Professor Alice Roberts @ Cheltenham Science Festival

What a perfect end of our Orkney adventure. Meeting with professor Alice Roberts whose happened to be the one who sold us the idea of going to the Orkney Islands. It was BBC documentary "Digging for Britain" we've seen Alice Roberts on, speaking about Ness of Brodgar.

By the way, there is an awful lot of amazing stuff at the Cheltenham Science Festival. Suitable for all ages and interests.

Cheltenham Science Festival is held at the Imperial Gardens area of Cheltenham every year, late spring. 

Kirkwall

The last point on our list is St. Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall. 

 

St. Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall dominates the skyline of Kirkwall, the main town of Orkney, a group of islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland. It is the most northerly cathedral in the British Isles, a fine example of Romanesque architecture built for the bishops of Orkney when the islands were ruled by the Norse Earl of Orkney. It is owned not by the church, but by the burgh of Kirkwall as a result of an act of King James III of Scotland following Orkney's annexation by the Scottish Crown in 1468. It has its own dungeon.

A bit of time to get me self a souvenir, some swimming in the local leisure centre and we're ready for a night boat to Aberdeen. 

Papa Westray

It's already our second day at Papa Westray. 

The first evening we were on the chase for a puffin. We've seen stunning views, arctic terns, ravens, fulmars, eiders, guillemots and kittiwakes. No sign of puffins...

Next day, a bit of history/archeology again. 

The Knap of Howar on the island of Papa Westray in Orkney, Scotland, a Neolithic farmstead may be the oldest preserved stone house in northern Europe. Radiocarbon dating shows that it was occupied from 3700 BC to 2800 BC, earlier than the similar houses in the settlement at Skara Brae on the Orkney Mainland.

The final attempt to see the puffins came up even more adventures than expected. 

We've met the seals and...

rescue the Great Northern Diver which is rarer even for locals to see from close distance. 

Poor birdie couldn't fly so we took it to local farm and call Natural Reserve stuff. The bird got a wash and we were told that's getting better. 

Orkney Ale for a good end of the day ;)

PS. Papay Hostel is a marvellous place run by incredible people (especially Jennifer). We just camp here but I have never ever experienced such great service and hospitality. For information, the one place serves as community shop, hostel, camp site, petrol station, and community pub on Saturdays!

Orkney by Air

Commuting might be a tricky task here on islands. There is not many travel options to chose from. Quite exciting is traveling by tiny plane.

Everything is hassle free. Check-in is only down to introducing yourself. Everything is taking just few minutes. Look at the airport terminal at the most northern Orkney Island, North Ronaldsay, below

 

The whole flying takes up to 15 minutes. You can get to the shortest scheduled flight (just 2 minutes!) from Papa Westray (where we're staying) to Westray. 

The views are stunning, prices second to nothing and you can easily get a place just by the pilot!

Orkney - the Mainland

The first day at the Orkney as planned. 

Ness of Brodgar is an archaeological site covering 2.5 hectares (6.2 acres) between the Ring of Brodgar and the Stones of Stenness near Loch of Harray, Orkney, in Scotland. Excavations at the site began in 2003. The site has provided evidence of housing, decorated stone slabs, a massive stone wall with foundations, and a large building described as a Neolithic  "cathedral" or "palace". The site may have been occupied from as early as 3500 BC to the close of the Neolithic period more than a millennium and a half later.

I knew a wheel is an old invention but didn't know that tires where that commonly used 3500 BC ;)

The Ring of Brodgar (or Brogar, or Ring o' Brodgar) is a Neolithic henge and stone bcircle about 6 miles north-east of Stromness on the Mainland, the largest island in Orkney, Scotland. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the Hearth of Neolithic Orkney.

The Standing Stones of Stenness is a Neolithic monument five miles northeast of Stromnes, Scotland. This may be the oldest henge site in the British Isles.

Skara Brae is a stone-built Neolithic settlement, located on the Bay of Skaill  on the west coast of Mainland, the largest island in the Orkney archipelago of Scotland. It consists of eight clustered houses, and was occupied from roughly 3180 BCE–2500 BCE. Europe's most complete Neolithic village, Skara Brae gained UNESCO World Heritage Site status as one of four sites making up "The Hearth of Neolithic Orkney." Older than Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids, it has been called the "Scottish Pompeii" because of its excellent preservation.

Wild camping in Scotland

If you can camp literally anywhere why not just by the sea...

The unexpected benefit of the wild camping in Thurso was a concern police officer giving us a lift to the ferry terminal ;)

 

Thurso

We're almost there. Just few miles left. It's beautiful finish of today's train trip. We're surrounded by the sea on one side and the moorlands and hills on the other. 

Who's going to accept the challenge to bit a ticket price we've paid. It was just £27 for Birmingham-Thurso for me and Julian all together. How good is that!