Thursday 22 July 2010
We had booked a day-trip to Rousay and found our way to yet another ferry terminal early in the morning. To our suprise, all the cars already there were backed into the car lanes. Sure enough, Bill had to reverse onto the ferry. This was the smallest of the ferries we had taken so far and we didn't bother to get out of the car for the short trip. It was another nice day and we were very excited about all the various sites packed on the small island.
Our first stop was the Knowe of Yarso – a chambered cairn more than 4500 years old. It was up a hill overlooking the Eynhallow Sound and the Mainland. The location was stunning and the cairn itself had a special atmosphere.
Next we went to Blackhammer Cairn next – another chambered tomb of about the same age. It had a retractable roof over the top and it was quite humid and mossy inside. The views back towards the Mainland were stunning and we were enjoying our lesuirely exploration with hardly another soul in sight.
Our next stop was a walk down to the beach to see the Midhowe Tomb (housed inside a barn) and the Mid Howe Broch. We visited the cairn first – it was stunning despite its slightly surreal setting. It is the longest and largest cairn in the Orkneys and dates back to 3500 BC. Because it wasn't grassed over like the others, we could see the designs of the stones that made up the outer walls. The roof was missing and there were walkways above it so we could look down into the cairn (access into the cairn itself wasn't allowed). The walled “boxes” along the side were similar to what we had seen at the two other cairns – just a lot more of them.
Very close by, overlooking the beach, was the ruins of the Mid Howe Broch – an iron age building for people to live in. I was particularly impressed by this – there were hearths still on the floor, cupboards built into the walls and you could really imagine families living there.
On the other side of the cairn were a set of ruins from the times of the clearances. All of the village was just a set of ruined buildings stretched out next to the beach. With the sun shinning it was becoming one of our nicest days of our holiday.
We continued our drive around the island, passing many more deserted houses from the clearances. We stopped at Saviskaill Beach to see if we could see and seals and to our delight, soon spotted a group of the spotted Common Seals on the rocks with their pups. We stayed to watch for a bit and walked along the beach but decided to keep going before having lunch.
We had lunch on the side of the road with a stunning view out to sea. There was a large marble block sculpture in the field, but it was way too windy there for us to have our picnic outside.
Afterwards we drove to the Faraclett Peninsula to do the walk around the head of it. We were particularly looking for the standing stone called Yetnasteen which apparently goes walking for a drink every New Year. We were wondering if had gone walking and not come back as we couldn't see it anywhere and we'd virtually completed the walk before we spotted it in the local farmer's field. The walk itself was great with skuas dive bombing us repeatedly as we walked around the cliffs. The walk was longer and a bit more strenuous than what we'd anticipated, so when we got back to the car we simply chilled in the sun until it was time to back the car onto the ferry for the return trip.
We finsihed our day by having a rather mediocre curry in Kirkwall and then checking out the Ring of Brodgar again around sunset.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Orkney Islands: Rousay
Thursday 22 July 2010
We had booked a day-trip to Rousay and found our way to yet another ferry terminal early in the morning. To our suprise, all the cars already there were backed into the car lanes. Sure enough, Bill had to reverse onto the ferry. This was the smallest of the ferries we had taken so far and we didn't bother to get out of the car for the short trip. It was another nice day and we were very excited about all the various sites packed on the small island.
Our first stop was the Knowe of Yarso – a chambered cairn more than 4500 years old. It was up a hill overlooking the Eynhallow Sound and the Mainland. The location was stunning and the cairn itself had a special atmosphere.
Next we went to Blackhammer Cairn next – another chambered tomb of about the same age. It had a retractable roof over the top and it was quite humid and mossy inside. The views back towards the Mainland were stunning and we were enjoying our lesuirely exploration with hardly another soul in sight.
Our next stop was a walk down to the beach to see the Midhowe Tomb (housed inside a barn) and the Mid Howe Broch. We visited the cairn first – it was stunning despite its slightly surreal setting. It is the longest and largest cairn in the Orkneys and dates back to 3500 BC. Because it wasn't grassed over like the others, we could see the designs of the stones that made up the outer walls. The roof was missing and there were walkways above it so we could look down into the cairn (access into the cairn itself wasn't allowed). The walled “boxes” along the side were similar to what we had seen at the two other cairns – just a lot more of them.
Very close by, overlooking the beach, was the ruins of the Mid Howe Broch – an iron age building for people to live in. I was particularly impressed by this – there were hearths still on the floor, cupboards built into the walls and you could really imagine families living there.
On the other side of the cairn were a set of ruins from the times of the clearances. All of the village was just a set of ruined buildings stretched out next to the beach. With the sun shinning it was becoming one of our nicest days of our holiday.
We continued our drive around the island, passing many more deserted houses from the clearances. We stopped at Saviskaill Beach to see if we could see and seals and to our delight, soon spotted a group of the spotted Common Seals on the rocks with their pups. We stayed to watch for a bit and walked along the beach but decided to keep going before having lunch.
We had lunch on the side of the road with a stunning view out to sea. There was a large marble block sculpture in the field, but it was way too windy there for us to have our picnic outside.
Afterwards we drove to the Faraclett Peninsula to do the walk around the head of it. We were particularly looking for the standing stone called Yetnasteen which apparently goes walking for a drink every New Year. We were wondering if had gone walking and not come back as we couldn't see it anywhere and we'd virtually completed the walk before we spotted it in the local farmer's field. The walk itself was great with skuas dive bombing us repeatedly as we walked around the cliffs. The walk was longer and a bit more strenuous than what we'd anticipated, so when we got back to the car we simply chilled in the sun until it was time to back the car onto the ferry for the return trip.
We finsihed our day by having a rather mediocre curry in Kirkwall and then checking out the Ring of Brodgar again around sunset.
We had booked a day-trip to Rousay and found our way to yet another ferry terminal early in the morning. To our suprise, all the cars already there were backed into the car lanes. Sure enough, Bill had to reverse onto the ferry. This was the smallest of the ferries we had taken so far and we didn't bother to get out of the car for the short trip. It was another nice day and we were very excited about all the various sites packed on the small island.
