Orkney

Monday, packed up to move campsites, a long drive to Dunnet Bay, just east of Thurso, along the “North Coast 500”, lots of single-track road with passing places, a beautiful drive through spectacular scenery. Stopped in Tesco in Thurso to stock up again.

Arrived a Dunnet Bay Camp site and discovered we have lost another water filler cap. Water Filler Caps 2 – Rog 0. 

An exciting start to Tuesday morning, Rog was sitting in the Motorhome, and for no apparent reason the water pump started, and kept going…. A problem. Rog turned the water pump off and tried to locate the problem, which didn’t take long, the bathroom floor was covered in water. A pipe connector had failed and we needed a replacement Jubilee clip, in Jubilee week!

So off to Thurso to try and solve our problems, after 4 shops we found a jubilee clip which might fit, it didn’t, after 2 more shops and having to buy a pack of 16 jubilee clips containing 8 different sized clips, one fitted. 

The water filler cap was easier, a temporary replacement fuel cap from the first garage we went to. 

Whilst in Thurso we had coffee and went to the North Coast museum, which included an interesting exhibition about Dounreay Nuclear Research facility. As we left Thurso we saw Seals in the estuary, basking on the rocks as the tide was going out.

Then back to the campsite for a walk along part of the 2 mile long Dunnet Bay beach, barefoot in the surf, a little chilly but refreshing.

Wednesday, Coffee and another walk in Thurso, before getting the ferry to Stromness, Orkney, and checking in to the Point of Ness campsite – a stunning site on the end of the harbour. We then spent the next 4 days doing all the history Orkney has to offer.

Thursday, we went to ‘Skara Brae’, a 5,000 year old village. The 5,000 is just mind boggling (Stonehenge is only 4,000 yrs. old, the Great Pyramids are 4,600 yrs.),

then we drove to the ‘Ring of Brodgar’, a large circle of standing stones,

then on to the village of Finstown, where we spoke to the owner of a craft shop about being at the Queen’s coronation outside Buckingham palace, on her father’s shoulders. She was feeling quite emotional after just watching the crowds gather in the Mall for the Platinum Jubilee Fly past.

On Friday, we had booked tickets to see the “Broch of Gurness”, we had no idea what a Broch was, or where Gurness was, it turns out that a Broch is a cylindrical tower at the centre of a village and Gurness is on the east coast of Orkney. Another interesting site.

We then continued to drive around the island, up to Birsay, where Rog walked over the short causeway, which was still just under water as the tide receded, to the Burgh of Birsay. We looked around a ruined palace of Birsay, and drove on to Lord Kitchener’s monument, yes Kitchener of the “your country needs you” world war I recruitment posters, who died when the ship taking him to Russia hit a mine, it sank killing 600+ men of the coast of Orkney.

Saturday, we went to Kirkwall, the largest town on Orkney, it’s not that big, to see the Bishop & Earl’s Palaces, then across the Churchill Barriers, coast defences to protect Scapa Flow, to see the Italian Chapel, which was built from 2 Nissan huts and painted by Italian prisoners of war, whilst they also built the Churchill barriers. Nic’s Great Grandfather had been in the Navy, stationed up in Scapa flow, helping to protect the Atlantic convoys, so fascinating to see all these years later.

We then had lunch in the Murray Arms Hotel in St Margaret Hope, on the island of South Ronaldsay, which is connected to main land Orkney by the Barriers. Whilst heading back to the campsite we called at the visitors centre for Maeshowe on the off chance we could get tickets for the tour of Maeshowe, as these were the only tickets we had not been able to book on line as it had only just opened again after Covid restrictions. We were in luck as tour group booking of 16 had only 8 turn up, so we got tickets. Maeshowe is a 4,300 yrs. old tomb, which has Viking graffiti in it, but only Viking graffiti from 1125 – 75 as the tomb was then backfilled and only excavated again in the early 1900. Other sites had graffiti scratched into their stones from the 1800’s, now these sites are protected by law against further graffiti.

Sunday, we got the bikes out, to cycle to Unstan Tomb, recommended by the guides at Maeshowe, Unstan is a 5,000 year old tomb which can be visited by anyone, no ticket required the entrance just has an unlocked gate. As the cycling was going well, we continue to the Standing Stones of Stenness, the Barn House Village (right next door) past the Ring of Brodgar again and back to the camp site, 17 miles in all.

The tickets this week for the “Historic Scotland” sites were free due to our Manx National Heritage membership (we only needed to pay £3.50 each for the Italian Chapel).

Orkney is a stunning place, very open landscape, as there are not many trees, lots of history to see, we are sure the glorious weather helped, but we would highly recommend Orkney, (and we only did the mainland and connected islands).