Holland House Harray

... of sky. The Orcadians say we are in Southern Norway. Between the North Sea and the North Atlantic, so far north that the Michelin Map of Great Britain & Ireland has to put Orkney in a side bar. You already know why we came and what we found was beyond my dreams.
We landed in Glasgow and changed to a turboprop plane for the last leg of the Journey to Orkney. Once in the air over Glasgow, the Highlands unfolded below us and, Toto, we knew we weren’t in Kansas ...

Rousay is a small island just a few miles north of Mainland, Orkney. It has been called the "Egypt of the North" because of the large number of prehistoric sites found on the island. Only about 200 people call the Island their home, but it is a popular tourist site because of its archaeological importance. We visited just a few of the hundreds of sites on the island where even today most of the sites have yet to be excavated and researched by archaeologists.

We didn't travel to the Orkney Islands to see a farm, but to see the prehistoric ruins near the Skail Home Farm—Skara Brae. The Orkney Islands are like an amusement park of Neolithic sites and this is just one of hundreds found across the islands.

Skara Brae is the most complete Neolithic village in Europe and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site ...

... as well. In all we had about 20 people aboard for the party.

One of the guests was a friend of mine from High School. She came with her childhood friend from Germany, whom I had never met before. After the cocktail party we invited anyone else to go clubbing with us in the wild town of Kirkwall. It ended being me and four women who went. It turned into a very fun evening. Several of the crew also showed up at the club after they had completed their duties.

YACHT ...

Hi Folks! We're home again. No problems with travel on the way, just the jet lag to get over now. Kristina and Dean are cooking dinner tonight and that's great. So, our trip has come to an end and we must get back to work on thursday. What a thought! Thanks for sharing the trip with us. Bye!

Our Dutch friends were, at least, consistent, in that they woke us up at 5:00 with their size 13 feet trampling everywhere. Last night I said they were nice guys, I still think they are, honestly! Seriously, we saw them off safely, had another couple of hours snoozing then had a super bacon & eggs breakfast before we too, started the engine at 08:30 and set off. I must confess to being a bit puzzled, in that the Dutchies (that's ...

... birds flew at me at quite considerable speed, to swerve away just inches above my head. Magnificent flyers, they really are. Our overriding impression of it all was of the magnificence of the landscape and the timelessness of it all, one felt quite immaterial to well, anything really. Returning to the Bird Santuary, we joined the walkers, twitchers, birders and people who had come just to absorb the atmosphere. They only charge £30 / night full board, so it is a cheap ...

... and sail past Shapinsay and on up to the Westray Firth. Now the Westray Firth is home to a tide race, known locally as a röst and in this case, its name is Rull Röst. Tides run apace through here and the röst is worst on the NW - going stream. We didn't anticipate any real problems in that the röst is most dangerous when there are NW gales against the stream, however I did think that it would be wise to have the engine on as a precaution, as the wind ...

... out to the sites... you can walk through them, use the tools as they would have... its so great to see it up close and personal, rather than behind glass and from afar... Skara Brae was the next highlight of the orkneys...this wasn't just a neolithic house or tomb, but an entire village... this one is owned by the scottish trust and so is a bit more protected and secured... carbon dating puts it ...

... and retired to our hotel bar for a local beer and a chance to catch up with our journals, post card writing and good conversation. Maes Cow-who is May and where is Sue's cow? Taste o'whiskey before dinner-gasp! 12 year old Highland Park-smooth! We had a poetry reading as we waited for the ferry this morning c/o Jim Kehr, Robert Burns, William Butler Yeats and William Shakespeare, AKA Willy the Shake. Loving my hair-the blustery winds have ...