Our first stop was the Knowe of Yarso – a chambered cairn more than 4500 years old. It was up a hill overlooking the Eynhallow Sound and the Mainland. The location was stunning and the cairn itself had a special atmosphere.
Next we went to Blackhammer Cairn next – another chambered tomb of about the same age. It had a retractable roof over the top and it was quite humid and mossy inside. The views back towards the Mainland were stunning and we were enjoying our lesuirely exploration with hardly another soul in sight.
Our next stop was a walk down to the beach to see the Midhowe Tomb (housed inside a barn) and the Mid Howe Broch. We visited the cairn first – it was stunning despite its slightly surreal setting. It is the longest and largest cairn in the Orkneys and dates back to 3500 BC. Because it wasn't grassed over like the others, we could see the designs of the stones that made up the outer walls. The roof was missing and there were walkways above it so we could look down into the cairn (access into the cairn itself wasn't allowed). The walled “boxes” along the side were similar to what we had seen at the two other cairns – just a lot more of them.
Very close by, overlooking the beach, was the ruins of the Mid Howe Broch – an iron age building for people to live in. I was particularly impressed by this – there were hearths still on the floor, cupboards built into the walls and you could really imagine families living there.
On the other side of the cairn were a set of ruins from the times of the clearances. All of the village was just a set of ruined buildings stretched out next to the beach. With the sun shinning it was becoming one of our nicest days of our holiday.
We continued our drive around the island, passing many more deserted houses from the clearances. We stopped at Saviskaill Beach to see if we could see and seals and to our delight, soon spotted a group of the spotted Common Seals on the rocks with their pups. We stayed to watch for a bit and walked along the beach but decided to keep going before having lunch.
We had lunch on the side of the road with a stunning view out to sea. There was a large marble block sculpture in the field, but it was way too windy there for us to have our picnic outside.
Afterwards we drove to the Faraclett Peninsula to do the walk around the head of it. We were particularly looking for the standing stone called Yetnasteen which apparently goes walking for a drink every New Year. We were wondering if had gone walking and not come back as we couldn't see it anywhere and we'd virtually completed the walk before we spotted it in the local farmer's field. The walk itself was great with skuas dive bombing us repeatedly as we walked around the cliffs. The walk was longer and a bit more strenuous than what we'd anticipated, so when we got back to the car we simply chilled in the sun until it was time to back the car onto the ferry for the return trip.
We finsihed our day by having a rather mediocre curry in Kirkwall and then checking out the Ring of Brodgar again around sunset.
Labels:
Orney Islands,
Rousay Island
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Orkney Islands: Hoy to West Mainland
Wednesday 21 July 2010
We had a great breakfast but the weather was much greyer than it had been yesterday. We had seen an iron age fort – the Broch of Braebister - on the map, so headed back to north Hoy to check it out. Although it was signposted, the end of the road was a farm and we had to walk through very wet grass in the rain to find the remains of the fort – not much more than a mound with stones obviously arranged by humans, mostly covered in grass. The fort is about 2000 years old and overlooked the sea with a stunning view.
We didn't stay long and spent the rest of the morning checking out some of the other roads we hadn't explored and keeping our eyes open for seals (unsuccessfully). We saw some attractive old buildings but the weather was just miserable. We ended up having tea in a little cafe to warm up and while away the time until we had to go catch the ferry.
With the weather so miserable, we didn't even bother getting out of the car for the trip. We'd booked the next two nights accommodation in a hotel close to the standing stones of Stenness and we headed there for lunch and to check into our room. The hotel had changed hands just 4 days earlier and you could see that there were a few teething problems. However, the people were super friendly and helpful and it was hard to blame them for the 1970's décor.
We drove into Stromness to check it out and despite our guide-book's lack of enthusiasm for it, we found it quite delightful – few cars through the main centre and the streets are still cobbled. There were lots of old interesting buildings as well and it had a stunning location right on the water. Our main goal was to find a warm hat for Bill (an indication of how bad the weather has been on our trip) and managed to find a great one in a scuba shop of all places. A quick perusal of the restaurants didn't inspire us, so we decided to eat back at the hotel when we got back.
We drove out to Marwick Head to see if we could find any puffins. Along the way we drove through the town of Twatt to see if we could spot a signpost. Bill was keen to get a photo for his facebook profile. Despite driving through it twice, we only saw one sin with lots of other towns on it as well, and no Twatt Post Office or Twatt Town Hall – we decided they were extraordinarily shy about their town's name. Marwick Head is a RSPB site and because of the weather and the fact that it was late afternoon meant that we were the only ones there. I really wanted to see some puffins and the information signs told us to look lower down on the cliffs. The walk was quite windy and Bill was very happy to have his new hat, but as soon as we arrived at the cliffs, we saw some puffins. They were a long way away (not good for photography), but once we knew they were there we saw them fly in and out, low down close to the sea. There were also gannets and lots of skuas. We could also see Hoy from the cliffs (we think), and although the angle was strange, we are sure we finally saw the Old Man of Hoy. It was a great walk (and not very long) and made for a nice end to the afternoon after such a wet morning.
After dinner we went to check out the standing stones of Stenness (just 5 minutes drive away) and the Ring of Brodgar in the late evening light and sunset. It was very atmospheric and there weren't many other people around to spoil the effect. We had a wonderful end to our day.
We had a great breakfast but the weather was much greyer than it had been yesterday. We had seen an iron age fort – the Broch of Braebister - on the map, so headed back to north Hoy to check it out. Although it was signposted, the end of the road was a farm and we had to walk through very wet grass in the rain to find the remains of the fort – not much more than a mound with stones obviously arranged by humans, mostly covered in grass. The fort is about 2000 years old and overlooked the sea with a stunning view.
We didn't stay long and spent the rest of the morning checking out some of the other roads we hadn't explored and keeping our eyes open for seals (unsuccessfully). We saw some attractive old buildings but the weather was just miserable. We ended up having tea in a little cafe to warm up and while away the time until we had to go catch the ferry.
