Orkney Report.

[Poly Hive]

yes it is a long way to go but...

We broke the journey at my sisters by Biggar, and again at Conon Bridge where an old friend of ours stays and runs a few hundred colonies...

Then we drove up the last leg of the A9 to cross via Pentland Ferries on their catamaran.

We found an excellent wild camping spot and based ourselves there for the week. Seals sang us to sleep at night and woke us in the morning. Kept us company on our walks on the beach with the dogs too.

Interested in archaeology? Finds in Orkney are re-writing the UK time line. Seems every other month it goes further back. Spoke to an archaeologist at the dig at http://www.orkneyjar.com/archaeology/nessofbrodgar/ and he told us that what they have so far is perched on top of what went before and again what went before that so... it going to go way way way back in time.

Visited the County Show and were amazed at the quality of the stock but then we shouldn't have been given the quality standing in the fields grazing at incredible stocking rates.

Climate was very mild, always windy, midge free... very important for the apprentice as she is highly allergic, and sadly bee free as far as we could find.

Some tiny ginger bumbles but no sign of the bee farm that existed some years ago but if still around has a very low profile now.

All in all thoroughly recommended and Scrabster has to be experienced to believe it.

Pics will be posted soon.

PH

 

[psafloyd]

And I can thoroughly recommend Shetland for those of you who love beautiful, wild landscape, history and friendly people.

Orkney is far more agricultural, but if you think of Connemara but all of it is by the sea, that's it.

There is one beekeeper up there and I met him last year.

 

[Poly Hive]

No one I talked to knew of him, and it seems the Assoc up there has gone too, rather sad.

Shetland is also lovely in a very different way. At least one beeman up there too.

PH

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Did you go and see the Italian POW's church? And John Rae's memorial.
And did you venture to that lovely sounding village - Upper Twatt ?

 

[Poly Hive]

Very first place we went to was the Italian Chapel. Do not though rate the wine on sale adjacent though. LOL

Passed the sign for the village yes.


PH

 

[theboynelson]

I used to go camping there as a child, I'll never forget standing on the edge of the gloop eith all the puffins whizzing around my head.

I would love to go back sometime.

 

[hedgerow pete]

we were that way a few years back, great country but just so flipping far, with stops and the heavy rain brum to john o groats was the best part of 12 hours driving, the easy part is getting to glasgow from then on its singles and duals

but i can drive to berlin in 9 and amsterdam in seven so its easier to go sideways rather than upwards.

we used to drive up there years ago as we used to scuba dive at scappa, and when we where at john o groats the main tourists up there were italians in camper vans , i never realised untill we were up there how many come .

the weather though was amazing, the seals are great fun to watch playing in the bay in the morning,