Orkney Islands, Scotland - chat, history, photos

[belboid]

So mrs b & I are taking my dad to Orkney for nine days in September. Flying in, as it would cost almost as much to drive/ferry anyway, and then hiring a car.

We have a plan, which is to basically to see as much neolithic stuff as possible. Handily we are staying just by the Standing Stones Hotel, so will have an actual view of Stenness, and so Maeshowe, Ring of Brodgar, and a few others are in easy walking distance. Obviously, we will also be hitting Skara Brae, and the Tombs of the Eagles, the Beagles and the Otters, as well as the Brochs of Birsay and Gurness. Quite how my 84 year old dad will do at crawling into some of the tombs, I don't know, but he'll cope. No doubt they'll be a day in Kirkwall and Stromness as well, and will call in on the Italian Chapel on the way to Eagles. And they'll be a trip to Hoy (dad always wanted to climb the Old Man, bit late now) so we can go see the Dwarfie Stone and maybe Longhope.

Considering the likely weather, that will probably be enough, but we do want to make a northern isle. It is tempting to try for Papa Westray, and not only so we can go on the worlds shortest scheduled flight, but Rousay looks easier.

Any other recommendations? Bits of advice, or recommended books, places to drink?

 

[2hats]

Don't forget the Khyber Pass!

 

[danny la rouge]

Just Neolithic, or would you consider Iron Age?

There's brochs:

Orkneyjar - Orkney's Brochs

And then there's Pictish symbol stones:

Orkneyjar - The Enigma of the Pictish Symbol Stones

 

[geminisnake]

Check accessability before you go, I believe the Italian chapel is locked now and one of the places I think you go in on a trolley thing

 

[Supine]

Matchmakers. Although the club is probably long gone!

 

[TheHoodedClaw]

The Flattie Bar in Stromness (the public bar of the hotel right next to the ferry) was quite lively the times I've been in.

 

[belboid]

Just Neolithic, or would you consider Iron Age?

There's brochs:

Orkneyjar - Orkney's Brochs

And then there's Pictish symbol stones:

Orkneyjar - The Enigma of the Pictish Symbol Stones

I am all too aware of orkneyjar, ta. There's so bloody much on it, it's almost bewildering.

I will go up to Viking times (I have the orkneyinga to read before we go), especially if they are on the way somewhere else. I know some of the Iron Age stuff (brochs are just groovy) tho very little about the Pictish

 

[belboid]

Check accessability before you go, I believe the Italian chapel is locked now and one of the places I think you go in on a trolley thing

You deffo go into one thing on a trolley! Sounds great. Some of the smaller ones you crawl into. Will double check the chapel, I think it should be okay, but better make sure

 

[heinous seamus]

Maeshowe was a bit of a struggle (for me anyway - I am 6'8" though)

Rousay has a ton of archeological sites so may be worth a visit: Discover Rousay

I've been reading a bit of George Mackay Brown lately. He's a good read.

 

[HoratioCuthbert]

Matchies still exists as The Neuk now. Are you up from the 1st? There's a rock festival on in Kirkwall, i'd recommend Orkney bred Glasgow based Fit To Work who have a song "for liberals" entitled Just Admit You Want Us All Dead :-D - they are playing in The Neuk on the Saturday. I think Rackwick in Hoy is also a must, all the pubs in Stromness are great for food- also there's the Italian restaurant in Kirkwall which I struggle to remember the name of now just ask about the Italian restaurant in Kirkwall. Rousay is bonnie and I'd also highly recommend staying at the Grand Owld byre in Westray (camping and rooms available) the couple that own it are lovely, they let us sleep in the laundry room when we stayed there as there were high winds. I'd say I enjoyed my stay there more than any other place I've stayed in over last 8 years.

The bistro next to tomb of the eagles is great for food and not too badly priced. Also for takeaway highly recommend The Willows in Kirkwall.

I'm going to stop as I live here and it would turn out to be an essay!

 

[HoratioCuthbert]

Oh and if you guys are fit for hillwalking Wideford Hill has spectacular views and is an easy climb, Ward hill has the same but is steep as fuck.

 

[HoratioCuthbert]

You deffo go into one thing on a trolley! Sounds great. Some of the smaller ones you crawl into. Will double check the chapel, I think it should be okay, but better make sure

No there's no trolley action at the Italian chapel but Tomb of Eagles has one.

 

[HoratioCuthbert]

Finally- Pro tip access Skara Brae for free via Skaill, it's just off the beach, not fenced in or anything. It should be reasonably easy to do same for Maeshowe as I think the centre for paying is now quite away from it, but I think it involves climbing fences, not tried that one myself but a friend has. Other good beaches- Scapa nr Kirkwall, Waulkmill Bay, Birsay(with access to Brough at low tide) and you can walk to Aikerness from Broch of Gurness, about 20-30 mins walk. You'll also see plenty on the drive to the Italian Chapel and onto Tomb of Eagles including Churchill Barriers and Blockships etc.