With the weather so miserable, we didn't even bother getting out of the car for the trip. We'd booked the next two nights accommodation in a hotel close to the standing stones of Stenness and we headed there for lunch and to check into our room. The hotel had changed hands just 4 days earlier and you could see that there were a few teething problems. However, the people were super friendly and helpful and it was hard to blame them for the 1970's décor.
We drove into Stromness to check it out and despite our guide-book's lack of enthusiasm for it, we found it quite delightful – few cars through the main centre and the streets are still cobbled. There were lots of old interesting buildings as well and it had a stunning location right on the water. Our main goal was to find a warm hat for Bill (an indication of how bad the weather has been on our trip) and managed to find a great one in a scuba shop of all places. A quick perusal of the restaurants didn't inspire us, so we decided to eat back at the hotel when we got back.
We drove out to Marwick Head to see if we could find any puffins. Along the way we drove through the town of Twatt to see if we could spot a signpost. Bill was keen to get a photo for his facebook profile. Despite driving through it twice, we only saw one sin with lots of other towns on it as well, and no Twatt Post Office or Twatt Town Hall – we decided they were extraordinarily shy about their town's name. Marwick Head is a RSPB site and because of the weather and the fact that it was late afternoon meant that we were the only ones there. I really wanted to see some puffins and the information signs told us to look lower down on the cliffs. The walk was quite windy and Bill was very happy to have his new hat, but as soon as we arrived at the cliffs, we saw some puffins. They were a long way away (not good for photography), but once we knew they were there we saw them fly in and out, low down close to the sea. There were also gannets and lots of skuas. We could also see Hoy from the cliffs (we think), and although the angle was strange, we are sure we finally saw the Old Man of Hoy. It was a great walk (and not very long) and made for a nice end to the afternoon after such a wet morning.
After dinner we went to check out the standing stones of Stenness (just 5 minutes drive away) and the Ring of Brodgar in the late evening light and sunset. It was very atmospheric and there weren't many other people around to spoil the effect. We had a wonderful end to our day.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Orkney Islands: Hoy
Tuesday 20 July 2010
We had to have an early start as we wanted to go into Kirkwall which is the capital of the Orkneys before catching our ferry to Hoy. It looked like another nice day & we found our way to Kirkwall with few problems – driving over lots of causeways and passing many WWII wrecks close by. We stocked up on picnic food for our lunch and we both spent money in the excellent bookstore. We were running a bit tight on time to get to the ferry on time (driving on single track roads is much slower than you think) & nearly got badly lost leaving town. Fortunately I was able to get very good directions to the ferry terminal & we made it there with time to spare. The ferry crossing was quite fast & after freezing on the deck & deciding that the window-less inside seating space was a recipe for seasickness (I called it a “barf bucket”) we retreated to the car and watched the view from there.
We had booked into a b&b for the night so we checked in there first (another really nice place) and after a compulsory cup of tea, headed out to the end of the island to walk to the headland to see the “Old Man of Hoy” - an impressive sea stack. As we drove out (on the single track road) we had great views of Mainland (the biggest of the Orkney islands) , but ominously, the cloud was very low over the mountains as we drove further north. We went past the track for the Dwarfie Stane but decided to visit it on the way back as we were worried about the 3 hour walk and the closing-in weather.
We got to the end of the road at Rackwick and we decided to have our lunch first before going on the long hike. There were terns nesting close to the car park & they dive-bombed anyone who got out of the cars. There were also lots of Great Skuas around although they weren't perturbed by the humans. Just as we were getting ready to start the walk, a man returned and he told us that the low cloud obscured any views of the “Old Man”, but ever optimists we decided that maybe the clouds would lift by the time we got there.
The walk was very pleasant at the start and we quickly found ourselves at the tops of the cliffs with many birds swooping along the cliff edges where we were walking. The cloud continued to lift and come down again and it wasn't too long before we were walking in quite thick low cloud. This lifted briefly when we went past an impressive waterfall but the cloud continued to close in as we left the cliff edge and walked across the moorland. We saw a Great Skua sitting close to the path – not particularly concerned by our presence. We eventually got to the viewpoint for the Old Man of Hoy but by this time visibility had dropped to about 3 metres at the most. It actually was slightly scary knowing we were at a cliff edge but we couldn't see over the side. The Old Man of Hoy was probably right in front of our noses, but we didn't see even a glimpse of it. We didn't delay long and started back through even thicker cloud than before. We surprised a hare (artic hares are in this area) but with visibility not improving until we'd almost got back to the car, our cameras stayed in our bags.
Once we were back to the car, quite invigorated by our walk despite not seeing anything at the end. The clouds around Rackwick lifted so the cliffs were visible, but we headed back to see the Dwarfie Stane while we had light. This is a 5000 year old chambered tomb carved out of a solid block of sandstone. The light was fantastic and the setting in a long glacial carved valley also very stunning, but the clouds were closing in fast – we'd arrived at the perfect time.
As we drove back along the island we left the clouds behind us, and discovered that the southern end of the island was still bathed in sunlight. We drove to Cantick Head to see the lighthouse and then went to the Stromabank Hotel for an excellent meal. We were totally exhausted by the time we got back to our b&b.
We had to have an early start as we wanted to go into Kirkwall which is the capital of the Orkneys before catching our ferry to Hoy. It looked like another nice day & we found our way to Kirkwall with few problems – driving over lots of causeways and passing many WWII wrecks close by. We stocked up on picnic food for our lunch and we both spent money in the excellent bookstore. We were running a bit tight on time to get to the ferry on time (driving on single track roads is much slower than you think) & nearly got badly lost leaving town. Fortunately I was able to get very good directions to the ferry terminal & we made it there with time to spare. The ferry crossing was quite fast & after freezing on the deck & deciding that the window-less inside seating space was a recipe for seasickness (I called it a “barf bucket”) we retreated to the car and watched the view from there.
