16 to 20 August - The Orkney Adventure: Mainland Orkney and Hoy

We left Stronsay for Kirkwall on Saturday, and once we arrived we went to a session at The Reel. The place was PACKED and it was monstrously hot. But the music was rowdy and fun, and we even ran into several of the musicians we played with at the Fiddle Frenzy and the ferry from Shetland, as well as the ferryman Mike Joyce. What a treat! At the campsite later that night we saw glimpses of the Northern Lights, although due to the city lights, they were sadly faint.

Here's our camp in Kirkwall on Sunday morning. Nice and Sunny for a change!

We toured the Bishop and Earl's Palace, and the place is HUGE! Earl Patrick Stewart, a notorious laird of late 16th century Orkney, sure did build to impress, although sadly it is said he did not reciprocate his laborers. He was disrespectful to the common folk and was eventually beheaded in Edinburgh. He also was responsible for the castle in Scalloway, which we visited on Shetland. The man had palaces in numerous places.

St. Magnus Cathedral from a high vantage point across the street. The cathedral has been added to several times over the last 900 years, and each time they used different color stone. If you look closely you can see the different sections.

Before heading out of Kirkwall we visited the Highland Park Distillery, picking up a 20 cc bottle to fuel our cycle adventure. It's a gentle whisky, easy to drink, and quite favorable with a mild peaty aroma. They are one of the only distilleries to malt their own barely on site. We were so grateful to have this whisky along, as it would prove soul soothing and quite warming in the wet and cool week to come!

Featured above is Maes Howe. It may look like a mere grassy mound, but indeed is a true masterpiece of ancient engineering. Some 5000 years old, this chambered tomb of the neolithic peoples is designed to allow sunlight to enter it's single long passageway only at winter solstice. Strangely, it also houses some fine Norse runes along its inner walls. The Norsemen discovered the site some 1000 years ago, and their pursuits and adventures are recorded in the Orkneyinga Saga. Unfortunately there was no photography allowed in the tomb. After visiting this site, we began to look differently at the Ornkey landscape. The remnants and legacy of ancient peoples can be seen everywhere - what may look like a simple hill may be masking a deep human history. New archaeological sites are continually being discovered, and their significance better understood.

Above, is a photo of the Ness of Brodgar, a site only miles from Maes Howe that we visited later in the week. This fascinating site was only discovered in 2003 by a couple tilling their garden. It is now considered to be a unique ceremonial site of Neolithic peoples - situated near the Ring of Brodgar and the Stones of Stenness. At this time only 10% of the entire site is uncovered and being actively studied. You can follow the progress and discoveries of this dig on their website:
http://www.orkneyjar.com/archaeology/nessofbrodgar/

Here's a video of the Ring of Brodgar, with special sound effects to help you realize the wonderful Orcadian weather as it would have appeared thousands of years ago.

By coincidence and/or great coordination by the Historic Scotland tourist bureau, the weather was also like this the day we visited.

And next ...

We took the ferry to Hoy, which is just south of the main Orkney island. A beautiful island, it is very reminiscent of the Scottish Highlands geologically being quite hilly and lined with heather.

We rode over the hills to Rackwick, a small village with a long crofting history. Being quite quiet and peaceful with amazing scenery, it has long been a favorite place of refuge and inspiration for artists and writers. We spent the night in the bothy above. A bothy is a community building that is generally left unlocked, and is available for free use given the user shows respect. They are common in remote and mountainous areas in the Scottish highlands and were originally intended for shepherds and travelers.

Our bothy had a somewhat sour odor but with great glee it was noted that the midges stopped at door. We don't think they liked the odor either.

We trekked up the hills to view the 'Old Man', a stunning stack on the southern coast. It was magical to watch as the mist danced around him.

Above is the Cra'as museum, a simple croft home built sometime in the 1700's. Inside it is set up as an old croft home would have been. There are photos of the Thompson family, who lived and farmed the land here.

A midge in the whisky! It must be picked out so the whisky can be had! Get your own, you silly midge!

Actually applying sunscreen, one fine day! This was, by far, the best weather we've seen since leaving Montana. The first time sun screen was applied, and the first time that we ever commented about how warm it was while we were pedaling. Truly a treat!

Featured above is the Dwarfie Stane, which has a small room within its interior. A huge block of sandstone, out of which a Neolithic burial chamber was cut.

We had to trial the acoustics! Amazing! (but a wee small)

A view of Hoy countryside from within the Dwarfie Stane.

Above you can see an old pump house at the Scapa Flow museum in Lyness, on Hoy. This area housed thousands of naval officers during the WWI and WWII. We also visited the naval museum nearby and were awed by the sacrifice of so many brave people.

After our tour of Hoy, we took the Lyness-Houton ferry back to mainland and biked north through small farming communities to Rendall.

A glorious sunset from the Rendall Community Center.

The next morning we awoke to a colossal amount of rain and fog. In fact, it didn't stop for a good 48 hours.  Above is The Broch of Gurness, the remains of an iron age settlement, in the rain.

