This past weekend was extra long for everyone in the UK as there was a Bank Holiday on Monday and then everyone pretty much got Tuesday off to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee. Rather than trying to mix in with the crowds of millions in London, I decided to head the other way - North - to the Orkney Islands, an archipelago right off Scotland's northern-most coast. I figured that with extra time, I should go somewhere special that required a wee bit more time to get to, right? It did take a while to get there, in fact.
I could have taken the train or flown, both of which would have been quicker than taking a coach, but the coach was the cheapest option (thank you, MegaBus!). I left on a sunny Saturday morning, riding three and a half hours to get to Inverness, where I was to switch coaches and get on the John O'Groats Express from Inverness to Kirkwall, the capital of the Orkney Islands. The John O'Groats Express was a great option to take: for £52, I was able to get a return ticket that included a coach from Inverness to John O'Groats, a passenger ferry from John O'Groats to Burwick on the island of South Ronaldsay, and another coach from Burwick to Kirkwall...and then all the way back to Inverness. Not a bad deal at all!
So while I was waiting in Inverness for my coach to John O'Groats, I decided to explore a bit since I didn't have the time to do that last month when my friends and I came up for the Brew at the Bog music festival outside of Inverness. It's a quaint little town, but with honestly not a whole lot to do from what I could tell. It was sunny and I walked through the old part of town to the banks of the River Ness where you can take in scenic vantages of the town including a few churches and the little Inverness Castle.
I walked up to the castle to get an idea of the view from up there. The castle is not the original 12th century castle built by Scottish King David I, who founded the Royal Burgh of Inverness after finally winning out against the Mormaer King MacBeth. The castle was fortified and used throughout the clan wars until Prince Charles Edward Stewart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) blew it up during the Jacobite Rebellion. The current structure was built in 1834 as a courthouse and town hall.
After walking around the castle, I went across the street to the free Inverness Museum and Art Gallery which provided me a total history of Scotland from it's orogenic and glaciated geologic background, the northern migration of humans following the retreating ice margin and the Neolithic Era, the development of the Picts, the exploration by the Romans, conquer by the Vikings, then by the Celts, and throw in some Norman conquest, the uniting of Scotland and England after the death of Mary, Queen of Scots, and a little bit of Jacobite Rebellions, the industrial revolution, and voila, you have Scotland. It was truly a great museum, well-organized, with interactive displays where you can listen to phrases spoken in Scottish Gallic (which was fun to play with because there were two young boys who were playing a game, but repeated everything the display said out loud, laughing as they did so). There were also some of the original Pictish carvings of wolves, sea monsters, and other designs.
Time was running short, so I picked up some snacks in the local Poundland and caught my coach up to John O'Groats (JOG). JOG bills itself as the first and the last as it is the farthest north you can get on mainland Scotland, situated right on the coast of the Pentland Firth, one of the most dangerous water-crossings in Scotland due to very fast flowing tidal currents swirling and eddying around and between the numerous islands in the Firth. It took about three hours to get to JOG, passing through very small towns surrounded by cattle and sheep pastures. We didn't have to wait long for the ferry to arrive, but it gave me some time to take in my first glimpses of the cliff-lined Orkney Islands. Soon, I was, myself, on the ferry crossing the dangerous waterway - which, you could really see the water churning, eddying, and flowing over rocky reefs below the water surface as the tides came in and out! The weather was great, the crossing was smooth, and I was really impressed by the captain's knowledge of the waters, taking into account the strong outgoing tides, which we had to sail into and let carry us along to the ferry docks on South Ronaldsay. But we were there, on the islands, loading up into the coach that would take us across a few farm-covered islands to the capital city, Kirkwall.
I was tired, and hungry, and it was nearly 8:30pm and I had the feeling that if I didn't get any food soon, I would miss my opportunities as all the shops in Scotland, especially Orkney, close at 5 and pubs stop serving food at 9. So I checked into my hostel, the Kirkwall Peedie Hostel - a fantastically cozy place with extremely accommodating owners (and at £15/night, you can't go wrong). Julia gave me some pointers on where to get food and then where to find live music in town. I put my things in my room and was off. But not quickly enough. I got to Helgi's, Julia's suggested pub for food but they didn't have any room, so I wandered around the corner to a wee fish and chips shop, run by an old Orcadian couple who were very friendly and got me some hot food just before they closed up shop. I took it back to my hostel where I ate it and planned my weekend. Finally, before going to bed, I decided to walk around Kirkwall a bit and find some live music. I was told to check out Reel, a coffee shop that turns into a pub/live music venue on certain nights of the week. Sure enough, right next to St. Magnus' Cathedral, I heard the sounds of fiddles, a piano, an accordion, singing, and guitars coming out of Reel. It was packed, but I bought some local Orkney Brewery brews, found a place to stand, and enjoyed the local jam session for a few hours.
Exhausted, I headed back to the Peedie Hostel, got ready for bed, and crashed as soon as my head hit my pillow.
Up to Orkney, a set on Flickr.
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