We had booked into a b&b for the night so we checked in there first (another really nice place) and after a compulsory cup of tea, headed out to the end of the island to walk to the headland to see the “Old Man of Hoy” - an impressive sea stack. As we drove out (on the single track road) we had great views of Mainland (the biggest of the Orkney islands) , but ominously, the cloud was very low over the mountains as we drove further north. We went past the track for the Dwarfie Stane but decided to visit it on the way back as we were worried about the 3 hour walk and the closing-in weather.
We got to the end of the road at Rackwick and we decided to have our lunch first before going on the long hike. There were terns nesting close to the car park & they dive-bombed anyone who got out of the cars. There were also lots of Great Skuas around although they weren't perturbed by the humans. Just as we were getting ready to start the walk, a man returned and he told us that the low cloud obscured any views of the “Old Man”, but ever optimists we decided that maybe the clouds would lift by the time we got there.
The walk was very pleasant at the start and we quickly found ourselves at the tops of the cliffs with many birds swooping along the cliff edges where we were walking. The cloud continued to lift and come down again and it wasn't too long before we were walking in quite thick low cloud. This lifted briefly when we went past an impressive waterfall but the cloud continued to close in as we left the cliff edge and walked across the moorland. We saw a Great Skua sitting close to the path – not particularly concerned by our presence. We eventually got to the viewpoint for the Old Man of Hoy but by this time visibility had dropped to about 3 metres at the most. It actually was slightly scary knowing we were at a cliff edge but we couldn't see over the side. The Old Man of Hoy was probably right in front of our noses, but we didn't see even a glimpse of it. We didn't delay long and started back through even thicker cloud than before. We surprised a hare (artic hares are in this area) but with visibility not improving until we'd almost got back to the car, our cameras stayed in our bags.
Once we were back to the car, quite invigorated by our walk despite not seeing anything at the end. The clouds around Rackwick lifted so the cliffs were visible, but we headed back to see the Dwarfie Stane while we had light. This is a 5000 year old chambered tomb carved out of a solid block of sandstone. The light was fantastic and the setting in a long glacial carved valley also very stunning, but the clouds were closing in fast – we'd arrived at the perfect time.
As we drove back along the island we left the clouds behind us, and discovered that the southern end of the island was still bathed in sunlight. We drove to Cantick Head to see the lighthouse and then went to the Stromabank Hotel for an excellent meal. We were totally exhausted by the time we got back to our b&b.
Labels:
Dwarfie Stane,
Hoy,
Orkney islands
Monday, July 19, 2010
Thurso to the Orkney Islands
Monday 19 July 2010
We got up early so we could put our washing in the laundrette as soon as it opened and then drove a few miles back the way we'd come the night before to take some photos we'd missed the previous day. We'd gone past some old abandoned buildings, flagstone fences (very different from the usual drystone fences everywhere else) and a wind farm that looked interesting.
The wind farm was really interesting – massive big wind turbines that looked fabupous against the blue skies – we spent ages there. The sunshine was a welcome change & it was just the perfect way to spend the morning before returning to Thurso to pick up our laundry and then driving on to St Mary's Bay to catch the ferry to St Margaret's Hope in South Ronaldsay. We were early and just second in the queue of cars, but it didn't take long for much more traffic to arrive – including 14 motorcycles. The ferry arrived & the cars on-board were offloaded remarkably quickly. The motorcycles were put on first & then we were on ourselves – the fist of many car ferry rides we'd be taking. The ferry was a catamaran with the car deck open to the skies. There were two inside areas for passengers & small open decks as well. We started out on deck, and to our suprise as soon as the ferry moved a whole heap of car alarms went off. Also one car started to move – causing rather frantic requests from the captain on the load speaker for the driver to return to his car & put the hand-brake on. By the time the man realised he was the guilty party, virtually everyone on the boat was watching him return to his car to put the brake on. We retreated indoors quite quickly as the wind was very bitter. The trip went really quickly and we had arrived at St Margaret's Hope before we'd had time to get bored. We were off quickly also and decided to check in to our hotel first and then decide what we wanted to do with the rest of the afternoon.
We were booked into Sands Hotel on the island of Burray which is connected to South Ronaldsay by causeways you can drive over. The hotel had a fantastic location and our room was by far the nicest we had stayed in so far. After a quick cup of tea, we headed out to see the Tomb of the Eagles which is at the southern end of South Ronaldsay. We got there quite late, but we were still able to catch the explanation of the discovery of the tomb and what had been found inside. Unlike most “museums”, here they let you touch and handle many of the artifacts which made it much more engaging than it might have been. After we'd listened to the entire spiel (we'd walked in somewhere in the middle & simply left when she got back to same point again) we set out to walk to the tomb. First we checked out a Bronze-age site along the way and then we walked out to the cliffs to see the 5000 year old tomb. The location was absolutely stunning & the tomb itself didn't disappoint either. To get into the tomb though the small opening, we had to drag ourselves along on a wide “skateboard”. It was a chambered tomb, so the inside had little “rooms” off the main part. There was a torch you could use & of course our digital cameras could take flash photos in the dark spaces to show us what they looked like also.
We walked back along the cliffs and enjoyed the wild-flowers and the blue butterflies that were seemingly everywhere. As we got towards the end of the cliff walk, we saw nesting sea birds & the antics of the adults flying in to deliver food to the chicks. It was a very magical afternoon. We made a few more stops on our way back to the hotel – the scenery was stunning and the light was really beautiful too.
After dinner we caught a rainbow over the bay the bay and then later, a stunning sunset. We couldn't have asked for a nicer start for our Orkney adventure.
We got up early so we could put our washing in the laundrette as soon as it opened and then drove a few miles back the way we'd come the night before to take some photos we'd missed the previous day. We'd gone past some old abandoned buildings, flagstone fences (very different from the usual drystone fences everywhere else) and a wind farm that looked interesting.