A picnic in the rain on beachside Birsay. Yes, visibility was that bad.

We took refuge in St Magnus chuch in Birsay for several hours to avoid hypothermia, while waiting for low tide so that we could cross to the Brough of Birsay.

Looking out at the Brough of Birsay- a small island that is only accessible in low tide. It has
both Pictish and Norse remains. The cliffs in this area are home to many a seabird.

Upon leaving Birsay, we stopped at the Barony Mills, and were treated to a personal tour by the knowledgeable guide Sam. The mill, dating from 1873, is the only working water mill  on Orkney today. It is known for grinding Bere, the ancient form of barley that is being grown in increasing quantities and gaining popularity. We were fortunate enough that Sam, after our tour, kindly offered us dry accommodations for the night. We'll get to that in a minute.

A moment of rest for a weary cyclist, in the rain.

The Doehouse Haven!

Sam and her husband Lee, who not only let us use their cottage for the night but also served a very tasty hot dinner. Very kind folks, and we owe a debt of kindness to the universe in exchange for their hospitality.

The cozy cottage, on our arrival.

The cozy cottage after the cyclist opens a bag of wet gear ... and it explodes.

We were lucky enough to be invited to an evening of storytelling. Our generous friend Mike, the talented and self-taught fiddler, was accompanying the event on his fiddle, and saved us two seats. His music added a great deal to the atmosphere, and it was a very entertaining (not to mention cozy and warm!!) evening of traditional Orkney tales and tunes.

The expressive story teller, Lynn, near the peat fire.

Lest  ye think that all we do is ride from distillery-to-distillery, that's completely not true. We also look for breweries!

This is the Orkney Brewery, in the fog, and home of  some of our new favorite brews. They are a microbrewery, but are distributed around the world and in the States. Look for beers such as Dark Island, Skullsplitter, Corncrake Ale, and Northern Lights.

Here's our sampler of Dark Island. Very tasty!

We finished the day by riding back to Stromness to look for accommodation at a hostel. We were fortunate to find one with space available. Even better, we were housed in a separate two-room building and had the place to ourselves.

And, even better, about fifteen minutes after we rode into Stromness, all the fog and rain moved out and we were treated to a glorious evening and view of the harbor from our humble abode. We splashed out and spent two nights here to dry and de-funk our gear, catch up on sleep and blogs, and refresh our morale. A nice break from the rain and wind on the road.

Stromness follows one long winding flagstone road that is simply known as "the street", which is shared by pedestrian and motorist alike. Numerous alleyways and closes branch off of this main street. We are told at hat there are even secret passageways underneath the street that were historically used by smugglers. It is quite charming and full of history. Definitely has a labrynthine quality with its narrow paths/alleyways.

Here's a wee video to make you dizzy:

We spent an evening listening to selkie stories at the Stromness hotel and the next day,  an afternoon at the Stromness museum reading the phenomenal stories of Stromness- including, Dr John Rae, the Arctic explorer, John Renton, who lived with a cannibal tribe in the Solomon islands, Eliza Frazer, who was shipwrecked in Australia, and George Mackay Brown, the bard of Orkney.


And now we head to mainland Scotland, hitching a ride on [another] ferry in about two hours.
We land at Thurso, and then begin our trek westward along the north cost of the Highlands. WiFi may be sparse, but we'll take pics as we go and let you all know how we're doing.

Cheers!

Summary of the last several days on Orkney...

August 16, Kirkwall- Maes Howe - Stromness with Ferry to Hoy - Rackwick, 22 miles

August 17, Rackwick - Dwarfie Stane - Lyness with Ferry to Houton - Finstown - Rendall, 10 miles

August 18, Rendall - Broch of Gurness - Birsay - Sandwick, 18 miles

August 19, Sandwick - Stones of Stenness - Skara Brae - Orkney Brewery- Stromness, 26-ish miles

August 20, In Stromness, a lazy day of 0 miles!
August 21, leave Stromness for Thurso, 1/4 mile to ferry terminal.

13 to 15 August - The Orkney Adventure: Stronsay

We arrived Kirkwall quite late, and set up camp in the dark in a grass strip along the waterfront. 

Here's a photo of Kirkwall at night. St. Magnus Cathedral may be visible in the center of the picture. 

The next day we had perfect weather. We spent some time at the library, and had lunch in the sun. Actual sun shine! 

This was the best weather we've had since leaving Montana! Late in the day we headed to the harbor for the ferry to Stronsay. Let's check out another island! One of the seamen on the ferry, Mike Joyce, noticed our instruments and asked if we would "Fancy a tune at the pub later".....

 Of course we thought that sounded like fun!  

 

He telephoned some friends on Stronsay, and they came down to the Stronsay Hotel for a session.

Mike had a brilliant little Jig Doll that he pulled out of his fiddle case. What fun! 

