Day 10 (29th June 2022)

We are staying on South Ronaldsay which is fortunate because a couple of the Germinal CCXXIV places are either on or just off the coast of this island. All the places bar one on the Orkney Islands are within easy reach, so we planned to do all of those today, leaving one for tomorrow and a day off on Friday, when the weather might be terrible.

So, short drive to stop #24

TOMB OF THE EAGLES

As you can see from my expression, the Tomb of the Eagles is closed. And not just for today, this week or this month.

It seems that Covid has had significant damage to the tourist industry on the Orkneys, and this is one of the casualties. Now rumour has it there is a way of sneaking in but, well, I didn't want to risk it. It was a very short drive to the most southerly tip of South Ronaldsay for stop #25

MUCKLE SKERRY

Muckle Skerry is the largest of the Pentland Skerries, a group of islands between the Orkneys and the mainland. Muckle Skerry has the very first Lighthouse that Robert Stevenson worked on in 1794.

If you look closely, you just might be able to see it. As you can see, the weather really wasn't that great.

Trying not to feel too disappointed with both closures and rain, we headed across the Churchill causeways that were built by Italian PoWs during WWII to keep Uboats out of the harbours and destroying British warships. They link three of the islands to the Orkney mainland and it was from here that I wanted to take a picture of the body of water that is stop #26

SCAPA FLOW

Oh how we love those lines 

"From Scapa Flow 

to Rotherhithe 

I felt the lapping

of an ebbing tide"

from 'Carrion'. It is of course also on Germinal CCXXIV mug/T and in this particular corner of it, you can just about see stop #27

BARREL OF BUTTER 

I assumed that the Barrel of Butter referred to the stumpy Lighthouse built in 1980, but it is the name of the Skerry it is built on. It was formerly known as Carlin Skerry, but Barrel of Butter was the rent paid by the people of the village of Orphir (just outside of which I was standing for the pic) to the Laird so they could hunt seals off it. I thank you, Dr.Google.

Once again, this is about the best view and picture I could take but you can just about make it out!

There was one more place to seek out today and this was another body of water that separates Deerness from Linksness - stop #28

DEER SOUND

The weather seemed to be getting worse, se we decided to go explore Kirkwall, the main city of the Islands. There was a cruise liner in, so lots of people wandering around lost with maps and carrier bags full of tourist tut (not a criticism as anyone who has seen the side of our fridge will know, I do love a bit of tourist tut!). We struggled to find anywhere open for a late lunch, but had spotted a Lidl on the way in. Armed with a couple of slabs of what was hopefully local beef, we made our way back to camp.

Suddenly, the sun came out, so we stopped at the Churchill causeway on Glimps Holm and Guy went for a swim. 

Although it was still blowing a cold wind, these pics could easily have been taken on a Greek Island.

Back at camp, we feasted and then hung out chewing the fat with Jeremy, one of our neighbours. He puts me to shame as he has been on the road for over 100 days, slowly making his way around Scotland taking pictures and leading the most enviable life imaginable. 

We slept like logs.

Allons-y 

Douglas Germinal CCXXIV Brain over and out