A good day sightseeing! We got the 940 x1 bus to Kirkwall and picked up our little red hire car from Orkney car rental who were very efficient. The island of mainland is not that big but there’s a lot to see so we just concentrated on West mainland today. First heading northeast, we stopped at the Broch of Gurness and looked out to the island of Eynhallow . The wind was so strong it was rocking the little car and it was literally hard to stand up or hold a phone straight! Looking out to the island a good example of a “Roost” …. white water created by wind and tide and well to be avoided! 😳 what stunning colours though. The photos are original! Not edited at all! The next stop was at the northern tip. We parked the car pointing into the wind and walked across the causeway to Brough head. A lonely white lighthouse silhouetted against the sky. Stunning coastline with crashing white and blue seas onto the high cliffs. Our next stop was at the bay of Skail bay and what an amazing find. After a sandwich at the visitor centre we decided to buy tickets for Skara Brae, an Stone Age settlement which was discovered by the laird living at the nearby Skail house. It was absolutely fascinating! Well worth the visit and highly recommended if coming here. 5000 years ago Stone Age people lived at this settlement and little houses had fireplaces, stone beds and stone dressers . The settlement was discovered after a particularly ferocious storm ripped off the turf which had covered it up. You could just imagine their lives, and makes us feel very humble. Skail house was also very interesting …..and warm, calm and peaceful. From there we headed home past the standing stone rings, of Brodgar and Stenness, feeling a bit more “ in the know” about Orkney than when we arrived.
What I learned today…… that apparently there is so much more of archeological interest under the ground, but if they dug it all up there would be no room for anyone to live.
Looking to Eynhallow 
Broch of Gurness 
Brough of Birsay 
Stone Age house 
How we lived then and now 
Skail house 
Ring of Brodgar
Angelique 