THE SCOTTISH COAST AND HEADING TO ORKNEY

WEATHER: Beautiful and 24C

HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: The beautiful island of Orkney

BUMMER OF THE DAY: The hostel of DEATH for the next 2 nights

WORD OF THE DAY:  “Grace”

DISTANCE TRAVELLED: 250km

I think we had a good dorm night last night.  You just never know what you are going to get sharing a room with 5 (well 4 as Shaz doesn’t count) complete strangers.  Kim came in a little after 11pm, which I heard her open the door and then I didn’t hear another thing till I woke up in the morning.  I call that SUCCESS for sure.  We had an early start today as we had to make sure we made good time to catch the ferry to Orkney early in the afternoon.  We were all on the bus and on the road at 7.50am this morning.  I have packed a day bag for the next 3 days so that I can keep that massive bag of mine in the bus and have slowly already got my electronics bag all on the go now, plus my small backpack and my handbag and now our snack bag and left over mixes and vodka, before I even know it, day 2 and I am back to being the bag lady!  Shaz and I have all our ‘stuff’ spread out on the back parcel shelf of the bus.  It doesn’t take us long to get back into our travel groove that is for sure.  So I may have got rid of one bag to the boot of the bus, but I have picked up another 3 bags.  Oh well maybe part of the reasoning is that because I can……

We had a brekkie stop at 8.30am at a small town called Golspie.  Golspie is a village in Sutherland, Highland, Scotland, which lies on the North Sea coast in the shadow of Ben Bhraggie (394m). It has a population of around 1,650.  There is a café that Andy usually uses and as we pulled into the parking lot the small café was open, by the time we parked the ‘closed’ sign had been flipped.  Andy went to investigate and before we knew it the sign had flipped to ‘open’ again and we were placing our bacon roll orders and coffee’s to go.  The poor lady behind the counter looked so stressed when we found out she was 2 people down in the kitchen and the kid cooking out there hadn’t done it before, then 22 hungry and coffee deprived people walk through the door.  The sign on the door was promptly flipped back to ‘closed’ as she processed the orders and got the kitchen pumping out our orders.  Needless to say we exceeded our 45 minutes we were given here, but under the circumstances it couldn’t be helped.  

We had a few hours travelling today, which I secretly love.  I can plug in my earphones and pump some tunes as we roll past the beautiful green coastline of Scotland.  I was sitting on the right side of the bus which gave me a stunning view of all the cliffs as we followed the coast to the very top of Scotland today.  It also gives me time to reflect and think about what is coming up.  I have been on countdown to seeing Zeme again for what seems like an eternity.  Well 6 months IS an eternity and I am still finding it hard to believe that I will finally be seeing him in just over a week.  Well 9 days to be precise and then seeing my best friend and my God-daughters in Phuket in 31 days, I miss the little monkeys and it breaks up the block of not seeing them…….  I have finally dusted off the cobwebs and I have the big camera back in play again.  Looking at the last photos taken on it were back in June when I was in LA with Christine and Eric, so I now have my photo taking mojo back again and it feels good especially in a country that seems to be so photogenic-can a country be photogenic?  Well too bad I am calling Scotland that and I think people are just starting to realize just how many photos I actually take.  That’s me…….

We had one stop before arriving at John O’Groats and that was at a place called Duncansby Head.  It is the most north-easterly part of the Scottish mainland, including even the famous John o' Groats.  The headland juts into the North Sea, with the Pentland Firth to its north and west and the Moray Firth to its south.  The point is marked by Duncansby Head Lighthouse.  We travelled along a minor public road that lead from John o' Groats to Duncansby Head, which makes Duncansby Head the farthest point by road from Land's End.  The Duncansby Head Site of Special Scientific Interest includes the 6.5 km stretch of coast south to Skirza Head. It includes the Duncansby Stacks, prominent sea stacks just off the coast and we got a chance to view.  The weather did turn a little here as we pulled up at the Lighthouse, so with rain jackets on, we marched the 1km to the edge of the cliff to get a good view of the Duncansby Stacks which are rocks that protrude from the ocean like a giant Dorito, but black, and it makes for a pretty impressive photo.  It is a shame that it started to rain as it made the view a little hazy but impressive all the same.  This is how we have to roll in Scotland-4 seasons in one day.  I think I would hate to live here just based on that fact.  It is so frustrating on the clothing front, jackets on-it’s cold-rain jacket on-it’s raining-all jackets off-the suns out and then it starts all over again!!!   

