Despite the relatively late night I woke at 0630, & before Gary's tannoy wake-up call.
Apparently we had sailed 135 nautical miles, passing over oil pipelines, & past rigs while we slept.
Overnight I'd been up twice ~ trying to climb down from my bunk without waking Lyndall on the bottom.
Not sure I managed it?
Before breakfast I grabbed a quick pic of the approach to Orkney.
Breakfast was at 0715, & my notes say I had bacon, eggs & porridge ~ but not all on the same plate!
I'd heard of the 1st but not the 2nd.
We had been told that no wellies were required today as it was a dry landing. Gary had explained we would need them for wet landings during his briefing, & the Post said there would be a Great Gumboot Giveaway after dinner this evening.
 |
| Kirkwall Jetty |
 |
| No trees here, just tall stones |
According to the Post, this is a "perfect circle of 27 standing stones".
Having been to Stonehenge & seen many TV progs about henges & standing stones, I'm inclined to concur that it was designed for the winter solstice, not the summer one.
 |
| Awaiting Carol's lecture about the Ring |
 |
| Tall stones here! |
 |
| This one reminded me of an Easter Island face |
 |
| This may be the same one from the other side?? |
 |
| See next pic for the info on the plaque |
Carol delivered a lecture about the archaeology & history of the Ness, & I knew there was a big ongoing dig nearby as well.
 |
| I had no idea what this was, but Heidi told me later it was a Marsh Orchid |
 |
| It's a much bigger circle than Stonehenge |
 |
| These 2 are like sentinels |
 |
| Heidi also told me this was Cotton Grass |
 |
| As with Stonehenge, it must've been a mammoth task getting all this stone here |
 |
| Clover with Trefoil in the background |
 |
| Buttercups, Sedge & Stones |
 |
| Marsh Orchids & Buttercups |
 |
| Heidi thought these were Pinks or Campion |
 |
| And these |
 |
| Looking north across the Bay of Skaill from Skara Brae |
 |
| The sea was slowly getting closer to the buried village |
 |
| The headland to the west of the Bay |
 |
| Had I worn my bikini, I'd've been in that water! |
 |
| Carol giving info to PP passengers at Skara Brae |
 |
| Ditto, & Michael, the PP photographer in red |
Back on the coach we headed northish past the Loch of Harray on the right & the Loch of Stenness on the left to Skara Brae .
Wiki says:
Skara Brae /ˈskærə ˈbreɪ/ is a stone-built Neolithic settlement, located on the Bay of Skaill on the west coast of Mainland, the largest island in the Orkney archipelago of Scotland. Consisting of eight clustered houses, it was occupied from roughly 3180 BC to about 2500 BC.
Europe's most complete Neolithic village, Skara Brae gained UNESCO World Heritage Site status as one of four sites making up "The Heart of Neolithic Orkney". Older than Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids, it has been called the "Scottish Pompeii" because of its excellent preservation.
 |
| We listen to Carol |
Wiki also says:
In the winter of 1850, a severe storm hit Scotland, causing widespread damage and over 200 deaths.[2] In the Bay of Skaill, the storm stripped the earth from a large irregular knoll known as "Skerrabra". When the storm cleared, local villagers found the outline of a village, consisting of a number of small houses without roofs.
and:
On average, each house measures 40 square metres (430 sq ft) in size with a large square room containing a stone hearth used for heating and cooking. Given the number of homes, it seems likely that no more than fifty people lived in Skara Brae at any given time
The dwellings contain a number of stone-built pieces of furniture, including cupboards, dressers, seats, and storage boxes. Each dwelling was entered through a low doorway that had a stone slab door that could be closed "by a bar that slid in bar-holes cut in the stone door jambs". A sophisticated drainage system was incorporated into the village's design. It included a primitive form of toilet in each dwelling.
There's loads more online, and Carol's lectures were interesting & informative.
However, I missed quite a bit by wandering around taking photos.
