(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)
One of our favourite trips was our 2002 journey to Scotland…especially if you ignore my severe allergy attack in Inverness and the food poisoning I suffered in Glasgow! We loved the regal city of Edinburgh, but the most enjoyable part of our trip was our 5-day stay in Orkney, off the remote northern coast of Scotland.
Orkney is fascinating. It is largely treeless and it also has a rich Viking history. But our favourite parts were the ancient (many of them older than the Pyramids!) structures at sites such as Skara Brae, Maeshowe, and Broch of Gurness. To say nothing of the various standing stones…in terms of atmosphere and access, these put Stonehenge to shame!
The Maeshowe burial tomb was not just a mound…you could go inside and look at runic graffiti (30 examples, written by Vikings nearly 1000 years ago)! The tomb was already 4000 years old by then. The tomb was also precisely constructed for light to shine in on the winter solstice each year.
If you’ve ever wondered what is so fascinating about standing stones…stand next to one! They are huge. Trying to figure out details such as “why” and “how” could occupy you for an entire lifetime. There are 27 stones still standing at the Ring of Brodgar, a circular Neolithic “henge” very close to Maeshowe on a windswept plain. Only 1 km away, the Standing Stones of Stenness are also impressive, with one of the stones reaching a height of 18 feet.
The number of ancient sites on Orkney’s “Mainland” is almost overwhelming. The Broch of Gurness would be a major attraction all on its own, but it is just one of many on this compact island. This Iron Age settlement dates from “only” about 500 B.C. See the photo at the top of this post for more of the Broch of Gurness.
Also found on Orkney’s “Mainland” is Skara Brae, the most complete Neolithic village in Europe. Although constructed 5000 years ago, it was unknown for millennia until a severe storm in 1850 ripped away the soil and exposed a series of stone buildings without roofs. You can now wander around, and look down on, the homes which have miraculously survived all these years. In some cases, there are even stone “furnishings”.
Stay tuned for further pictures and stories from Orkney (and Scotland). There is plenty more to share! While I highly recommend visiting Orkney, you should be aware that it is not the warmest destination. The pictures in this post were all taken in the middle of the summer: we needed a jacket every day. Given Orkney’s location in the North Sea, and the lack of trees, it can also be very windy.