Orkney Islands

Sept/Oct 2024

5 rams, 11 ewes

lots of hens & Cockerels 

 and last but certainly not least

Monty the Parakeet

To travel is to take a journey into yourself…

Danny Kaye

Full moon over Scapa Flow

Our pre-sit stay  in Kirkwall –  a  fantastic harour view with stormy waters

Lunchtime concert at St Magnus Cathedral.  Piano duet, Fantasia on Greensleeves (Vaugan Williams), played by Heather Rendall & Iain Campbell

Orphir

Rooms with a view...
and what a view

Live Life Local

Out and About

Buses can be expensive on Orkney. hardly surprising given the distances between residential areas. One of the reasons we love it. Still, travelling by bus is affordable via the Orkney Flexi 5.  The cost – £36.80, for   5 days of unlimited bus travel  within a 30 day period. Ideal for slow travellers and housesitters .

Skaill House

“Overlooking the spectacular Bay of Skaill, Skaill House is the finest 17th Century mansion in Orkney” (Visit Scotland) and allegedly haunted by several spirits. Whilewe were disappointed not to witness anything supernatural on our visit, it was definitely easier to believe the hauntings than to dismiss them. What an imposing structure. And what an amazing location.

Cara Brae

“First uncovered by a storm in 1850, Skara Brae remains a place of discovery today.” (Visit Scotland)

 

Ring of Brodgar

“The stones ‘look like an assemblage of ancient druids, mysteriously stern and invincibly silent and shaggy”. (Hugh Miller- Scottish Geologist)

Standing Stones  of Stenness

Stones of Stenness are possibly the  earliest henge monument in the British Isles. It was built about 5,400 years ago and several of the stones are missing, so  it now resembles a crescent moon

The Italian Chapel

The Italian Chapel is constructed from two Nissen huts that were given to the Italian Prisoners of War to use as a chapel, who were encamped on the island of Lamb Holm from 1942-1944

Scapa Flow Museum Hoy Island

capa Flow Museum is a war museum in Lyness on the Island of HoyOrkneyScotland. Housed within a refurbished Romney hut and oil fuel pump house at the former Lyness royal naval base HMS Proserpine, the museum charts the history of Orkney’s involvement in World War I and World War II. The museum is named after the body of water to the east of Hoy, Scapa Flow.