Author: Fhithich
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A pluviose start to the day.
But it turned out nice in the end.And there’s a couple of seals in the bay.But neither are wearing an orange swimming hat. But neither are wearing an orange swimming hat. One thing I was very uneasy with is the number of spring traps throughout the island. They seem to be everywhere, I counted three on our 3km walk down to the…
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Broch of Gurness
This is without doubt the best broch so far. And as an historical site, superior to Skara Brae and the Ring of Brodgar. I know Skara Brae is Neolithic and this broch is Iron Age, a mere 2,000 years old but I must admit I was disappointed by commercialisation of the older site. The Broch…
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Brough of Birsay
A small tidal island off the north western tip of the Orkney Mainland containing a lighthouse, a few thousand seabirds and site of a Viking settlement and medieval monastery. The monastery dominates the remaining ruins, being angular and more than a few courses high. By contrast, the Viking remains and mostly below ground level, yet…
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Marwick Head
A tad windy today. An Orcadian word for a very strong gale or storm-wind is “Katrizper”, the Old Norse ‘kattar-rispur’, literally ‘cat’s-scratches’. We’ve moved to the north of the main island, known as Mainland. It’s poor reception so expect postings to be a bit sporadic.
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St. John’s Head, Hoy
According to the Tourist Information Board at Moaness Pier, at 1,128′ high St. John’s Head is the most vertical sea cliff in Britain. I’m not sure what that actually means, certainly in terms of height The Kame on Foula and Conachir on St. Kilda are higher. But this is one hell of a drop. I…
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The Castle of North Gaulton
The west coast of Orkney faces the full force of the North Atlantic. Each wave pounding the cliffs shakes the rock. An array of seismic monitors are currently measuring this shaking to research how climate change and increasing sea levels might affect Orkney’s coast. The millennia of turbulent seas have produced the most dramatic coastline…
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Scapa Flow from Keelylang Hill
Had a lovely walk around the headland of the Deerness peninsula with its dramatic sea cliffs and geos. One spectacular feature was a collapsed sea cave resulting in a huge chasm, 40 metres long and 25 metres deep, funnelling up the sound of waves and sea birds. But the main photo is of Scapa Flow…
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Stones of Stenness
A day spent exploring the Neolithic landscape of Orkney. The Stones of Stenness and The Ring of Brodgar. A third site in the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site, Maeshowe, could unfortunately only be seen from a distant as it was still closed due to the Covid restrictions. The sites are fascinating and not…
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Swona
This must be my laziest post by far. I had read about the witch of Swona in Jennifer Westwood and Sophia Kingshill’s book “The Lore of Scotland: A guide to Scottish legends” but I never expected to get so close. Swona is a smallish island west of the southernmost tip of South Ronaldsay and the…
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Castle Grinigoe Sinclair
The Caithness coastline seems to become more dramatic the further north. Geos, sea-stacks, arches, and cliffs. This is Castle Grinigoe, just north of Wick. It was built sometime after 1379 when Henry Sinclair acquired to the Earldom of Orkney by marriage and was substantially enlarged and reconstructed during subsequent centuries by his successors. By the…