Orkney 2009

Tuesday 5th May - We historians

Sat - Sun - Mon - Tue - Wed - Thu - Fri

08.30 Patto, Neil and Gee enjoying breakfast at the Polrudden. Outside it's raining and we have the same strong winds as yesterday, nothing much has changed...

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09.25 The bikes outside the Polrudden guest house, an unusual picture this one because somehow it was properly exposed.

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So, what to do on Orkney other than just ride its wind swept roads, after all, it's not a big place is it? Well, to add value to this trip we're going to be historians for the day and visit some of the ancient sites that Orkney seems to have in abundance. First port of call is going to be the Broch of Gurness to the North of the island, lets go!

Here's a map showing the location of the Broch of Gurness an Iron Age village, it's only 16 miles from our B&B.

Just as we were setting off the rain stopped and the sun came come out which was quite a relief. But it was still blowing a gale, causing the bikes to veer sharply every time it caught us as we rode passed gaps in field walls and between buildings. Riding here with its flat open landscape and winds straight off the Atlantic was turning out to be quite a challenge. Still, the scenery was just great, the sun was shining and we even got a cheery wave from a resident Orcadian sitting in the living room of his bungalow as he watched us ride by.

The Broch of Gurness

"One of the most outstanding surviving examples of a later prehistoric (Iron-Age) settlement that is unique to northern Scotland."

10.00 This picture was taken from the Broch of Gurness car park looking toward the visitors centre 'top right' where a very friendly man will take £4.70 each to look around the site and exhibition. Over the water on the left is the Isle of Rousay, there's a ferry over from Tingwall just a couple of miles away which takes around 20 mins. The water between is called the Eynhallow Sound and this morning it looks just beautiful. 

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Both Gee and I explored the whole site with our helmets on and our jackets done up, wearing an open face helmet I also had my visor down so it was quite cosy if a little strange. Less fortunate visitors were walking around with jacket hoods up with hands thrust deep in to pockets, poor things, they looked perished.

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Momentarily sheltered from the wind, Gee takes close up pictures inside the Broch tower.

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Looking out of the Broch tower down the approach path between the buildings.

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The east side and a lovely view over Eynhallow Sound, the low laying island to the left is I believe Eynhallow Island.

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Gee overlooking the Broch's defensive ditches.

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The Broch from the air, and no, I haven't sprouted wings, it's a scan of a post card. But this shot should really show just how remarkably preserved this Broch (village) is and just look at the size of that central tower, it's massive. The seaward side is bottom left, 2000 years ago there were at least 11 other Broch's close by, six in this immediate area and five on the shore of Rousey over the water.

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Inside the visitors centre, Gee with helmet still on (mine was too) reading all about the Broch and its history.

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A demo rotary quern on show in the exhibition. It's used to grind grain in to flour. I've always been curious as to how well these actually work so fell on it with glee (well, no one was watching). I poured a little grain in to the centre hole and gave the handle a turn. It actually turned very easily and much more smoothly than you'd imagine, the top stone glides over the bottom stone lubricated by grain and flour, the stones must be curved on their working surfaces to achieve this floating effect and after just one turn fresh flour was seeping out from the sides. I can imagine younger members of the iron age family managing this quite easily.

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While I was talking to the guide I mentioned our next port of call, Maeshowe, he said it would be wise to book in now rather than be disappointed as groups visiting Maeshowe by necessity are quite small. So a deal was done there and then, money changed hands and Gee and I were booked in for the 12.00 tour.

10.44 After leaving the visitor centre Gee and I walked back to the bikes and this is what we found  Three bikers laid dozing in the sun... unbelievable! Looking for somewhere to escape the relentless wind the lads had found a spot where the wind blew right over them! Warm in the spring sunshine slumber rapidly followed... LOL

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10.57 Just for your information, there is a public toilet close by here, its down an unlikely little turning toward the coast and a rather nice beach (if you don't mind being sand blasted), it is sign posted from the road, and yes, we did test it thoroughly.

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A map showing our route form the Broch of Gurness to Maeshowe - 24 miles, the long way around...

Maeshowe

"Maeshowe is the finest chambered tomb in North West Europe and is older than the Egyptian pyramids"

11.36 We arrived at Tormiston Mill which is Maeshowe's visitor centre. The sun's still shining and the wind's still blowing - Only Gee takes his helmet off, and if you can spot him in the picture, you win a prize!. And yes, that lump in the ground on the right is indeed Maeshowe, an ancient chambered tomb.

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Tormiston Water Mill, I guess if it wasn't for Maeshowe, this would be preserved as a mill in its own right.

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Evidence of the building's original use upstairs on the stone floor.

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11.56 After looking around the mill's gift shop and chatting with the shop assistants, Dave, Patto and Neil went off to explore locally while Gee and I did the Maeshowe tour. After crossing the road we walking up a short fenced path to arrive at the tomb. Sadly, no photography's aloud inside so I bought the official guide book for pictures instead.

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The entrance passage is 10 meters long and very low, you have to bend double to get through, particularly toward the chamber end. Note the size of the stone slabs used in construction, they're massive, the builders carefully aligned the passage with the sun so at winter solstice it illuminates the lower stonework on the back wall of the chamber inside. Nearer to the entrance of the tunnel is a finely balanced 'gate' stone which can be rocked around to block access.

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Inside, the chamber measures 4.7m square and the present roof is about 4.5m high, originally it may have been around 6m, but the roof was damaged by the Norsemen who originally broke in. The roof is 'corbelled' meaning the walls step in layer upon layer originally meeting at the top. In each corner there are huge stones towering up but they don't actually give any support to the structure. Set in to three of the walls are three L shaped side cells used as repositories for the bones of the dead. You can see these side cells to the right and left of the picture below.

