My wife and I have just spent a thoroughly enjoyable week on the sunny islands of Orkney – yup, you read that right, blue skies every day, warm, a little wind, and only a haar (mist) on one morning! This was a postponed 50th birthday present for me, from two and a half years ago, but with Covid rampant at that time we decided we would rather visit the islands at a time when we would not have to wear masks and with everywhere closed. To say that I am glad we waited is an understatement. I've been to Western Isles many times in the past, but had never been north to Orkney or Shetland. During the week we packed in a lot, which was no mean feat considering we did not take the car over. Public transport on the island is excellent, and as such, we managed to visit the Mainland (we stayed for 5 nights in Kirkwall at an AirB&B), Glimps Holm, Lambholm, Burray, South Ronaldsay, and Hoy.
On Monday, we decided to concentrate on Kirkwall itself, visiting the magnificent 12th century St. Magnus Cathedral, the ruins of the Earl's Palace and the Bishop's Palace, and Orkney Museum. I was half expecting to see the place overplaying its Viking and Norse heritage, but was really surprised to see that this was not the case. It was present, but as a part of the DNA of the place, not overhyped for tourist purposes, and as such, it gave the place a real sense of authenticity, with layer upon layer of history from various phases in the past equally treated with respect. (I used to live in Largs, Ayrshire, where a small band of Vikings once landed in 1263, got beaten in a skirmish, and where today you would think it was Norway's long lost colony with all the Viking signs, statues, gardens and helmets!). I made a point of visiting the Orkney Library and Archive, and had a great wee chat with Lucy Gibbons, archivist, as well as a taking a chance to explore the library's extensive holdings on local history.
Kirkwall is a great wee modern town, a bit pricey, and in many ways feeling quite like a part of the Scottish mainland, despite being the largest settlement on the Orkney mainland, but it certainly has its own history. The divisions between the historic bishopric and the earldom were ever present, and I was surprised to see a memorial to 200 Covenanters in front of the Cathedral, who drowned off the coast at Deerness in 1679, as they were being shipped to the American colonies as indentured servants. There is a further memorial at Deerness also, which we unfortunately did not have tome to see on this trip. To end the day, we visited the Highland Park distillery for a tour and tasting, and I even had a wee Gaelic conversation – Gaelic is not spoken on Orkney, but the staff member leading the tour was a Leòdhasach (from the Isle of Lewis)!
On Tuesday morning we took the X1 bus to see the magnificent Italian Chapel, constructed by Italian POWs in the Second World War. The prisoners were sent to Lambholm island to construct causeways between the islands. These were actually the 'Churchill barriers' built to stop U-Boats gaining access to the area, but calling them that would have meant the UK breaching the Geneva Convention.
We then had lunch in the quiet village of St. Margaret's Hope on the island of South Ronaldsay, with its own ferry port to the Scottish mainland, before jumping on the X1 and travelling to the far side of the Mainland, to Stromness. This is a large settlement with a strong connection to the Hudson's Bay Company in Canada, and a long standing rivalry with Kirkwall. Despite being packed with history, very well displayed on plaques throughout, and in the town's really excellent museum, it did sadly feel as if the place had seen better days.
On the way back to Kirkwall, we stopped off at the prehistoric Stones of Stenness, and walked up to the Ring of Brodgar, where Billy Connolly once danced naked, paying tribute to him in the only way possible!
I've previously visited Avebury, Stonehenge and Callanish, but the Ring of Brodgar is perhaps the most impressive stone circle I have ever seen, it really did feel like we had done an Outlander and travelled back in time!
On Wednesday we visited the Scapa Flow Museum, and without a doubt, I think this may be the best museum in Scotland. It takes a bit of an effort to get there – bus from Kirkwall to Houton, and then a ferry to the island of Hoy, but it was well worth the effort. I had completely underestimated Scapa Flow's importance to the First World War, other than it being where the German fleet was scuttled after, for it was here that the Royal Navy's main base was located, with some further activity in the area during the Second World War. The museum, only recently opened (with an official opening due to take place in the coming week by Sir Chris Hoy), does not overcomplicate the narrative, it explains all the key events that happened in an easy, digestible, and well presented display, based in the former fuel pump house. Just brilliant.
After our visit we also had time to make it to Lyness Royal Naval Cemetery, wonderfully maintained by the CWGC, before we had to return to the Orkney mainland. Hoy is an extraordinary island, with much of the buildings and infrastructure from its military period lying everywhere around Lyness slowly turning to ruin, but giving an epic sense of scale to what was once there as you walk around it. The landscape itself is a monument to the Navy's previous occupancy, as much as the museum, so if visiting, allow time for a dander around!
On Thursday we then took a trip up to Skara Brae, the oldest village excavated in Europe, which was the main reason for my wishing to visit Orkney, and it absolutely did not disappoint. Whatever thoughts and misconceptions we might have about prehistoric times are truly laid to rest by a visit here, our ancestors from 5000 years ago were not a bunch of savages, but a highly organised community with complicated skills and pursuits. The museum was again laid out well, and just for good measure, its cafe at Skara Brae does the best lunch on the island! We also visited Skaill House, home to the Scarth family as the Lairds of Breckness for many generations, and then took a dander up to St. Peter's Kirk at Sandwick, recently restored in a beautiful landscape.
On Friday, we finished our stay with a tour at the Scapa Distillery, a visit to the Orkney Wireless Museum in Kirkwall, and another visit to the Cathedral, because one visit was simply not enough! It's very easy as a genealogist or family historian to fall into a trap of simply thinking of, and treating, Scotland as one entity. Scotland is as diverse a nation as England and Ireland, and Orkney is as different to the mainland of Scotland as the Western Isles are, sharing much in common with mainland Scots, and yet having so much that is unique. As a consequence of this, I made a point of returning to the library in Kirkwall on Friday to do some more reading on Orcadian land records, including the payment of skat and the udal system, because Orkney did things slightly differently, despite using some of the same records systems generated through the feudal system on the Scottish mainland.
We had a wonderful and much needed break in a stunning part of Scotland. Thank you Orkney for your hospitality, thanks to those with suggestions on what to do and where to stay (including a big thanks to Jane!), thanks to our wonderful hosts Ian and Fiona, and to my wonderful wife for being my travelling companion! We will most definitely be returning in the not too distant future, and also making a trip out to Shetland at some point, as well as further trips back to the Western Isles.
Alba gu bràth!
Chris
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