We had originally booked our visit to Skara Brae (yes, you really have to book as it’s so busy) for this date, but I received an email from Historic Environment Scotland saying that the visit was off; they had to close the site because of high winds. So we decided to reschedule, and re-booked Skara Brae for two days hence which is forecast to be less windy. Instead we went to start looking at the standing stones, visiting Orphir on the way.
After visiting this really interesting site (not mobbed by the masses!) we headed north towards the centre of Neolithic Orkney on the Orkney Mainland. On the way we had a great view of the hills of Hoy, and of Stromness, which we had called at many years ago when travelling on the Shatland ferry between Aberdeen and Lerwick.
The next stop was the site of the Stones of Stenness, a ring of stones that are very large and impressive. The whole site seems to be aimed towards the hills of Hoy, as Marwyn pointed out. As it happens, that’s the direction of the midwinter sunset.
After Stenness we headed to Stromness with the aim of finding a coffee. Stromness is quite small, but has a similar feel to Lerwick in the Shetland Islands; there’s a long street parallel to the shore near the harbour, paved with stone. A view of Scapa Flow can be caught between the buildings as you walk along ths street.
On the way back to Burray, we went via Quoyloo. Not for the brewery, but because my (John) Uncle Eric was based in Orkney for some of the Second World War, at the Skeabrae airfield, after he married Annie, my Mum’s sister. They lived in a house in the settlement of Quoyloo, and later called their own house “Quoyloo”.
Looking towards Quoyloo, with the airfield location behind, from the brewery.
The site of the airfield is pretty much behind the Quoyloo sign.