The wind farm was really interesting – massive big wind turbines that looked fabupous against the blue skies – we spent ages there. The sunshine was a welcome change & it was just the perfect way to spend the morning before returning to Thurso to pick up our laundry and then driving on to St Mary's Bay to catch the ferry to St Margaret's Hope in South Ronaldsay. We were early and just second in the queue of cars, but it didn't take long for much more traffic to arrive – including 14 motorcycles. The ferry arrived & the cars on-board were offloaded remarkably quickly. The motorcycles were put on first & then we were on ourselves – the fist of many car ferry rides we'd be taking. The ferry was a catamaran with the car deck open to the skies. There were two inside areas for passengers & small open decks as well. We started out on deck, and to our suprise as soon as the ferry moved a whole heap of car alarms went off. Also one car started to move – causing rather frantic requests from the captain on the load speaker for the driver to return to his car & put the hand-brake on. By the time the man realised he was the guilty party, virtually everyone on the boat was watching him return to his car to put the brake on. We retreated indoors quite quickly as the wind was very bitter. The trip went really quickly and we had arrived at St Margaret's Hope before we'd had time to get bored. We were off quickly also and decided to check in to our hotel first and then decide what we wanted to do with the rest of the afternoon.
We were booked into Sands Hotel on the island of Burray which is connected to South Ronaldsay by causeways you can drive over. The hotel had a fantastic location and our room was by far the nicest we had stayed in so far. After a quick cup of tea, we headed out to see the Tomb of the Eagles which is at the southern end of South Ronaldsay. We got there quite late, but we were still able to catch the explanation of the discovery of the tomb and what had been found inside. Unlike most “museums”, here they let you touch and handle many of the artifacts which made it much more engaging than it might have been. After we'd listened to the entire spiel (we'd walked in somewhere in the middle & simply left when she got back to same point again) we set out to walk to the tomb. First we checked out a Bronze-age site along the way and then we walked out to the cliffs to see the 5000 year old tomb. The location was absolutely stunning & the tomb itself didn't disappoint either. To get into the tomb though the small opening, we had to drag ourselves along on a wide “skateboard”. It was a chambered tomb, so the inside had little “rooms” off the main part. There was a torch you could use & of course our digital cameras could take flash photos in the dark spaces to show us what they looked like also.
We walked back along the cliffs and enjoyed the wild-flowers and the blue butterflies that were seemingly everywhere. As we got towards the end of the cliff walk, we saw nesting sea birds & the antics of the adults flying in to deliver food to the chicks. It was a very magical afternoon. We made a few more stops on our way back to the hotel – the scenery was stunning and the light was really beautiful too.
After dinner we caught a rainbow over the bay the bay and then later, a stunning sunset. We couldn't have asked for a nicer start for our Orkney adventure.
Labels:
Orney Islands,
Sands Hotel,
Tomb of the Eagles
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Ullapool to Thurso
Sunday 18 July
Another grey start to the day but at least it wasn't raining! We drove out of Ullapool and once again kept to the coastal road as much as possible. The roads were almost deserted of traffic & the scenery was stunning. We stopped at a few of the geological stops of Knockan Crag “rock route” as most of them had stunning views. But because we were going so far, we didn't do any of the short walks.
We had lunch at Smoo Cave on the north coast. By the time we'd eaten the weather was really starting to clear up so we walked down to see the cave. Neither of us are big fans of caves & this one wasn't particularly startling although it did have a big waterfall falling into it. The banks next to the path had “graffiti” on them written in white stones laid out on the grass. I've never seen anything like it! We walked out to the coast next to the loch and the sun came out behind us so that we got rainbows in the loch! Very pretty. The views from the coast were stunning and a bit of a surprise as we weren't expecting it. The wind was really strong – it felt a bit as though it could pick you up & let you fly!
From Smoo we had a pleasant drive in much nicer weather to Thurso. Along the way we finally found the perfect phone box & letter box in the middle of nowhere that we'd been looking to photograph for days. It had been a very long day's driving by the time we got into Thurso and we walked around the town a bit to find a nice place to eat. We ended up having mexican in a nice pub and a reasonably early night's sleep.
Another grey start to the day but at least it wasn't raining! We drove out of Ullapool and once again kept to the coastal road as much as possible. The roads were almost deserted of traffic & the scenery was stunning. We stopped at a few of the geological stops of Knockan Crag “rock route” as most of them had stunning views. But because we were going so far, we didn't do any of the short walks.
We had lunch at Smoo Cave on the north coast. By the time we'd eaten the weather was really starting to clear up so we walked down to see the cave. Neither of us are big fans of caves & this one wasn't particularly startling although it did have a big waterfall falling into it. The banks next to the path had “graffiti” on them written in white stones laid out on the grass. I've never seen anything like it! We walked out to the coast next to the loch and the sun came out behind us so that we got rainbows in the loch! Very pretty. The views from the coast were stunning and a bit of a surprise as we weren't expecting it. The wind was really strong – it felt a bit as though it could pick you up & let you fly!
From Smoo we had a pleasant drive in much nicer weather to Thurso. Along the way we finally found the perfect phone box & letter box in the middle of nowhere that we'd been looking to photograph for days. It had been a very long day's driving by the time we got into Thurso and we walked around the town a bit to find a nice place to eat. We ended up having mexican in a nice pub and a reasonably early night's sleep.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Skye to Ullapool via the west coast
Saturday 17 July 2010
We woke to another overcast day & were glad to get an early start on the road. Our plan for the day was to reach Ullapool by driving around the coastal road as much as possible. We stopped on the road to take photos of a waterfall and detoured a couple of miles back to the castle Eilean Donan to see it with the tide in. Then we drove to Stromeferry where we picked up the railway line for a few miles. The views from the road were stunning, but unfortunately, the weather was also getting worse. We went through Lochcarron but didn't take the turn-off to Applecross. It continued to rain off and on, but when we reached Loch Maree it cleared up enough that we were able to stop and have our picnic lunch in a bit of sunshine. This was a lovely picnic area with trees covered in moss and wildflowers growing in amongst the grass.
We got into Ullapool late afternoon & we booked into our accommodation – The Ferry Boat Inn which is right on the waterfront. The town is delightfull – very pretty harbour but also a sense of being a real working fishing village and also of course the place where the ferry goes to the Outer Hebrides. We found a great bookstore and a couple of likely places to eat, but ultimately the discovery of a hotel with a separate menu for vegetarians clinched the choice for us.
