Orkney is known for its wildlife, and I was hoping to see some. However, the time of year we went, a lot of species had already left. The Puffins apparently left at the end of August. There were plenty of birds, but they were always far out, though you could hear them. According to some more knowledgeable people in our party there were sand martins, maybe an Oyster Catcher or two, Shags and Cormorants. We did watch a Fulmar circle overhead. There were however, plenty of gulls, as you can see from this video I shot at Birsay.
Thursday was our free day, but as the hotel was so far outside of anywhere with places to wander, a minibus took us into the capital, Kirkwall. Here there was much to see, and my friend and I began in the harbour. It was still windy and cold, so we soon headed back towards the shops - the gift shops and bookshop, before having a hot drink. We then visited St Magnus Cathedral, a red bricked building. There had been a Science Exhibition here and workmen were still dismantling the displays, so there were parts we could not walk through, but there was still things to see. The cathedral was founded in 1137 when Orkney was still part of the Kingdom of Norway.
Kirkwall. How quiet it was!
Harbour, Kirkwall
St Magnus Cathedral
After leaving the museum we crossed over the road and visited Kirkwall Museum. This was a fascinating place, and we could have probably stayed longer as there was so much to see.
Burnt human remains, Kirkwall Museum
Runes
Morse Code
Staircase
I became very interested in Runes while on this holiday. To be fair they have always interested me. In the museum I had the chance to write my own name in Runes, only the ink pad wasn't very good and part of one of the letters I needed was missing!
Just over the road from the museum are the Bishop's and Earl's Palaces. Only ruins now, but I can imagine these were lavish and colourful.
I had a go at this, and scored 100 on my third go!
Our free day was a change from the organised part of the holiday. We could amble and spend longer in places.
Friday was another full day of touring around Scapa Flow, South Ronaldsay and a walk to the World War II batteries at Hoxa Head. We drove over the Churchill Barriers erected to stop the enemy from entering Orkney. Their first idea was to sink boats, but the barriers were much more effective. You can still see some of the sunken boats/ships around the barriers. Our first stop was a Fossil & Heritage Centre. This is a collection by the Firth family. Some fossils were exchanged for others around the world. The collection is one of the best I've seen. I wish we'd had a little longer there. Do have a look at the website.
Air-raid siren. A few people had a go winding it up!
The walk took us along some beautiful coastline and we eventually stopped for lunch in a little bay overlooking one of oil rings (in the distance). We watched a ferry leaving for John O'Groats. We also stopped off at Hoxa Tapestry Gallery where we all fell in love with the wonderful work, and I bought lots of cards.
Lighthhouse
World War II batteries
Sunken ships
We walked into the little town to pick up the minibus, having enough time for a drink in the cafe/bar which was once a grocery store. It was an unusual place and larger than it looks. The hot chocolate went down a treat!
Our last port of call for the day was the Italian Church. This was made using two Nissen huts and decorated by Italian prisoners of war. The decoration is so good, the tiles look like real tiles and everything seems three dimensional. Absolutely wonderful.
Our last day had arrived. In the morning we set off to the Broch of Gurness a well preserved prehistoric settlement. We walked along the bay to the site. I loved this place and tried to imagine what life must have been like for these people. After about three quarters of an hour here, we walked back to the bay and had lunch. The day was warm compared to other days, and the wind had finally dropped. I was very tempted to go for a paddle! The water felt much warmer than I expected.
The shores of Eynhallow Sound
Broch of Gurness
Stairs. There would have been a upper floor.
My spot!
Lunch here.
In the afternoon we drove to Stromness where we had the afternoon to ourselves, opting not to do the coastal walk. Stromness was so quiet I wondered where the locals were! It felt like a ghost town. Shops are few, but there is a museum, which was very interesting. We walked up to a viewing point and sat there for quite a while enjoying the view and some warm weather for a change.
In Stromness
A place to sit and enjoy the view and sunshine
Barbara Hepworth artwork at a local gallery
Harbour, Stromness
That night, back at the hotel, there was a beautiful sunset, and myself and another lady rushed out of the dining room to capture it. In the morning, while waiting for the coach to arrive to take us to Kirkwall Airport, our leader showed us a presentation on her laptop with photos she and others took of the holiday (my sunset one was there at the end!). Driving through Kirkwall, we were amazed how busy it was. A cruise ship had not long docked and the town was flooded with people. It felt wrong. After a week of such remoteness and few people, it was too much! We would soon enough be back in the rush of civilisation. It had been lovely to have such peace for a week and no news (I didn't watch any news while on holiday).
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