Happily, the info boards are readable, so my lack of listening was not a problem.
 |
| A vista of Skara Brae & the bay of Skaill |
 |
| Doors are at 10 o'clock & 4 o'clock. They were either Hobbit sized or entered on their hands & knees? |
 |
| The Dresser of Stone |
 |
| There's almost a 4-poster in this house! |
 |
| An impressive library to while away the long dark days of winter |
 |
| Me being me, I had to get a pick of these Katana! The one on the left is a bit like my Iaito |
 |
| One of my fellow passengers studying the model of the St Magnus cathedral in a bedroom. Funny place to keep it?? ;-p |
 |
| This was the info board outside the replica of a Skara Brae house |
 |
| Inside the replica. The bed is behind the peeps & the hearth in front |
 |
| Hearth, bed & dresser |
 |
| The front (& only) door |
Outside Skail House there was a mock-up of a Skara Brae home, so I went through the door passage & inside.
It was amazingly cozy ~ not at all claustrophobic, & it was easy to imagine how those people had managed to live comfortably all those years ago.
 |
I think this was Scapa Flow
I know it's John's profile |
Once more back on the coach, we returned to Kirkwall across the southern part of Mainland coast, & drove along the edge of Scapa Flow.
We were told tales of battles, the scuttling of the German Navy ships in WW1, & Viking warlords.
Google says it one of the great natural harbours/anchorages of the world, & that Vikings anchored their longships there more than a thousand years ago. However, it is best known in Britain as the site of the UK's chief naval base during the world wars.
Google also said scuba divers can dive to at least seven of the scuttled German ships, and a number of sunken British ships. Not for me, ta very much.
Back on the PP, I had a lunch of salad, 4 types of meat & 4 types of cheese before donning the bikini under my shorts & setting off along the jetty to explore Kirkwall & maybe have a swim.
I made for St Magnus, but initially passed it & carried on to the Earl's Palace which looked great sitting in its garden of mature trees.
Shame it was built by a despot.
 |
| The Earl's Palace built with forced labour in the 1600s by Patrick, Earl of Orkney |
 |
| It looks like it was built of sandstone, but Wiki just says its turrets and decorations were of sandy-coloured stone. |
 |
| The Moosie or Reid's Tower ~ named after a Bishop & built in the 1500s |
Next up was the Bishop's Palace, apparently built at the same time as St Magnus' cathedral & in the same red & yellow stone.
According to Wiki, it was a traditional, 2-storey, "12th century hall house".
The tower was added later.
You can't tell from the pic above, but there was a striped effect ~ like St Magnus' Cathedral.
This was due to the red & yellow stone used to build it.
 |
| Tomb of Arctic Explorer, John Rae His legs must get cold ;-p |
Apparently, St Magnus' Cathedral is the only wholly mediæval cathedral in Scotland, & building began in 1137.
Wiki says it took 300 years to build, & that this (most northerly) cathedral in GB, is no longer "technically a cathedral', but a Presbyterian church.
It's still used by the local devout for ordinary services.
Wiki also says:
The Romanesque cathedral begun in 1137 has fine examples of Norman architecture, attributed to English masons who may have worked on Durham Cathedral. The masonry uses red sandstone quarried near Kirkwall and yellow sandstone from the island of Eday, often in alternating courses or in a chequerboard pattern to give a polychrome effect.
 |
| Inside St Magnus' |
I only spent a few minutes in here before I set off searching for an Orkney malt.
On the way back down the main street there were 2 young lads playing fiddle & accordion in the Bank of Scotland car park.
I stopped & requested a Hector the Hero, but they gave me blank looks.
Then I said "What about Tam Lin?" & the one on the accordion managed a creditable job, so I gave them both some money.
Well, I'm all for the furtherance of Gaelic & Celtic arts.
Unfortunately, my camera battery was out of juice, or I'd've taken a photo of them.
Then, I checked out gifts for my cat sitter, got an Orkney ice cream, went to a cafe for a brew, & found a cask strength Scapa Malt in a cheese shop :-D
I wrapped it in my swimming towel.
I also bought a small bottle of Highland Park.
Gordon Bennett ~ I sound like a right sot!
Then, taking a back street route via St Catherine's Place, I headed out along Shore Street & the path round the bay to the eastern breakwater.
