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Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Today was a full day! After our wonderful breakfast at Kenila, we began our day at Skara Brae. Skara Brae is a well preserved Neolithic village. It consists of ten houses and was built around 3000 BC. The houses were connected in a way that you could travel from house to house without exiting the complex, much like a modern day apartment building. The village was preserved under peat until 1850 and thus is in amazing condition. The site was as good as it was supposed to be. They had one reconstructed house which gave a really good idea of what the houses would have been like and then the whole village is a bit further down the path.
Skara Brae, Orkney, Scotland
The front door to one of the houses at Skara Brae
House 9, one of the original houses at Skara Brae
The inside of a house at Skara Brae
At the same site was Skaill House, the Laird’s home which was very good. One of the Lairds actually discovered Skara Bare. The items on display in the house were cool! Amongst other things there was a set of China that was given to the family by Captain Cook.
From there we went to the Broch of Gurness. This broch had a whole Pictish village built around the broch. The oldest part of the settlement dates to between 100-200 BC. The village was built mainly during the Iron Age and contains about forty houses. Seeing three of these villages really gives a nice idea of how the towns were built.
The Broch of Gurness, Orkney, Scotland
The road that leads to the door of the Broch of Gurness
The Pictish Village that surrounds the broch
The stairs that take you into the walls of the broch
Next, we went to Kirkwall to see the Earl’s Palace, the Bishop’s Palace and St. Magnus’ Cathedral. They are all three located next to each other with the Cathedral on one side of the street and the two palaces on the other side. The Earl’s Palace was ruined but still very impressive. It would have been stunning in it’s day. The Bishop’s Palace was less impressive, possibly due to the state of the damage.
Tower of the Earl’s Palace, Kirkwall, Orkney, Scotland
The outside wall of the Great Hall in the Earl’s Palace
Windows from the main apartments of the Earl’s Palace
The Earl’s Palace as seen from the Bishop’s Palace
The Cathedral was begun in 1137 and is unique in two ways. First, it has a dungeon. Second it is owned by the burgh of Kirkwall and not the church. The Cathedral was nice – with a very beautiful stain glass window and some interesting tombs (including a pirate). The Earl’s Palace was definitely the highlight of Kirkwall.
St. Magnus Cathedral , Kirkwall, Orkney, Scotland
The alter at St. Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall, Orkney
A pirate’s grave inside St. Magnus Cathedral
Inside St. Magnus Cathedral
The stained glass in St. Magnus
Another tomb stone inside St. Magnus
We drove to Stromness to eat. We chose the Cafe Bar across from the Stromness Hotel. It took 1 hour!!! to get our meal, which left us 15 minutes to eat as we were booked for the Peatfire Tales in the Old Still Bar at the Stromness Hotel. It was a nice storytelling session with some singing and dancing for £8. Caution though- you have to do some of the dancing. If you like hearing a good story told, I would recommend this.
The Orkneys were definitely worth the trip! We begin our trip south now.
SIEDBAR: Kirkwall has a very unique Christmastime tradition. The town is divided in two and a ball is thrown out. One side tries to push the ball into the sea, while the other tries to prevent it from entering the water. The stories sound insane! You can read about it here.
Scotland Itinerary – Day 7
Skara Brae and Skaill House
Broch of Gurness
The Earl’s Palace, The Bishop’s Palace and St. Magnus’ Cathedral
The Peatfire Tales
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