We woke to another overcast day & were glad to get an early start on the road. Our plan for the day was to reach Ullapool by driving around the coastal road as much as possible. We stopped on the road to take photos of a waterfall and detoured a couple of miles back to the castle Eilean Donan to see it with the tide in. Then we drove to Stromeferry where we picked up the railway line for a few miles. The views from the road were stunning, but unfortunately, the weather was also getting worse. We went through Lochcarron but didn't take the turn-off to Applecross. It continued to rain off and on, but when we reached Loch Maree it cleared up enough that we were able to stop and have our picnic lunch in a bit of sunshine. This was a lovely picnic area with trees covered in moss and wildflowers growing in amongst the grass.
We got into Ullapool late afternoon & we booked into our accommodation – The Ferry Boat Inn which is right on the waterfront. The town is delightfull – very pretty harbour but also a sense of being a real working fishing village and also of course the place where the ferry goes to the Outer Hebrides. We found a great bookstore and a couple of likely places to eat, but ultimately the discovery of a hotel with a separate menu for vegetarians clinched the choice for us.
Labels:
Ullapool
Friday, July 16, 2010
Skye – Sea Eagles & Duirinish Peninsula
Friday 16 July 2010
The weather was much improved so I rang to book us on a boat trip to see the white-tailed sea eagle. The trip left at 10am & it was sunny (although a bit cold) & all the places on the boat were full.
We left the harbour & travelled around the sound of Raasay without seeing much other than some shags. We arrived at the location of the eagle's nest & saw the female sitting on – if it hadn't been pointed out, you would never have seen it! The captain had a bucket of fish, which we injected (I presume with air so it would float) & then threw it out the back of the boat. It attracted lots of seagulls, but no eagle. The second fish looked as if it would go the same way, but suddenly there was movement from the heather & we saw an eagle fly very rapidly in, take the fish & fly back to land. It was all over in seconds. After a minute or so the eagle flew up to the nest.
We moved on after that (we were somewhat disappointed to see just one eagle until we realised later how rare they are here), and made a big loop back to Portree. We saw a porpoise & some diving gannets & a few other sea birds. We also saw a seal swimming in the water quite close to the boat. Not really a lot else, and we were back easily within the hour and a half time limit. Unfortunately, within that time, the weather had started to deteriorate – not rainy, but much greyer & looking ominous.
We bought some food for a picnic lunch & set out for the Duirinish Penisula and the Neist Point lighthouse. About half way along it started to rain again, but we figured we'd try to wait it out again at the lighthouse. When we arrived, it was wet & breezy, so we had our lunch in the car hoping it would get better – instead it got worse. We got out at one point but the wind plus the rain was such a vicious combination that we had to retreat back to the car in minutes. We decided we'd wait another 30 minutes & once again our patience was rewarded by a partial let up of the rain that made it seem feasible to go out to the lighthouse. The walk was down a series of steps (lots of them) and then gently along the tip of the peninsula & up to the lighthouse.
However, once we left the shelter of the cliffs, the wind drove the rain into our faces again (not nice & impossible to take photos despite trying to use an umbrella to protect the cameras). It was just too cold – we gave up just before reaching the lighthouse & retraced our steps back to the car.
On our way home we drove out past Dunvegan castle but decided we didn't want to walk to the coral sand beach even though the weather was a little improved. We felt we'd been beaten by the weather & decided to leave Skye & head for the Orkney Islands instead.
The weather was much improved so I rang to book us on a boat trip to see the white-tailed sea eagle. The trip left at 10am & it was sunny (although a bit cold) & all the places on the boat were full.
We left the harbour & travelled around the sound of Raasay without seeing much other than some shags. We arrived at the location of the eagle's nest & saw the female sitting on – if it hadn't been pointed out, you would never have seen it! The captain had a bucket of fish, which we injected (I presume with air so it would float) & then threw it out the back of the boat. It attracted lots of seagulls, but no eagle. The second fish looked as if it would go the same way, but suddenly there was movement from the heather & we saw an eagle fly very rapidly in, take the fish & fly back to land. It was all over in seconds. After a minute or so the eagle flew up to the nest.
We moved on after that (we were somewhat disappointed to see just one eagle until we realised later how rare they are here), and made a big loop back to Portree. We saw a porpoise & some diving gannets & a few other sea birds. We also saw a seal swimming in the water quite close to the boat. Not really a lot else, and we were back easily within the hour and a half time limit. Unfortunately, within that time, the weather had started to deteriorate – not rainy, but much greyer & looking ominous.
We bought some food for a picnic lunch & set out for the Duirinish Penisula and the Neist Point lighthouse. About half way along it started to rain again, but we figured we'd try to wait it out again at the lighthouse. When we arrived, it was wet & breezy, so we had our lunch in the car hoping it would get better – instead it got worse. We got out at one point but the wind plus the rain was such a vicious combination that we had to retreat back to the car in minutes. We decided we'd wait another 30 minutes & once again our patience was rewarded by a partial let up of the rain that made it seem feasible to go out to the lighthouse. The walk was down a series of steps (lots of them) and then gently along the tip of the peninsula & up to the lighthouse.
However, once we left the shelter of the cliffs, the wind drove the rain into our faces again (not nice & impossible to take photos despite trying to use an umbrella to protect the cameras). It was just too cold – we gave up just before reaching the lighthouse & retraced our steps back to the car.
On our way home we drove out past Dunvegan castle but decided we didn't want to walk to the coral sand beach even though the weather was a little improved. We felt we'd been beaten by the weather & decided to leave Skye & head for the Orkney Islands instead.