The tide was on its way out, so I climbed down the outer side of the breakwater ~ leaving my stuff on a big, flat, rock.
Despite the sun being out all day, it was pretty cold walking out into deeper water & plunging under for a quick dip.
I did 50 strokes out & 50 strokes back ~ not wanting to go too deep as the tide was going out, & I didn't know if there were currents.
Back on the breakwater, I unwrapped the malts & used the towel as a sarong & a wind break. While the breakwater had afforded some shelter, once up on top & walking back to the PP, it was pretty blustery.
I bumped into Dr Ann & Heidi on my walk back & they commented about my bare feet & that I was brave going in for a swim in this wind - or words to that effect. They didn't notice I was hugging the Scapa in my towel & had the Highland Park in a trainer ;-p
We weren't supposed to take booze on board: Ahem!
Back on the PP I put the bottles under my pillow, the battery on charge, grabbed a hot choc, & took my towel & sudoku onto the foredeck for a bit of a sunbathe - somewhere out of the wind, hopefully.
Happily, I found a spot & had a brief kip before needing to move out of the way so the sailaway crew could do their pre-cast-off prep.
Quickly grabbing a shower & hair-wash, I went back up-top with my camera for sailaway.
 |
| Crew haul a warp as we head to Fair Isle |
 |
| Kirkwall sailaway with Saltire flying |
 |
| The seaweedy beach & breakwater where I swam |
 |
| Biggly zoomed pic of Balfour Castle on Shapinsay |
After a while we sailed past Shapinsay & I saw an interesting looking building almost on the shoreline.
I didn't know what it was, but it made for a good pic.
So ~ while writing this blog, I pinged some E's to peeps on Orkney in the hope someone recognised it & Catherine (from Kirkwall TIC), & Chandra (from VisitOrkney) both got back to me saying it was Balfour Castle & sent me this link:
Check it out, it's interesting stuff :-)
Putting my camera battery back on charge I went to the mandatory Zodiac briefing at 1730. It lasted till 1815 & Gary told us all about how to safely walk down & up the steps & how they may be moving around a lot in the seas. There would be crew members giving us a hand aboard & off, & that we should always have a hand hanging on in case of a sudden movement.
 |
| Pre-prandial nibbles at the Captain's soiree. Gunman, Stephen, is the one in the specs, & Captain Yuri is right behind him in the white shirt next to Gary in black |
After this we had Captain Yuri's drinks party at 1845, & dinner at 1930.
I chatted to a few more of my fellow passengers in the bar, & made a point of not sitting with the same people at dinner so I could chat to some other folk.
Then we had the Great Gumboot Giveaway.
There was a stash of wellies in all sizes in a cupboard in the theatre & we all went down there after dinner to get a pair each.
We were told to wear our waterproof pants outside the boots so they'd create a seal around the boot for wet landings. A cunning plan which actually worked, Baldrick :-D
Then we had the Great Gumboot Giveaway.
There was a stash of wellies in all sizes in a cupboard in the theatre & we all went down there after dinner to get a pair each.
We were told to wear our waterproof pants outside the boots so they'd create a seal around the boot for wet landings. A cunning plan which actually worked, Baldrick :-D
With an early wakening, walking about for >3 hours, a chilly swim, & the rolling of the ship, it didn't take much to rock me to sleep that night at 2230.
At around midnight the engines stopped which woke me, & I saw it was still quite light to the north out of our porthole on the starboard side.
I woke again at 3ish, & saw that, unfortunately, because we had had the porthole open slightly while we slept, the sea had splashed in onto some of our clothes lying on the seat under it.
Keeping as quiet as I could, I moved the clothes either side & closed it, but the room smelled a bit like a seagull's pantry. Eeeuw!
Keeping as quiet as I could, I moved the clothes either side & closed it, but the room smelled a bit like a seagull's pantry. Eeeuw!
 |
| This Orkney map was on the back of July 1st's Puffin Post Unless you tilt your head to look at it, or turn your screen clockwise, North is left ;-) |
OAO