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What really made this visit so special though was the narrative given by our guide. She painted a vivid picture of a race of people living on Orkney thousands of years ago enjoying an almost Mediterranean climate and a relatively leisurely life style. An average man living here needed to work around four days a week to be comfortable. in fact they had so much spare time on there hands they built tombs like this one and many other huge earth works nearby with there bare hands. The diet of these people was also very good, from remains found, none seemed to have suffered hunger or from obesity. All in all, it doesn't seem a bad life compared to our own stressed out 70 plus hour working weeks just to own a car an LCD TV and a week in Spain once a year...

13.07 Coming out of the tomb some while later we meet up with the rest of the gang and rode 10 miles to Skara Brae for another encounter with our distant past.

Skara Brae

"Skara Brae, the best preserved prehistoric village in northern Europe"

13.21 But lets have lunch first! Of all the sites on Orkney, Skara Brae at least has a restaurant. Queuing up we quickly worked out it was one of the assistants first day so singled her out for special attention, it's just one of the services we provided and makes sure we're remembered long after we've gone (believe me, after serving us, you can serve anyone!).

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Two pictures stitched together to show the restaurant and visitor centre, a surprisingly modern and comfortable haven from the relentless wind outside.

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After refreshments Dave, Gee and I took the short walk to the ancient village. It seems people lived here from around 3180bc to 2500bc, some 600 years,. The houses are all underground giving good protection to the occupants, each house apparently had a toilet with a drainage system to take away the waste, and we think we're modern.

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The houses are connected by covered passages again to protect the occupants from the wind and rain, it's estimated round 50 to 100 people lived here at any one time.

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Another picture stitched up from many, this is probably one of the more famous houses here, 'House 1' still with its furnishings in place, you can just imagine the wife keeping her treasures on that dresser. The hearth is in the middle of the room where dried seaweed and drift wood would have been burnt, beds and storage were around the sides, I was curious what the roofs might have been made from as nothing now remains, but its likely they were made from driftwood, whale's bone, turf, skins or even thatched seaweed or straw, all very cosy!

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Skara Brae from the air, again, the seaward side is to the bottom of the picture.

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15.20 Time to move on to the last port of call today, The Ring of Brodgar just 5 miles away.

The Ring of Brodgar

"The Ring of Brodgar, one of the finest stone circles anywhere"

15.28 Not bad eh! 7 mins site to sites, hardly worth putting your helmet on was it :-)

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After a walk from the car park, over a causeway, across the road and up a slightly muddy hill we've arrived at the Ring of Brodgar. It's stones from this ring that form the back ground to the banners I made for our bikes, so it's only right we should call in and take a look. The rings are thought to have been built between 2500bc and 2000bc, the circle of stones is 104m (340ft) in diameter but no longer complete. Originally, there were 60 stones, but only 27 now remain. in 1980 one of the stones was struck by lighting shattering it and may help explain the state of some of the others.

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Some of the stones carry graffiti, but its not all modern, one of the stones carries Norse runes but I'm afraid we didn't see it. I imagine if this stone circle were anywhere near more densely populated areas it would be fully fenced off as Stonehenge is today.

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It's still blowing a gale but the guys were brave enough to take off there helmets off for this group shot by one of the stones giving you an idea of scale.

Neil, Patto, David and Gee

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The Ring of Brodgar from the air, bottom left is the path coming up from the car park and the road that passes it top left.

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16.14 And it's time to head back to Kirkwall and our B&B, it's only 12 miles away. Riding back my face felt like it'd been scrubbed with a Brillo pad then lightly toasted with a blowlamp thanks to all that wind, what it does to people who work outside here all the time is anyone's guess.

16.42 Back at the Polrudden the rooms have been tidied and the beds made, very nice and welcoming.

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Our decent sized bathroom, all part of the purpose built ensuite rooms.

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Around 18.00 we took a walk in to town for our evening meal but after last nights excellent Indian we were at a loss as to where we should try tonight. There was a fish and chip restaurant on the main street but it looked like it might be a disappointment, so the only other option seemed to be the Kirkwall Hotel, clearly the smartest place in town even if it did have a touch of the faded glory's. Still in for a penny, in we went, and rather like that hotel in Portugal the previous year it actually turned out to be a very good place to dine, excellent service and a very good meal, recommended!

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After the meal we had a few pints then Dave and I decided to head back. Instead of retracing our steps like sensible people would we walked down main street intending to cut across lower down, but it went wrong. Suddenly nether of us knew where we were, the streets were deserted, It was dark, cold, blowing a gale and raining! I had a light jacket on and Dave a fleece, can you get hypothermia in a town centre while on holiday in May? Right at that moment I thought it highly likely!

This is where I recon we went, if we'd just gone a little further down main street before turning right we'd have been fine.

We saw the lights of a filling station and thinking it was the one close to the end of our road we walked toward it. When we got there our hopes were dashed, it was the wrong one, then seemingly far away we could see what we thought was maybe the right filling station, but it did seem a long way off. Thankfully as we got closer we saw it was the right one and after skirting passed a lake we were soon back at the B&B and our warm room. Telly on, kettle on and two mugs of hot chocolate made, what a relief!

Dave and I back at the B&B watching TV.

My thanks to the BBC for the use of the above picture of Morecambe and Wise, the funniest comedy duo ever!

Tomorrow we're starting back, over the ferry to mainland, then westward on what should be a great ride (if the sun shines...).

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Today's tracklog and waypoints in Garmin .gdb format

Today's full wind blown route in yellow.

Today's temperature graph, and feeling colder than it was despite the sun all day.

Other sites of interest around Orkney you can research for your selves through the net'

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