Orkney Island Adventure Part 1
Because this adventure went for 5 full days, I thought I’d break it up to make reading a little easier. We saw a lot on this trip, from 5,000-year old ruins to WW2 artifacts and tons of stuff in between. Probably should have written this as we went but the days were pretty full. Just hope my memory holds out and I don’t forget the good stuff.
We left Crieff early Monday morning heading for the coastal town of Thurso, located on the north-east corner of Scotland. The drive is about 5 hours and with stops along the way, will take the better part of the day. Not in a rush, we’re spending the night at the Aurora B&B so we can catch the 8:45am ferry to Stromness. The weather really cooperated for this entire adventure. At times, there were sprinkles, but mostly we enjoyed clear skies and mild temperatures around 540. Few crowds, sunny weather and some wonderful Fall colors, all the reasons why we prefer to travel September through December.
We were able to pack our change of clothes and essential items (wine) in a couple of backpacks which made getting ready in the mornings very easy. For this trip, we chose to stay in either B&B’s or hotels that offered breakfast to help get us fueled for the days’ adventure and cut down on eating out costs.
Wee Scottish breakfast. At the top, haggis on black pudding, fried tomato,eggs,bacon,mushroom,potato, and baked beans
Still have pay phones in Scotland
A “Ben”
Another “Ben”
Ferry rides are always an adventure. We purchased our round-trip tickets online before leaving Crieff to make sure we had a place on the ship. Always a question of how many cars can the ferry hold so we just wanted to make sure there was a spot for the Bugatti. We arrived about 1 hour before sailing, checked in, and proceeded to our lane.
Boarding started right on time, 30 minutes before sailing and was pretty well organized. After all, these guys do this everyday so it shouldn’t be hard to remember how to stack em’. Grabbed our personal stuff, locked the car and headed up to the lounge to kick back for the 90-minute ride across the North Sea to Stromness, Orkney. On the way, the ship gets close to the coast of Scotland proper so the tourists can take a picture of the “Old Man of Hoy”, a rock formation that is 450’ and popular with rock climbers.
Leaving Scotland proper
Mom-bear in the comfortable lounge
The Old Man of Hoy
Time went by quick. Next thing you know, back in the car and off to our first site on Mainland, Orkney, Skara Brae. Skara Brae is an ancient Neolithic site dating back some 5,000 years ago. It was discovered in 1850 after a major storm washed away the beach that covered the site. We were really interested in seeing this site since we have seen Hagar Qim and the Hypogeum on Malta, believed to be the oldest structures on Earth.
Skara Brae is believed to have been built between 3000BCE and 2500BCE making it older than the pyramids and Stonehenge. It is one of Western Europe’s best preserved Neolithic settlements complete with stone carved furniture and beds. There are several houses making up the settlement, all round in shape and connected to each other via covered passageways. Inside, beds, dressers and shelves made from stone are still present. A hearth is located in the center in each house with a fresh water storage pit close by. Archeologists know these pits are for water storage because the seams are all sealed with clay, making them water tight. No weapons were found here but jewelry and numerous tools have been recovered from the site.
Reconstructed example of the interior of Skara Brae
House with shelves, hearth in center & beds along the sides
Exterior of reconstructed house
Shelves
Multiple homes
Actual house used as model for reconstructed example
Next on our “back in time” tour is the Broch of Gurness, an Iron Age village. Believed to have been built between 500BCE and 200BCE, the “Broch” or roundhouse, is estimated at having been 33’ tall and housed the chief or principal family of the clan. Numerous smaller stone houses surrounded the broch in addition to 3 deep trenches and stone ramparts to protect against invasion. The houses and broch are connected via a main street.
Grinding stone
The “Broch”
Ramparts
Houses
Stone with circular openings
Houses facing entrance to Broch
Next stop, the Ring of Brodgar. No that’s not the ring Frodo Baggins threw into the center of the Earth. This is a stone circle, or henge, dating back to 2000BCE. The circle is about 340’ in diameter and originally was comprised of 60 stones. Today only 27 of those stones are still standing. The site is set within a circular ditch that is 1,250’ in diameter and was cut from solid sandstone. Because of the numerous other ancient sites located within 2 miles of Brodgar, burial cairns, rings, standing stones, etc., archeologists believe this was a sacred or ritual site.
Ring of Brodgar
Speaking of standing stones, that’s our next stop on the moldy oldy tour. The “Standing Stones of Stenness” are older and taller than those at Brodgar, coming in at 3,000BCE and some 20’ tall! Today only 4 of the original 12 stones are still standing. This site is located ½ mile from the Ring of Brodgar.
Standing Stones of Stenness
Done for today. We need to find our way to the town of Kirkwall and our B&B before it gets dark. Not a real fan of driving in the dark, on the left side of the road, in a place I’ve never been before. Tomorrow we’ll take up where we left off and drive to the end of St. Margaret’s Hope to the Tomb of the Eagles. No not the final resting place of Glenn Frey, check out Part 2 tomorrow.