John O’Groats was only a 10 minute drive away which has a claim to be the most northern point in the UK.  John o' Groats is popular with tourists because it is generally regarded as the most northerly settlement on the island of Great Britain, although this is not a claim made by its inhabitants and is in fact false. It is however one end of the longest distance between two inhabited points on the island of Great Britain, Land's End being the other. (The most northerly point on the island of Great Britain is nearby Dunnet Head).  The town takes its name from Jan de Groote, a Dutchman who obtained a grant for the ferry from the Scottish mainland to Orkney, recently acquired from Norway, from James IV, King of Scots, in 1496.  People from John o' Groats are known as "Groatsers". Local legend has the name John o' Groats termed to reflect the Dutch ferryman's charge of one groat payment for the journey to the islands.  The phrase Land's End to John o' Groats is frequently heard both as a literal journey (being the longest possible in Great Britain) and as a metaphor for great or all-encompassing distance, similar to the American phrase coast to coast.  The famous "Journey's End" signpost at John o' Groats is privately owned and operated by the same Penzance-based photography company which operates its counterpart at Land's End; with a fee payable for having pictures taken next to the signpost. The signs, including the "John o' Groats" roundel at the top, are removed after the photographer's booth closes for the evening—so traveller’s arriving in the late evening or early morning may be disappointed in their quest for photographs at the signpost. It was formerly left in place until an act of vandalism resulted in the sign being deposited in the nearby sea.  A free plastic signpost is situated on the wall next to the First and Last souvenir shop and the harbour.  The sign post guy was there when we were but he charges 10GBP for 1 photo, which I think is a bit of a rip off.  I am happy to pay for a photo but a couple of pounds at the most, 10 GBP is just a little too greedy and apparently he is not really a very nice guy, so we were more than happy to settle for the plastic signpost on the wall photo to prove that we had made it this far north on the mainland and then after 45 minutes we were back in our Wild and Sexy bus for the 5 minute ride to the ferry terminal to catch our ride to Orkney. 

We only had to wait 45 minutes for the ferry to arrive, unload its cargo of walk on passengers, cars, trucks and campers and then immediately reload with the mix of cargo from this side.  The ferry reminded me of the ferry crossing from Dover to France but only smaller.  We were the last one to load on and I have to say I was a little nervous of Andy backing onto the cargo ferry and this had nothing to do with Andy’s driving skills than driving backwards over a ramp onto a moored ship.  Me and ships just aren’t a good mix unless you a cruise liner and even y these days that is not even going to save you with recent accidents we have seen.  Once parked we had to take what we would need for the 1.5 hour crossing as we weren’t permitted to get back onto the bus till we got to the other side.  There were a few places you could sit on the ferry.  Outside, even though it was sunny it was a bit chilly with the wind or you could sit inside.  One side had diner style tables and seats where you could eat things bought from the small café that they had at the bow of the ship and then on the other side they had more comfy seats that reclined back a little, but you weren’t allowed to eat in that section.  I had bought my laptop with me in the hope that I could get a blog pumped out but by the time we purchased a sausage sandwich (delicious) from the café, found a seat and booted the computer we only had 40 minutes left but I did what I could as Shaz sat across from me and tried not to think about becoming seasick.  It was a beautiful ride with blue skies and the passing of small uninhabited islands arriving into Orkney at 2.45pm.  We got the call to rejoin our vehicle and because we were last on meant we were first off and on the island of Orkney. 

Orkney, also known as the Orkney Islands is an archipelago in northern Scotland.  Orkney comprises approximately 70 islands of which 20 are inhabited. The largest island, known as the "Mainland" has an area of 523.25 square kilometers making it the sixth largest Scottish island and the tenth-largest island in the British Isles. The largest settlement and administrative center is Kirkwall where we would be staying for the next 2 nights.  The name "Orkney" dates back to the 1st century BC or earlier and the islands have been inhabited for at least 8,500 years. Originally occupied by Mesolithic and Neolithic tribes and then by the Picts, Orkney was invaded and forcibly annexed by Norway in 875 and settled by the Norse. It was subsequently annexed to the Scottish Crown in 1472, following the failed payment of a dowry for James III's bride, Margaret of Denmark. Orkney contains some of the oldest and best-preserved Neolithic sites in Europe, and the "Heart of Neolithic Orkney" is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Orkney has a cool temperate climate that is remarkably mild and steady for such a northerly latitude, due to the influence of the Gulf Stream. The average temperature for the year is 8 °C; for winter 4 °C and for summer 12 °C.  To tourists, one of the fascinations of the islands is their "nightless" summers. On the longest day, the sun rises at 03:00 and sets at 21:29 GMT and complete darkness is unknown. This long twilight is known in the Northern Isles as the "simmer dim". Winter nights are long. On the shortest day the sun rises at 09:05 and sets at 15:16. It looks like it would be a cold and lonely place in winter and you would have to have a right mind and enjoy your own company and of those around you to get through a winter here I rekon. 

