Kirkwall, The Orkney Islands, Scotland, UK

It was chilly sailing into Kirkwall is the early hours this morning, but I was dressed for it. Sailing into Kirkwall we passed the Helliar Lighthouse on Holm Island with Balfour Castle in the background. 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. Today, we tendered which was great as our plans were to tour the town of Kirkwall. The tender dropped us in center town and we headed to St. Magnus Cathedral. The Cathedral was founded in 1137, with distinctive sandstone hues, this stunning building is one of Orkney’s most significant landmarks. Across the street from the Cathedral, we toured the grounds and the ruins of the Bishop’s and Earl’s Palace’s. From here we found the Tankerness House Gardens with its Groatie Hoose , decorated with seashells or on Orkney known as groatie buckies. We toured around the quaint streets of Kirkwall browsing the welcoming independent shops in the heart of town before returning to the ship….it was a nice day in Kirkwall.