Week two of our Orkney adventure. This is the most relaxing holiday we've had for a while and the two weeks have drifted by when we usually feel our holiday is over in the blink of an eye. We've made an effort to make it slower and more restful and being on the islands has certainly helped.
Sunday and a walk along the cliffs at Yesneby and out to the Brough of Bigging, just 10 minutes from where we are staying, then back to visit Scara Brae. Which is literally at the end of the path out of Skaill house where we are staying, so we've walked past it several times when going to the beach last week. By then it was getting windy and colder with rain on the way. Last time I was here Ben was 3 and Jamie 1, so quite a while ago! It was great to revisit and incredible to think these houses were built and lived in 5000 years ago. You can’t walk through them now but a replica has been rebuilt behind the visitor centre with roof, so you can really understand how it would have looked when lived in. Dogs aren;t allowed in but after her windswept cliff walk Maisie was happy in the warmth of the car. Then it was back to the house for a late lunch and lazy afternoon while it was raining.
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| Yesneby |
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| Skara Brae |
Sunday evening and we had booked a table at nearby Skerries restaurant at the Merkister Hotel, the food was good and the best scallops I've ever had.
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| Stromness |
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Fireworks and bonfire over Stromness harbour  |
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| Sunrise |
Tuesday was forecast to be a belter of a day, sunshine, very
little wind and clear skies so we booked the ferry to Hoy again and set off on
the mid morning ferry. Half an hour later we were driving up to the north west
side of the island to Rackwick where we parked. From here we took the path up
the hill, along the cliff tops and after an hour and a half walk we reached the
cliffs and the Old Man of Hoy. When we sailed past on our way to Orkney and when
I painted that scene last week I didn’t imagine I’d be standing on those cliffs
seeing it from an entirely different view point. The weather was amazing, not a
breath of wind, making it much warmer and the views! We could see right along
the north coast of Scotland from John O’ Groats to Cape Wrath and all the
mountains of the north including Ben Hope
and Ben Loyal. It was well worth the walk for the views and to see the
Old Man (of Hoy) not David up close. Maisie had a great time, she loves a new
walk. An hours walk back down and we had the picnic we had brought with us in
the car before making our way back. We stopped off to walk up to the Dwarfie
stone, no jokes about short people I heard them all on Tuesday! This is another
neolithic site, a tomb carved out of a huge slab of rock, quite incredible. A
10 minute walk from the car over a board walk and through the heather. We
headed back to Lyness and had a coffee in the museum café while waiting on the
4.40pm ferry. A uneventful sail back in the dark and home via Kirkwall to pick
up fish and chips for tea. Another grand day out.
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| Walking to the Old Man of Hoy |
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| The Dwarfie Stane |
Wednesday was wet and very windy and the temperature has
dropped significantly, what a change from Tuesday on Hoy! We went over to Kirkwall
for some gift shopping food shopping and had lunch in the Real Food café again
then home for a relaxing afternoon painting and reading. on the way to Kirkwall we popped in to visit the Harray Potter pottery, nothing wizardly about this artisan studio, it sits on the shore of the loch of Harray. We had been recommended this pottery by our fellow instagramer walledgardenborders and coincidently the original potter Andrew who was staying at the other Skaill house appartment the weekend we arrived. We met him in the car park and he said if we had to pop in. We had a great chat and pot making demo from his son Nicky and of course we treated our selves to a fabulous pair of bowls, not matching, but the same shape, Daivd's is a lovely black, gray and white glaze design and min is of course greens, blues and a hint of turquoise.
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| Another version of the Ring of Brodgar, Orkney |
On Thursday we headed over to the East of the Orkney mainland and to the Gloup. This collapsed cave is 80 feet deep down dramatic sheer cliffs to the sea below and an arch out to the see where the cave entrance would once have been. Its hard to get the size of it in the photo. This is the end of the main road on the east side, so back the way we came and up to the Deerness Distillery to have lunch in their excellent café. It has a lovely contemporary vibe with great views over the sea and windows into the distillery where you can see the copper stills. The food was excellent and I had Orkney poutine, which was delicious. We stopped off on Dingieshowe beach for a walk and to exercise the mouse dog, it was bracing! We did find some amazing goose barnacles on a piece of drift wood and fossilized rippled sand, which was fascinating. We were followed along the beach by a nosy seal a wee way out in the water, they look so soulful when watching.
Friday and we had thought to sail to Rousey, but the water
was rather choppy and we opted to go back to Birsay to visit the viking village
on the Brough of Birsay across the causeway. Unfortunately the website David
consulted about tide times was two hours out and we missed the tide being out.
It was in fact well on its way back in. Disapointing so we took ourselves off
to the Birsay Bay team room for lunch which we visited last weekend. Again
great food and service and it was cosy too. The weather has definitely turned,
although dry and sunny the wind has a real winter edge to it and a reminder
winter is on its way. After lunch we took Maisie a walk on the beach and
watched how quickly the causeway covers up as the tide comes in. Back home to
do some packing and a last take away for dinner.
We've had an amazing holiday here in Orkney, we could have filled at least another week of things we wanted to see and of course travel to the other islands. Its been the most relaxing holiday we've had in a long time and much needed. Our base for the two weeks, the apartment in Skaill house, has been so comfortable and cosy with everything we needed. There is so much to recommend about visiting Orkney but one thing that did stand out, and David laughed when I talked about this, plus living in a town which has 4 sets of public toilets in a very busy town that gets a lot of visitors and only one is open, you understand where I am coming from. Every single public toilet was open, even in November, clean and well looked after, even in the remotest corner of the islands.
An early start, up at 6.30am and onto the ferry back to the Scottish mainland. The weather was great, calm, though there was a bit of a roll, thank goodness for the anti-sickness bands again. Sunrise and great views, bacon rolls and coffee, and safely back onto the mainland. An easy drive south sharing the driving, there was a good amount of snow on the Cairngorms, winter is coming folks! We found a new fab lunch place, well worth taking a wee detour off the A9 between Aviemore and Kingussie. The Old Post Office Café gallery is well worth seeking out, great food, the salad was so pretty and colourful and the cake, Amaretto cake, was devine. Back via Granny to pick up Poppy cat and finally home, bliss.
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We had two stowaways in the luggage from Orkney
 the duck collection is going to need a shelf of its own  |
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