Friday’s Mileage: 97
Total Mileage: 1693
On the Car Stereo:
Spotify: Playlist of Scottish music; Playlist of Greek music; Playlist of country music.
Live Radio: BBC Radio Scotland: Drivetime with Fiona Stalker / Friday Requests (BBC Radio Orkney).
A Tour of Orkney Mainland
Yesterday a quiet day with no travelling required, so I came up with a route arund the mainland of Orkney.
I started in Kirkwall itself with the Kirkwall Museum – while a lot of it remains closed some of it is open for business on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
Then I got in the car and headed on the coast. I went for a walk in the Mull Head Nature Reserve and went to see The Gloup – a collapsed sea cave within the reserve.
Next stop was a short stop at the Italian Chapel, built in World War 2 by Italian prisoners of war. Scapa beach was the next stop, with views out to Scapa Flow, and as I was driving I could see the dive boats out at sea.
I then arrived in Stromness. where I had a ticket booked for 2pm entry to the Stromness Museum. I got free entry using their promo code, and had the whole place to myself. I found the sections on Scapa’s role in WW2 particularly interesting. I also had lunch in Stromness.
Yesnaby was my next stop for another coastal walk to see the sea cliffs and sea stacks. Then, I drove through the village of Twatt (someone’s nicked the sign) to get to Birsay to see the Earl’s Palace before sitting on the beach with a drink and some crisps, overlooking the Brough of Birsay.
Then I moved on to my next stops, the Ring of Brodgar Stone Circle, followed by the Standing Stones of Stenness – both are effectively Orkney’s answer to Stonehenge.
Back to Kirkwall after that for dinner and an evening in front of the TV.
Travelling again today – heading back to the Mainland and stopping overnight in Lairg, in Sutherland.
FH.