We only had to drive 10 minutes to get to the Tomb of the Eagles and our first stop on the island.  Located on at cliff edge at Isbister on South Ronaldsay, the Tomb of the Eagles is a Neolithic chambered tomb. First explored by Ronald Simison in 1958, he conducted his own excavations at the site in 1976. Alerted by Simison, archaeologist John Hedges then mounted a full study, prepared a technical report and wrote a popular book that cemented the tomb's name.  16,000 human bones were found at the site, as well as 725 from birds. These were identified as predominantly belonging to the white-tailed sea eagle and represented between 8 and 20 individuals. These reveal that the eagles died c. 2450–2050 BC, up to 1,000 years after the building of the tomb. This confirms growing evidence from other sites that the neolithic tombs of Orkney remained in use for many generations.  Perched above the dramatic South Ronaldsay cliffs, the Isbister Chambered Cairn - better known today as the ‘Tomb of the Eagles’ - is one of Orkney’s top archaeological sites. Discovered by chance by local farmer Ronnie Simison in the 1950s, the Stone Age tomb revealed an amazing collection of bones and artifacts, placed here some 5,000 years ago.  We were offered a unique ‘hands-on’ experience at the Visitor Centre, where you could see, and enjoy the privilege of handling some of the original artifacts found at the sites and with the opportunity to touch some of the working tools and jewelry that was over 3,000 years old was quite a buzz.  We then moved into the next room and then told about a site that was discovered from what they believe is from the Stone Age.  Roughly half a mile inland from the tomb is a Bronze Age site. It comprises a mound of burnt stone and the remains of a stone building, named after the ‘Liddle’ farm where Ronnie uncovered them. Excavations at the site have led to important discoveries about how people lived and worked in Orkney 3,000 years ago.

There is a stunning walk from the Visitor Centre to the tomb, via the Bronze Age site - approximately 1 mile along a well-marked path.  The first stop was the Liddle Burnt Mound and the Bronze Age Building.  Inland from the Stone Age tomb, Ronnie discovered a 3,000 year-old Bronze Age site. Excavations revealed a building complete with stone trough, water system and hearth, adjacent to a mound of burnt stone.  Archaeologists agree that water was heated in the trough but there is much debate about how
it was used.  For Ronnie and his wife Morgan, the discovery of these sites on their farmland sparked a lifelong passion for archaeology, and led them to create an extraordinary visitor attraction, now managed by two of their daughters.

A 10 minute walk from this site bought you to the Tomb of the Eagles.  On a summer’s evening in 1958, Orkney farmer Ronnie Simison noticed a section of horizontal stones exposed near the sandstone cliffs bordering his farmland. Digging down beside the dry stone wall, he found a cache of beautiful polished artifacts – a mace head, three stone axe heads, a black 'button' and a small limestone knife. This chance discovery changed life for Ronnie and his family forever, and led to the creation of one of Orkney’s leading visitor attractions.  Returning a few days after his initial find, Ronnie was amazed when he uncovered a small stone chamber containing about 30 human skulls.  What he had at first thought might be a dwelling place was later confirmed to be a 5,000 year old Neolithic or Stone Age tomb.  Alongside the human bones were the talons and bones of an estimated 14 white-tailed or ‘sea’ eagles - the only tomb in Orkney with such a density of eagle bones. The site became known as the ‘Tomb of the Eagles’, and it raises many questions about the significance of these birds in the lives of the people who lived here.  Entering the tomb can be done in 2 ways.  As the entrance is only about knee high, you can crawl in or you can use the pulley trolley where you lie on an oversized skateboard and pull yourself the 3m into the tomb.  Needless to say I crawled my way through the passageway into the Tomb which is 70 cm wide and 85 cm high. The roof is 3 meters high with skylights providing light that was added to protect the site after it was found.  Inside they have left some of the original skulls found behind a chicken wire enclosure and other than that there really isn’t too much more to see.  But to say we have been in a 5,000 year old tomb is pretty cool I have to say. 

