Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Scotland... Part 2 of 2

Sailing into Kirkwall this morning we passed the Helliar Lighthouse on Holm Island with Balfour Castle in the background. It was a very, very cold sail in, my fingers were frozen, once again... Kirkwall is the largest town in the Orkney Islands...This far north destination is a gateway to one of the most remote places in the UK. We met our driver, Jason, and headed south from Kirkwall. We did a quick tour of the town stopping at St. Magnus Cathedral, the Cathedral is undoubtedly one of the most famous attractions in Kirkwall and Orkney. Leaving town, we drove along the south coast near the First and Second World War Naval Base of Scapa Flow. Our first stop was at the Italian Church built by the Italian Prisoners of War during WWII. The church was built between the Churchill Barriers, also built by the Italian POWs to defend the Scapa Bay. At the entrance to the barriers there were a number of shipwrecks… Next, we went up to the highest point in Kirkwall, Weyford Hill with its view 360 view. From a distance, we could see the ship, the towns of Kirkwall, St. Mary’s, and Stenness and across the bay to Hoy Island and the Bay of Ire. Driving through an area of rich farmland and rolling hills fringed by cliffs, we passed through the village of Orphir climbing to Scorra Hill. Unfortunately, at the top of Scorra Hill we encountered car trouble and had to wait for a replacement vehicle to rescue us. Our driver Jason stayed with the car and Mike a replacement driver took over to continue with our tour. Descending from Scorra Hill, we headed for the heart of Orkney’s Neolithic past now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On a previous visit to the Orkneys, we had visited the Skara Brae settlement, being extremely busy this morning, we decided to do a drive by the village snapping a photos along the way. Nor far away, we stopped to take pictures at the Stones of Stenness. The Standing Stones of Stenness, are one of the earliest stone circles discovered in Britain. Our next stop was the Ring of Brodgar, a stone circle of 27 standing stones (which originally comprised of 60 stones). We walked the circle and made our way back to the car. Our previous guide Jason had recommended we visit the Brough of Birsay and lighthouse and the Birsay Earl Palace. So, we took his suggestion and stopped at this area. The Brough is a tidal island only accessible at low tide, and it is linked to a headland by a concrete causeway visible only when the sea retreats. The rock formations and surrounding beaches are eye-catching as well. This area is known as the Point of Buckquoy and is the gateway to the extensive Viking/Norse settlement on the Brough of Birsay. I did the trek back from the Point to the Earls Palace Birsay capturing many photos of the rugged landscape. The Earls’ Palace is a 16th century courtyard castle built by Earl Robert Stewart, half-brother of Mary, Queen of Scots. Although only a shell of what the palace used to be, it is not hard to visualize what this structure would have looked like in its heyday…nice stop! From here we made our way back to the ship. It was a shorter day of touring allowing me get my photos collated and have the blog out earlier. The weather was clear, and we thoroughly enjoyed our day in the Orkney’s…we are back to Kirkwall again on June 28, 2023.