Labels:
Scotland,
Skye,
white-tailed eagle
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Skye – Trotternish penisula
Thursday 15 July 2010
We woke to pouring rain & the bad news that we couldn't stay another night at the same b&b. However, the manager gave us a couple of places to try & we were able to get a room in Bernisdale, not very far from Portree. The weather hadn't improved by mid morning so we decided to drive slowly around the Trotternish penisula as that seemed to be the most scenic. The first main sight is the “Old man of Storr” - a large stone stack on top of a cliff visible from Portree in good conditions. Well, we didn't have a chance of seeing it as the cloud was down very low – we couldn't see the tops of hills yet alone taller mountains.
We stopped at a scenic look-out that looked over an old rock processing plant – very dramatic cliffs & great views out to sea, but the rain just got heavier & heaver. We stopped again at Kilt Falls – but the rain was so hard by this point that Bill didn't even take his camera out of the car & all the shots I took were ruined by big rain drops on my lens. We were wet & cold & demoralised. We drove to a hotel & ordered tea & coffee and then lunch as we read the newspaper and waited for the rain to ease up. We were there several hours, but our patience was rewarded & when we left the rain had virtually stopped, although it was still very grey.
We stopped at a few other places around the top & then at Uig to inquire about ferries to the Outer Hebrides. We found that all the ferries were booked for days as there was a big music festival going on! We decided that it wouldn't be a good time to visit anyway as accommodation would be tight as well. So we left the ferry office realising we had to change the plans we'd been making.
Our b&b was great & we decided to stay on an extra night & try to book a boat trip in the morning to see a white-tailed sea eagle. Then we'd decide about what we would do next.
We woke to pouring rain & the bad news that we couldn't stay another night at the same b&b. However, the manager gave us a couple of places to try & we were able to get a room in Bernisdale, not very far from Portree. The weather hadn't improved by mid morning so we decided to drive slowly around the Trotternish penisula as that seemed to be the most scenic. The first main sight is the “Old man of Storr” - a large stone stack on top of a cliff visible from Portree in good conditions. Well, we didn't have a chance of seeing it as the cloud was down very low – we couldn't see the tops of hills yet alone taller mountains.
We stopped at a scenic look-out that looked over an old rock processing plant – very dramatic cliffs & great views out to sea, but the rain just got heavier & heaver. We stopped again at Kilt Falls – but the rain was so hard by this point that Bill didn't even take his camera out of the car & all the shots I took were ruined by big rain drops on my lens. We were wet & cold & demoralised. We drove to a hotel & ordered tea & coffee and then lunch as we read the newspaper and waited for the rain to ease up. We were there several hours, but our patience was rewarded & when we left the rain had virtually stopped, although it was still very grey.
We stopped at a few other places around the top & then at Uig to inquire about ferries to the Outer Hebrides. We found that all the ferries were booked for days as there was a big music festival going on! We decided that it wouldn't be a good time to visit anyway as accommodation would be tight as well. So we left the ferry office realising we had to change the plans we'd been making.
Our b&b was great & we decided to stay on an extra night & try to book a boat trip in the morning to see a white-tailed sea eagle. Then we'd decide about what we would do next.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Glencoe to Skye
Wednesday 14 July 2010
We got a much earlier start to our travels the next morning & fortunately with a decent breakfast. Our plan was to drive up the “Great Glen”, check out Loch Ness & then see where we wanted to stay the night.
Our first stop was at Fort William where we did some picnic lunch shopping and where it started to pour with rain. We went to “Neptune's Stairway” - a series of seven locks in a canal linking all the lochs in the Great Glen to the sea. Despite the rain, we caught a group of six boats making their way through the locks. We watched them go through about four locks – each lock had barely enough room for the six to fit & the water level rose surprisingly fast.
We didn't make many other stops as the weather really was miserable – and we arrived at Loch Ness in time for our lunch break. We called into the carpark for the Castle Urquhart, but decided to have our picnic first to see if it would stop raining. No such luck! The continued downpour on top of a very expensive admission charge was enough to discourage us from going in. We decided that we would continue to Skye for the night & were able to book ourselves into a bed & breakfast relatively easily. We did however go into Drumnadrochit to check out any Nessie signs. (This is a long story – Bill used to play in a band & his nickname was Monster, so we wanted some corny monster photos). We found a couple which we braved in the rain & the laughing made the weather seem not so bad.
We back-tracked to Invermoriston where the rain let up so we were able to get out & take some photos of the lovely old stone bridge & river in the centre of town.
Although the sky remained grey, the rain mostly ceased for the rest of the trip. We stopped again at Eilean Donan – a very picturesque castle on a small peninsula in a loch. Unfortunately the tide was fully out, but it was still very photogenic. We went inside to have a quick look around and then back to the car for the last section of our drive across the bridge to Skye at Kyle of Lochash.
We had booked our accommodation at Portree, which was some distance from the bridge. So despite the lovely light and the stunning scenery, we drove straight to Portree.
We explored this tiny harbour town & found ourselves an Indian restaurant to eat. It had been a very long day and we'd covered a huge distance but we were very excited to be on Skye.
We got a much earlier start to our travels the next morning & fortunately with a decent breakfast. Our plan was to drive up the “Great Glen”, check out Loch Ness & then see where we wanted to stay the night.
Our first stop was at Fort William where we did some picnic lunch shopping and where it started to pour with rain. We went to “Neptune's Stairway” - a series of seven locks in a canal linking all the lochs in the Great Glen to the sea. Despite the rain, we caught a group of six boats making their way through the locks. We watched them go through about four locks – each lock had barely enough room for the six to fit & the water level rose surprisingly fast.
We didn't make many other stops as the weather really was miserable – and we arrived at Loch Ness in time for our lunch break. We called into the carpark for the Castle Urquhart, but decided to have our picnic first to see if it would stop raining. No such luck! The continued downpour on top of a very expensive admission charge was enough to discourage us from going in. We decided that we would continue to Skye for the night & were able to book ourselves into a bed & breakfast relatively easily. We did however go into Drumnadrochit to check out any Nessie signs. (This is a long story – Bill used to play in a band & his nickname was Monster, so we wanted some corny monster photos). We found a couple which we braved in the rain & the laughing made the weather seem not so bad.