We then completed the circular walk past some groovy rock formations along the cliff face where some of the group saw some seals down below and the scenery and wild flowers along the cliff walk was impressive. We saw some wonderful example of maritime heath, which is now rare in Britain.  There are also a few bench seats placed along the way where you could just sit and soak up what you had seen and the view you had from them was pretty impressive and I hate to sound like a broken record but the weather we have had the last 2 days has been magic and the water was a beautiful blue/turquoise colour as we passed some sheep and made it back to the Visitor Centre where they had a small gift shop of local handicrafts, postcards and the famous Orkney Ice-cream.  Once we had made our purchases it was time to make our way to the hostel in Kirkwall via a stop at the local Tesco for us to buy some dinner supplies as the hostel apparently has a pretty well equipped kitchen and making our own dinner was the way to go for tonight’s meal.

Tesco is like Coles back home-it is a major chain supermarket and we were let loose in here for 30 minutes for us to but our provisions.  There were 6 of us who decided to chip in for a stir fry meal and bought up a farm load of vegetables for the meal and some chicken to go with.  I did explain to the group that I was not a cook and made it quite clear that I wouldn’t be in the kitchen-I haven’t cooked for nearly 2 years, so it was in everyone’s interest that I did stay out of the kitchen.  Our supplies also included another bottle of vodka, Coke, snack chips and Irn Bru (sugar free, it has to be sugar free), which is a Scottish version of Coke but tastes a little like creaming soda.  Callum and Jem Jem seem to be taken with the stuff, but I find it a little too sweet so I am sticking with my favorite-Coke.  After we had paid at the checkout dinner had cost us only 5GBP each which you can’t go wrong with and then it was time for the shit fight of checking into our new hostel for the next 2 nights.        

We were on the backend of the group for the check-in process, so we just took a seat in the outer boot room till everyone else had been checked in.  The hostel looks like an old hospital or old people’s home.  Once we got our keys we had to pass through a labyrinth of hallways and 4 fire safety doors to get to our room and this stay we had a triple share with Zena, Shaz and I.  The beds seemed comfy the room was warm and there seemed to be plenty of toilets and showers so I think this place will be okay.  Jem Jem was calling the hostel a death trap as the fire doors all swung different ways and I am sure should a fire actually happen I could see people getting dazed on which way would be the way out!  As we were the last to check in the kitchen was a hive of activity with over half the group all cooking in there, so we decided to have a drink and then Jem Jem and Shaz got stuck into preparing the veggies for the stir fry and the final cook as the kitchen cleared.  It was so HOT in there though and everyone was sweating like a hot summer’s day and I was glad that I counted myself out from the cooking duties.  Cameron wanted to have some chili’s in his portion of the stir fry so Jem Jem prepared the actual real chili’s and then threw them into a hot pan to cook them a little not realizing (and I am sure Cam was also unaware) that the chili’s that he bought were the second hottest chili’s on the planet and as they heated up in the pan, people left in the kitchen started to have breathing problems and watering eyes!!!  It was funny as Marc had come out of the kitchen telling us it was so hot in there he couldn’t breathe and it wasn’t until later that Jem and Shaz came clean saying it had been the chili fumes!!!!  By the time we were seated as a ‘family’ to eat everyone else had finished and moved into the common room which was ok with us but boy we were hungry and looking at the bowl of black bean veggies there was enough here to fill my whole 5 food groups in the one meal for the whole week!  This where we were dubbed ‘the family’ and as such at a family dinner it came up for us to say ‘Grace’ so we all linked hands and said a rough Grace which was to become a ritual for meals (when we remembered) for the remaining week we were on tour.  So our ‘family’ consisted of Jem Jem, Shaz, Callum, Cameron, Zena and myself and this was to also stand for the remaining time on tour.  So a big thanks to Shaz and Jen Jem for cooking the dinner-you both looked frazzled and that you both had just completed a 10k run and for that I am grateful as Callum and I drank our vodka’s in the dining room. 

After the clean-up we decided to stay in the dining room where we continued to consume a whole bottle of vodka as we chatted and laughed the night away.  Slowly people trickled out from the common room and we picked up some more people around our table.  It was a great way to meet new people and with my drinking camera on the table it made its way around the group and it was interesting to look at the photos the next morning-some were hilarious and some were just terrible.  The last of the evening was a little bit of a blur but I do remember Marky Marc showing his magic tricks and after ½ a bottle of vodka I was absolutely mesmerized on how he actually did them.  I guess drunks always make a captive audience and we were in bed by 2am.

I’m lovin my new group

I’m lovin my new family

I’m lovin what I have seen of Scotland so far……….