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Yorkshire Part 1
In which Lis leaves Scotland and journeys to the Yorkshire Dales, whereupon she met a cow and calf. I went to visit Chris, the other backpacker who I met in Inuvik 20 years ago, who is now in Yorkshire with his family. The first night I arrived at sunset they took me up to the Cow and Calf rock formations up on the hill above the city. For the first time, they realised that there’s a pair of lips on the rock! Chris also got me to climb up a rock face I never would have dared if it was light out. By (near full) moonlight, we also went up…
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Back on the Scottish Mainland
In which Lis visits another arctic friend and retraces her steps. The morning I left Orkney there were gale force winds. The ferry crew warned that it was going to be a rough crossing. And it was. Once back on land I took a bus from Scrabster to Inverness. The bus ride along the northern peninsula went through some of the most beautiful villages I’ve ever seen. I absolutely love Scottish kirks. Once in Inverness I checked into my hostel and then went for a little walk around along the river before succumbing to hunger – and as it was a Sunday afternoon, most places were closed until the supper…
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Orkney Part 10
St. Magnus Way: Orphir to Kirkwall, and the Italian Chapel In which Lis completes her first pilgrimage and promptly loses her walking poles. During breakfast Margaret noted that the high winds were blowing in the correct direction so they wouldn’t blow me off the cliffs. Good to know. Somehow there was blue sky above the house as I left, even though it had been pouring buckets all morning. The first section was by Waulkmill Bay across a wetland. I resigned myself to a very wet day of walking. Waulkmill Bay glitters in the morning light. High above the bay on a fairly lonely stretch of road stands one of my…
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Orkney Part 9
St. Magnus Way: Finstown to Orphir In which Lis traverses a high moor and sings a song The signage at the beginning of the trail was somewhat misleading… The trail soon started to climb up the hill beside Finstown, and it was glorious moor filled with heather and peat cuttings. At the top of the first climb was Cuween Hill – famous for its neolithic cairn containing dog skulls. There’s something lovely about the desolate moors, walking from one way-post to the next. And don’t be fooled – it’s filled with life: birds and small mammals, bees and other insects love these places. As I was walking, I remembered a…
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Orkney Part 8
St. Magnus Way: Dounby to Finstown In which Lis meets a dinosaur, an emu, and trees! The morning sun over the Kirbister Loch was fantastic. Good to start the day without worrying too much about the weather… [This is called foreshadowing.] Before too many sheep and cattle, I encountered a dinosaur. But I carried on walking. Then I came across an elderly man whose car became stuck when he pulled over to let someone pass. I asked if I could help, but after holding the door so he could get out of the car he said there was nothing for me to do and he was going to walk to…
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Orkney Part 7
Brough of Birsay and St. Magnus Way: Birsay to Dounby In which Lis visits a tidal island and Tzip2 checks out a viking sauna The previous day was very very very wet, so I decided to delay my next walk and go sightseeing instead. I visited the Stones of Stenness and Maeshowe, and got exceedingly wet and chilled. The Stones of Stenness are a very old set of standing stones (predating Stonehenge by hundreds of years), and nearby is a neolithic village that was likely associated with this monument. Maeshowe is a particularly interesting chambered cairn (about 5000 years old) that also has fascinating Norse runes carved inside – graffiti…
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Orkney Part 6
St. Magnus Way: Evie to Birsay In which Lis resumes her pilgrimage and visits an iron age broch. At the start of the second stage of the St. Magnus Way, there is an iron age broch (pictured above) from around 400-100 BC. This section of the walk follows the coast primarily, and started with a challenging scramble over uneven beach stones for a long time. At one point I made my way up into a nearby field, which turned out to be a bad idea since I then had to cross a couple of fences that I wasn’t supposed to and it was a bit dicey. I wasn’t sure that…
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Orkney Part 5
Birsay and Barony Mill In which Lis visits a water mill and makes bannock from a 5000+ year old type of barley. For the next week, this is the view from my bedroom window, out over Waulkmill Bay and the Loch of Kirbister. I’m staying in a lovely bed and breakfast called Foinhaven. I went for a short hike near Birsay, along the cliffs and through farmland. The oblong hollows (nousts) in the picture above (a place called Skiba Geo) were where fishermen kept boats when they brought them up from the shore. The above geo (narrow inlet from the sea in a ravine), like many coastal cliffs, had many…
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Orkney Part 4
Westray, Papa Westray In which Lis goes north and meets a dog who loves archaeology. My island hopping continued and I set off for Westray and Papa Westray (AKA Papay), two of the northern isles in the Orkney archipelago. On the ferry ride over I had a wonderful chat with a fellow passenger – and she turned out to be the owner of a very cool textiles business that is seen featured in the Orkney Islander magazine. I learned a lot about Westray from her and she even gave me a quick tour of the Pierowall area before dropping me off at my hostel. This island has lots of community…
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Orkney Part 3
Rousay In which Lis encounters the neolithic on the side of the road and also climbs a hill. Today was a day for exploring Rousay – the island is bigger than I thought! But never mind – there were 3 neolithic sites just off the road within a 30 minute walk from my hostel! Blackhammer chambered cairn – literally beside the main road. I was astounded that you could just walk up to it, and climb in. It’s fenced, but just to keep the livestock out. Next was Yarso cairn: On an absolutely stunning ridgeline. Have I mentioned yet that I love heather? I encountered this lovely (and humungous) Saturnia…