| So cute! (left and right!) |
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| Scarpa whiskey distillery, Kirkwall, Orkney, Scotland, UK |
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| Not native, there a program to rid the Orkneys of stoats |
It was the trip of a lifetime for us - we would absolutely love to return, but unless some big money comes our way, there's no chance we could every afford a return visit. But we are so grateful to have visited when we did and will always remember the wonderful uniqueness of Orkney.
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