Going back 5000 years to Skara Brae, a unique Neolithic village, was fascinating.
Around the central hearth are the stone bed areas and a stone dresser or cupboard for display and storage.
Each bed has its own cubby hole too. I was reminded of the trulli in Puglia.
Dan has got used to Frances’ haircut now
There is an excellent replica you can go inside and a very informative museum
Afterwards we went into the Laird’s house, an airy mansion where generations of Orkney gentry lived off their tenant farmers.
And discovered Skara Brae when it got exposed after a storm in the 1850s.
They have Captain Cook’s ship’s dinner service here!
Then on to Brodgar stone circle. Very impressive, timeless and beautiful- a remarkable location on the isthmus of two inland seas.
There are larks everywhere and barrow mounds nearby.
We also visited Stenness standing stones
and their nearby village – the houses were less well preserved than Skara Brae
But this ram was pretty formidable!
Lunch at Kirkwall and a look inside the huge St Magnus Cathedral founded in 1137.
The red stone is warm, solid and friendly looking; Romanesque arches and galleries make the heavy stone seem light and airy.
There are lots of old 17th century gravestones that have been moved to the sides for display. We enjoyed reading the inscriptions- some with rhyming couplets.
The memorial to Polar explorer John Rae shows him enjoying a well-earned rest!
The old town hall in Kirkwall is also very fine
Another lovely sunny day with curlews, oyster-catchers and black-headed gulls on Scapa beach.
Great post 🙂 xx