We back-tracked to Invermoriston where the rain let up so we were able to get out & take some photos of the lovely old stone bridge & river in the centre of town.
Although the sky remained grey, the rain mostly ceased for the rest of the trip. We stopped again at Eilean Donan – a very picturesque castle on a small peninsula in a loch. Unfortunately the tide was fully out, but it was still very photogenic. We went inside to have a quick look around and then back to the car for the last section of our drive across the bridge to Skye at Kyle of Lochash.
We had booked our accommodation at Portree, which was some distance from the bridge. So despite the lovely light and the stunning scenery, we drove straight to Portree.
We explored this tiny harbour town & found ourselves an Indian restaurant to eat. It had been a very long day and we'd covered a huge distance but we were very excited to be on Skye.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Our Holiday Begins
Tuesday 13 July 2010
This year we found ourselves in the wonderful position of having an extra long summer break because we are changing schools. As always, the first 4 weeks or so are spent with Bill's boys in Manchester catching up with family. When they flew back to their mother, it left us with a full 5 weeks before we fly out to our new adventure in Dubai.
Knowing that we had so many options open to us only made it harder to make a decision. We flirted with going to India (getting visas seemed too hard & it's monsoon season as well), eastern Europe from Albania up to Croatia, Ireland and finally we thought about going to Scotland with the aim of visiting the highlands and islands. It was this that really got both of us excited – I wanted to see wildlife and Bill had always wanted to explore a part of Scotland he'd never been to before.
So, somewhat at the last minute, we hired a car for 2 weeks (the plan was to drop it in Glasgow & catch a train & ferry to Ireland for the rest of the holiday) and phoned Bill's relatives in East Kilbride to let them know we were coming for the night.
We started our adventure by picking up our hire car from Manchester airport on Monday and driving up to East Kilbride. Bill's aunt had not only found us a bed for the night, she had organised a party with lot's of Bill's relatives that he hadn't seen in years. It was a great night & we felt bad about leaving before lunch the next day but needed to get on the road.
Bill's uncle gave us directions to avoid Glasgow city itself & get onto the road to Loch Lomond – somewhat tricky as there was a “shoogle” to be negotiated along the way.
Our first stop was at Luss on the shores of Loch Lomond, & although quite pretty, felt very touristy with loads of day-trippers from Glasgow. We watched some pretty smart swans helping themselves to picnics while the picnic owners tried to both keep their distance & shoo them away. We didn't stay long & continued on our way, driving the length of the loch & up into the highlands. The scenery was stunning, although the weather started to close in. We saw lots of walkers as we went through the Glencoe gorge. We were looking out for accommodation, but we saw lots of “no vacancy” signs. We kept going through the most stunning of scenery & when we got into Glencoe village on the edge of Loch Leven, we found a place to stay at the Glencoe Hotel.
Our room had a view over the loch & as we'd been driving for hours, decided on a walk around the village to explore. We discovered there wasn't much choice for an evening meal, so later we tried our luck at the hotel. Not great – as we are both vegetarians, the varied seafood menu didn't do much for us & the only vegetarian main was macaroni cheese. That's what I ordered, Bill managed to get them to make a sandwich. His sandwich was stale but still better than the pathetic attempt at macaroni cheese I was served. The least said about it the better.
Despite the food, the weather continued to improve, & later that evening we saw the light on the loch & just had to go out again with our cameras. Although we didn't stay out late enough to catch the sunset (around 10pm) we did get some great evening shots of the boats on the water.
This year we found ourselves in the wonderful position of having an extra long summer break because we are changing schools. As always, the first 4 weeks or so are spent with Bill's boys in Manchester catching up with family. When they flew back to their mother, it left us with a full 5 weeks before we fly out to our new adventure in Dubai.
Knowing that we had so many options open to us only made it harder to make a decision. We flirted with going to India (getting visas seemed too hard & it's monsoon season as well), eastern Europe from Albania up to Croatia, Ireland and finally we thought about going to Scotland with the aim of visiting the highlands and islands. It was this that really got both of us excited – I wanted to see wildlife and Bill had always wanted to explore a part of Scotland he'd never been to before.
So, somewhat at the last minute, we hired a car for 2 weeks (the plan was to drop it in Glasgow & catch a train & ferry to Ireland for the rest of the holiday) and phoned Bill's relatives in East Kilbride to let them know we were coming for the night.
We started our adventure by picking up our hire car from Manchester airport on Monday and driving up to East Kilbride. Bill's aunt had not only found us a bed for the night, she had organised a party with lot's of Bill's relatives that he hadn't seen in years. It was a great night & we felt bad about leaving before lunch the next day but needed to get on the road.
Bill's uncle gave us directions to avoid Glasgow city itself & get onto the road to Loch Lomond – somewhat tricky as there was a “shoogle” to be negotiated along the way.
Our first stop was at Luss on the shores of Loch Lomond, & although quite pretty, felt very touristy with loads of day-trippers from Glasgow. We watched some pretty smart swans helping themselves to picnics while the picnic owners tried to both keep their distance & shoo them away. We didn't stay long & continued on our way, driving the length of the loch & up into the highlands. The scenery was stunning, although the weather started to close in. We saw lots of walkers as we went through the Glencoe gorge. We were looking out for accommodation, but we saw lots of “no vacancy” signs. We kept going through the most stunning of scenery & when we got into Glencoe village on the edge of Loch Leven, we found a place to stay at the Glencoe Hotel.
Our room had a view over the loch & as we'd been driving for hours, decided on a walk around the village to explore. We discovered there wasn't much choice for an evening meal, so later we tried our luck at the hotel. Not great – as we are both vegetarians, the varied seafood menu didn't do much for us & the only vegetarian main was macaroni cheese. That's what I ordered, Bill managed to get them to make a sandwich. His sandwich was stale but still better than the pathetic attempt at macaroni cheese I was served. The least said about it the better.
Despite the food, the weather continued to improve, & later that evening we saw the light on the loch & just had to go out again with our cameras. Although we didn't stay out late enough to catch the sunset (around 10pm) we did get some great evening shots of the boats on the water.
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