Orkney Islands 2014

July/August 2014
We made our way quickly from Aberdeen to Thurso stopping one night near Inverness crossing to Stromness on Orkney from Scrabster, near Thurso, on 29 July.

On the way it was noted how considerable use is now being made of wind turbine for electricity generation in Scotland and later find that Orkney is the hub of tidal turbine research.

The ferry serving Orkney with other services to various islands.Most including this one carry vehicles and it is a very simple traveling from Scotland and between islands.  We took our car across for the week on Orkney.

A view of Stromness from the ferry.  A small sea port with hundreds if not thousands of years of history.

 The B&B we managed to find by referral from another provider.  It was on the waterfront on the edge of town at the harbour entrance.  It was not advertised as the owner also had three "weekly lets".  We stayed here for the first few nights then the last two on the "Mainland" as the largest island in known.  A very pleasant and comfortable B&B.

A closer view of buildings near the harbour and wharf.  It was about this point that early ships crossing the Atlantic to Nth America filled with clean water from a well behind the first row of buildings.

As elsewhere in the UK there are many old buildings many of which have been restored and maintained.  This one in Stromness illustrates the use of stone, including the roof tiles, typical of most structures of the middle ages, steel and clay tiles replacing stone or slate in more recent buildings.  However steel has a very limited life by comparison close to the sea.

Each day we made trips to different parts of the island.  The first was up the west coast to Skara Brae and Marwick Head.  As seen here sign posting was very good throughout.  There is very little scrub or bush to grow over signs as in England.

The view across the bay toward Marwick Head.

Farmland in the vicinity.  While Orkney is at a relatively high latitude warmer currents lead to a milder climate than would be anticipated.

Farming is mostly cattle but there are a few local animals.

These natural foreshore rock formations are the source of building material.

Great cliffs tower above the bay.  This is a natural break in the rock formation.

On top of the cliff is a disused quarry where...

... a partly formed millstone is to be found that got broken before it was completed and here it remains.  This was a very good source of rock for the millstones.

Other remnants of quarrying remain.  The story goes that a tsunami reached the top of the cliff following which the quarry above was abandoned.

An indication as to the height of the cliff and ruggedness of the foreshore.

Marwick House in the same area.  Note the similar structure to the building above in Stromness.

Construction date is indicated by the stone lintel above the door.

There is considerable Neolithic history on Orkney.  Skara Brae rates as the best preserved Neolithic village in Northern Europe (source Orkney tourist publication).  In this and following 3 photos show a reconstructed example of a typical house.

 Prospective resident inspecting the inside.

 The roof as it may have been covered in hides.

 The back door way.  Normally only one door or this one linked to another building.

Remains of other buildings outside of the village precincts so may be unrelated. 

 Excavated remains of the village.















Further south on the west coast are mighty sea cliffs where the the "sea stack" of Yesnaby is located.  Such towers are to be seen at various location but two of the best are this one and the "Old Man of Hoy" which can be seen on the visit to Hoy later.

 Moving to the NW is another Neolithic site, the Brough of Birsay reached at low tide over a largely natural causeway.  On the mainland nearby is the remains of the Earl's Palace, built in the late 16th century by Earl Robert Stewart.  Now just a stabilized ruin.  Also nearby is St Magnus church. It has rather an intriguing story about St Magnus linked to the St Magnus Cathedral at Kirkwall.

 How many Neolithic remains can one take in? Here another well preserved site, the Broch of Gurness from about the 1st century BC and occupied by both the Picts and Vikings.

Located within sight of Rousay island seen in the background.

 Back to the heart of Neolithic Orkney in the centre of the island on what is almost a peninsular between Stenness Loch and Harray Loch where not only one but two rings of standing stones existed.  This is the standing stones of Stenness originally consisting of 12 stones.

In the same area, known as the Ness of Brodgar, is the Ring of Brodgar, a stone circle of which 36 stones remain, Barnhouse, a stone age village being excavated, and shown below Maeshowe. 

Considered to be the finest chambered tombs in Western Europe and is Orkney's finest chambered cairn.  It is surrounded by a ditch and bank.  We were able to go inside with a guide but we were reluctant to take photographs.  During the winter solstice the setting sun shines directly down the entrance passage and illuminates the back wall and passage.  At the winter solstice at 14:40GMT the shaft of light hits the back wall and by 15:05 the sun has set behind Ward Hill of Hoy.  A complex discussion on this appears in; The Heart of Neolithic Orkney, Miniguide: Charles Tait, 2012.

Farming is a significant contributor to the economy of the Orkney island.  Cattle appear to dominate pastoral use.

Some grain cropping and some sheep.

All stock appeared in very good condition.  This group being typical.

 Tourism is another strong contributor with a variety of interesting historical relics both ancient and 20th century.  Here the Italian Chaplel on Lambholm built by Italian Prisoners of war in the later stages of WW2 near the Churchill Barriers.   

 View of the front of Chapel that masked the Nissan hut building it was created from as can be seen from the interior shape above.

Many other war time points of interest can be visited.  See Hoy later.

The Churchill Barriers built across the entrance to Scapa Flow (a large sheltered water body sheltered by surrounding islands) between the Mainland and Burray Island to prevent enemy vessel access, also built between Burray and South Ronaldsay.This significantly reduced access that had to be guarded, to the sheltered water where friendly vessels could take shelter.

 As with all of the UK old buildings are an attraction to tourists.  Orkney has it all.  Here St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwell.

Kirkwell also has its quirky streets and alleys.

Electricity is also in oversupply and is to be exported to mainland Scotland.  Generation includes wave power of which the main research centre is on Orkney.

Next from Orkney will be the trip to the island of Hoy, a short ferry trip away.