 

[belboid]

We're not there till the....18th I think it is. Was going to go up for the blues festival as well, but me dad was off an another jaunt somewhere!

Wideford - deffo, I think that was one of the (many, many) non main sites I'd seen and wanted to remember, but forgot.

Is the restaurant the Lucano? Appears to be the only one.

And, ta for the tip, but we'll pay for Skara Brae - I imagine in these days it needs every penny, and we're bloody tourists. It's different for locals.

 

[heinous seamus]

You can get an Orkney explorer pass from historic Scotland - works out cheaper than paying for all the sites individually.

 

[HoratioCuthbert]

We're not there till the....18th I think it is. Was going to go up for the blues festival as well, but me dad was off an another jaunt somewhere!

Wideford - deffo, I think that was one of the (many, many) non main sites I'd seen and wanted to remember, but forgot.

Is the restaurant the Lucano? Appears to be the only one.

And, ta for the tip, but we'll pay for Skara Brae - I imagine in these days it needs every penny, and we're bloody tourists. It's different for locals.

Fair enough! Lucano indeed I had been just on my way to do a nursery run and couldn't google. Shame you've missed the blues as well that's probably the best festival of the lot really, but you may catch some good bands at The Auld Motorhoose, The Neuk, The Sound Archive and sometimes upstairs in the Torvhaug all in Kirkwall, - check Orkney Live Wire either on their website on on their facebook page for info- there's usually something on through there at weekend, places like Stromness sometimes too but less often. And on BBC Radio Orkney page on FB they tend to do a diary of what's on that week too. Hope you enjoy it's a beautiful place


ETA: forgot to mention, probably my favourite walk, very dramatic views https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/orkney/mullhead.shtml

 

[belboid]

Don't forget the Khyber Pass!

I thought you were being weird before, but I understand now

Just having a pint in Flatties, Stromness is bloody quiet on a Friday night.

 

[J Ed]

I thought you were being weird before, but I understand now

Just having a pint in Flatties, Stromness is bloody quiet on a Friday night.

How much did it cost you in the end? Just curious, have always wanted to go to Orkney.

 

[belboid]

£3.50

Or did you not mean the pint?

 

[belboid]

More seriously... we're at the arse end of the season (timetables move to Winter on Monday) so it's all a bit cheaper. I think it was £250 for the flights and then £600 for nine days in our airbnb place - which technically sleeps five, though that would be a bit crowded. Car hire is pretty essential.

Deffo worth every penny so far.

 

[JimW]

Me and my brother were staying about eighty miles west along the coast on the mainland and did a dash over for the day because we always wanted to go, would love to go back and spend longer.

 

[belboid]

Rousay was fantastic - managed to get into the Knowe of Lairo!!

 

[JimW]

Is that the cover off a new edition of A Drunk Man Looks At The Thistle?

 

[TheHoodedClaw]

Rousay was fantastic - managed to get into the Knowe of Lairo!!

Oh holy fuck no, there's wraiths in there.

 

[belboid]

Well, I must say, fab times had by all. Got lucky with the weather, only one really dodgy day, which was quite a nice excuse to chill out actually. Wind picked up for the last few days, but nowt unbearable. Managed to do nearly all of diamarzipan's recommendations, bar Westray, and all lived up to our hopes

Thoroughly recommended

 

[belboid]

 

[wayward bob]

it took a bit of hunting to track down the full series: BBC iPlayer - Britains Ancient Capital: Secrets of Orkney it's variously listed under history and nature. but mostly history/archaeology. turned my mental map of neolithic britain on its head

 

[JimW]

Me and my brother had a holiday together much further west on the northern mainland couple of years back but did a mad drive just to do a daytrip to neolithic Orkney in case we never got up that way again. Astounding archaeology.

 

[ringo]

it took a bit of hunting to track down the full series: BBC iPlayer - Britains Ancient Capital: Secrets of Orkney it's variously listed under history and nature. but mostly history/archaeology. turned my mental map of neolithic britain on its head

Good series, I know what you mean. We've spent so long thinking our ancient centres of power are Europe facing it's odd to think the opposite was actually true.

I loved the bit about the scary passage of water with the currents and whirlpools they had to cross, I'm sure that had something to do with it all. It must have seemed like a terrifying portal into some other world, perhaps the one their Gods and even their ancestors now inhabited.

 

[wayward bob]

i was gutted about the dating on the natural stone circle, i do love a neat conclusion