Also met a very sweet German translator and travel writer, Marion, on a extended holiday living out of her car.  She happened to have her guitar with her, which she brought out to play along. We stayed out until about 1:00 am, then had to make our way to our beach camp in the dark, about 1-1/2 miles in the dark and wind. What an adventure! 

On our first full day on Stronsay we headed to the south end of the island, to Lamb's Head, since we'd heard of a nice walk around the shoreline to see some natural and archaeological sights. While Shetland is mostly a fishing community, Orkney is largely agriculture, cattle, and sheep. We've seen many different types of sheep on our way, and some of them catch our eye.... 

Here's a pair of neat looking sheep on Stronsay (along with an average white one). These unique sheep had a white stripe on their faces, and white socks on their feet.  

Along the shoreline we saw a cove with about 20 seals - they're very curious, and watched us for a long time while we stood and watched them. And when we continued our walk a few of them followed us along for a while. 

The entire Lamb's Head walk covered about four or five miles, and boB had a brilliant idea that we might be able to ride the bikes through part of it to save time. Well... that didn't work out so well for us! We ended up pushing the bikes for miles - up brae and down, through sopping-wet ankle-high grass - through rain and wind. It was a LONG day. And the historical sights prominently advertised on the tourist maps? Sadly, we never found them! 

That's not to say it was all for naught, because the scenery was certainly amazing as we hiked along the tops of cliffs that were hundreds of feet high, with sea birds curiously swirling about us. The fulmars are the most curious, and they sweep in quite close.

Here's a baby, nesting comfortably in the cliffside.

Drizzly rain, gusty winds, wet grass, slippery stones, hundred-foot-high cliffs ... what's not to love?

It was along the top of an outcropping like this one that we think we found one of the archaeological sites. We might have found stacked stones forming the foundation of a hermitage, but it's hard to tell because it was all very overgrown with grass. Even so, it would make an ideal place for a hermitage because of the remoteness and controlled access.

At the very end of the hike-a-bike adventure was The Vat of Kirbister. The Vat was once a sea cave that was eroded from inside out and then collapsed, forming what is called a "gloup." All that remains now is the arched entry way. Some day this will collapse, so we're glad we got a good look at it while we were in the area. ;-)

On the next day, we biked around the island (in the rain) and stopped at Rothiesholm beach (pronounced 'roths-hum'). The beaches collect a bewildering array of sea trash, most of it is fishing gear. We've taken it on ourselves to pick up trash whenever we wild-camp, as a way of giving back to the community that hosts us. We filled this bag full, and feel good about making a difference, however small it may be. 

The Rothiesholm walk heads off toward a different beach, but we abandoned this trail because the weeds got a bit, um, deep. 

We tend to eat a lot, and we like to try the local fare when we can. Here's A full-on Orkney snack break: Beremeal biscuits, and Orkney smoked cheddar. Bere is an ancient grain that's once again being grown on Orkney, and is used to make beer and baked goods. (Bere is pronounced the same as beer, which means you can order a bere beer at a bar and they don't look at you like you're already drunk.)

A mural on the side of the Stronsay school, mentioning the Silver Darlings, and a hint of a song. We're working on this tune ourselves, but with only 2 D, a C, and E quarter notes...it leaves room for interpretation.

Not sure if you can see it on the sign, but there is mentioned the Silver Darlings (look in the musical staff). The Silver Darlings originally referred to the herring that Orkney fishermen caught, and then delivered to processing stations on the different Orkney islands. Stronsay was a bustling fishing port, with thousands of people delivering the fish, then gutting, salting, packing, and hauling them to markets as far south as mainland Europe. Here below is a picture of the pier in its heyday (taken from the original hanging at the hostel/fish market).

There is also a band on Stronsay called 'The Silver Darlings', and they happened to be recording a new CD while we were there. We played with a couple of the Stronsay band members at the session on our first night on the island. It's a wonderful community, with about 280 people on the island at present, and they are all very kind and generous. By the time we left the island, quite a few had heard about the two crazy Americans cycling around in the rain and camping on the beach at St. Catherine's Bay.

We ate lunch a couple times in the Fish Mart Cafe in Whitehall village, which was the thriving market where the silver darlings were bought and sold.

The picture above shows what the market once looked like. 

Now it's a  fabulous cafe and hostel. Jennifer, the current manager (and angel) pictured above, allowed us to use the laundry and shower facilities, which was sorely needed! 

Here we are, chilling at the Stronsay Hostel and Fish Mart, sporting our cozy Shetland wool caps while we waited for the ferry back to Kirkwall.

By the way, in case you've wondered how they dock the car-ferries for loading and unloading, check out this: 

We'll tell you about our adventures on mainland Orkney as soon as we get a chance.

And just remember, when all else fails .... 

13 August, Around Kirkwall with a Ferry to Stronsay, approximately 10 miles

14 August, Around Stronsay- approximately 25 miles (some of which were in PUSH mode)

15 August, Around Stronsay, a lazy day of approximately15 miles