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Orkney Islands

  • October 24, 2024
  • KK

In order to prepare for the upcoming four days in Orkney, I stayed in the hotel in Wick to get my leg infection under control while the rest of the family went out and about on a few hikes. I wanted to make sure I was ready for all Orkney had to offer because I knew I’d probably never be back. After our stay in Wick, we drove to Scrabster and caught the 1.5-hour ferry to the Southwest side of the island.  I didn’t know Orkney consisted of 70 islands with only 16 of them inhabited. Christie had done extensive research about Orkney, and she made sure we booked our hotel, restaurants, and our guided tour well in advance. Even though we booked in November for a September stay, there wasn’t much left in the way of hotels. We knew our hotels in the Highlands’ small towns and villages would be pretty limited, but Orkney was at a new level. Our accommodation in the second-largest town, Stromness (population 2700), was really a pub with about seven rooms above it. We were lucky it had a pub with food, as there was only one other restaurant in the town (and it closed at 7:30). Orkney was the longest time we spent anywhere on our NC500 journey because there was so much to see and do. We were prepared for anything those evil weather gods would throw at us— from glorious sun to driving wind and rain. But for the most part, we were blessed and had some amazing sun-filled and warmer days than usual.

View from Orkney Ferry
Orkney Hiking
Kitchener Memorial
Exploring Orkney

My sister-in-law found us the most fantastic guide for a day, Kinlay, who took us around the island to all the important Neolithic sites that are older than Stonehenge and the Pyramids. Skara Brae—the best-preserved site on the island, with at least six houses complete with furniture and tools and the world’s oldest toilet; the Ring of Brodgar—an enormous ceremonial site dating back to the 3rd millennium BC consisting of 60 massive stones  (36 survived), a huge ditch cut into the rock surrounding the circle, and 13 burial mounds, and the Stennis Standing Stones, even older than the Ring of Brodgar and much smaller. Both standing stone circles probably had some astrological and spiritual meaning to the early inhabitants. Our last stop was to the Broch of Gurness. Brochs remain a mystery as to their purpose—defensive or residential. This particular Broch was built between 500 and 200 BC and is considered one of the finest construction achievements of Iron Age Europe. These circular stone towers were sometimes defensive and, at other times, formed a community with smaller homes around the largest one (the home of the clan chieftain). The clan who built this broch chose the best spot—a great defensive position along the coast, an area of fertile fields, and a great beach for boats and fishing. To these Iron Age inhabitants, the sea was vital for transportation and food. The Broch’s discovery and excavation of the surrounding 14 houses with bedrooms, cupboards, and a hearth give a vivid impression of Iron Age life.

Skara Brae
Ring of Brodgar
Stennis Standing Stones
Broch of Gurness
Gang with guide Kinlay
Standing Stones with Kinlay

Probably the most interesting fact Kinley told us on our guided tour was that if Scotland gained their independence, Orcadians would vote to secede and go back to Norwegian control. We learned Norway controlled the island for centuries until 1472 when the Scottish crown took all the Orkney islands as part of Queen Margaret of Denmark's wedding dowry to King James III of Scotland. In fact, most Orcadians today would tell visitors they’d rather be ruled by Norway since they share a more common heritage than that of the Scots. Last year, the Island Council debated options for “alternative models of governance” (aka, go back to Norway). The Orkney flag has an eerie similarity to another flag

There was so much to do and see in Orkney; it would take pages to detail everything. For brevities sake, here’s a short run down. A beautiful drive out to the southern part of the island brought us to the Italian Chapel and the Churchill Barriers. Another history lesson: In 1939, the Germans sank a British battleship, resulting in the loss of 834 lives. Churchill decided to create barriers to close off the entrances to the vital area by sinking out of service ships to block the Germans from entering the Scapa Flow waterway (thus the name blockships). Due to labour shortages, the Brits brought over a thousand Italian prisoners of war from North Africa to Orkney to help with the Barrier project. During the internment of the 550 Italian prisoners stationed at Camp 60, they built a few pleasantries to enhance their prison camp—a theatre, recreation hut, billiard tables (out of concrete), and a very beautiful chapel—The Italian Chapel. Two Quonset huts were joined together to create one of the most inspiring little chapels I have ever seen. The prisoners completely built and decorated it on their own time, even using their own funds for gold curtains at the altar. Since POWs were not allowed to be used for military projects, the barriers were touted as “causeways” by the Brits, which ironically is what they are used for today—a means for the five islands in the south to be connected via a main road to the mainland of Orkney.

Italian Chapel on Lamb Holm
Italian Chapel
Churchill Barrier
Blockships

Kirkwall, the largest town and capital of the island, was our last stop on the way back to our little hotel in Stromness. Built about the same time in the early 12th century, the magnificent medieval St. Magnus Cathedral and the Bishop’s Palace are two of the best-preserved buildings from Norse Scotland. The 2nd Earl, Patrick Stewart, thought the old Bishop’s palace was an “inadequate property”. So, in 1606, using slave labour, he had the Earl’s Palace built next to the old Bishop’s Palace on land he didn’t own. To claim the land, the Earl—as all “great” rulers do—accused the landowner of theft and had him executed.  The Earl, “Black Patie”, as he was now known, was one of the most notorious rulers in the history of Scotland.

St Magnus Cathedral
St Magnus Cathedral
Earl's Palace
Bishop’s Palace

Each day in Orkney brought amazing views over the seas to the islands beyond. It was incredible to experience God’s creative power and to see His presence in the dramatic rock formations and churning blue seas found on this incredible island. If you ever make it to Scotland, be sure to include Orkney in your plans.

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2 Responses

  1. Joe Parrino says:
    October 29, 2024 at 12:50 pm

    Amazing read and visuals.

    Also the ‘zoomable’ map was efficient to include, allows us to see just how far north y’all were.

    Glad the weather was cooperative!

    Reply
  2. Scott Gregory says:
    October 26, 2024 at 1:56 pm

    Truly enjoyed reading this post. With time, Jim P could grow his beard out to resemble Kinley but Jack might have a good chance as well.
    Looks to be an amazing place to experience.

    Reply

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