Safe Return Doubtful

Day 36 – Hoxa Hill & St Margaret’s Hope There was just the occasional visitor to the beach at Sands of Wright all day. The wind dropped in the middle of the day which allowed the mist to come and go slowly. The dog made friends with a pair of…

Day 35 – To Hoxa and the Sands of Wright Sunday 30th May In and out of the haar today, the sea fog, to the linked islands of Burray and South Ronaldsay. I’m familiar with this type of mist. I visited the Faroe Islands once, for seven days, breaking a…

Day 34 – The Broch of Gurness Saturday 29th May A couple of miles around the headland to the Broch of Gurness, the remains of what was once a sizeable Iron Age village, some 2,500 years ago. The Pictish people lived here, in what seems a site exposed to the…

Day 33 – Egilsay – Part Two There’s only one farm left on Egilsay, with dairy cattle and sheep, but sponsored by the RSPB to maintain the environment also. By chance I got chatting with the young couple, who were letting their cows out after the longer winter than usual.…

Day 32 – Part Two (Birsay) Some additional photos (there’s a limit of ten to a page) The Earl’s Palace in Birsay, built by the illegitimate son of James V in 1569. It was requisitioned by Cromwell’s troops in 1653, who when they saw the food in the kitchen, called…

Day 32 – To the Sands of Evie Thursday 27th May I headed out to the northwest of the Mainland this morning. There’s so much history all over the 70 odd islands that it’s difficult to decide where to go first. The Orkney Islands have been inhabited for more than…

Day 31 – To Kirkwall Wednesday 26th May The string northerly wind meant the ferry took fifteen minutes longer than usual, and it was a cold, but worthwhile trip to the outside deck as the ship passed close to The Old Man of Hoy. It didn’t get above 6C all…