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Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Day 32 June 22nd
Yesterday was wet….very wet….and misty. And wet……yup….it rained…..a lot!
When on holiday just get on a do it and so we did.
At Jarlshof, Sumburgh we had purchased a Visit Scotland pass to many sites, including those on Orkney. So today we were headed for the sites. What did we learn?
What seems to be the case is that Orkney, and to some extent Shetland were quite heavily populated in Neolithic times for several reasons. It is said that the abundance of fish, fertile lands for crops like wheat and barley, plentiful fowl like seabirds, meant that the peoples had a relatively secure life. Coupled to the fact that they were also on some early trading routes offers some ideas as to why they settled here. Maybe, also, islands might have been a little safer and less likely to be attacked by others, as well as the lack of any animal predators may have meant that the settlements survived longer. In the case of Skara Brae, about 600 years.
We got to 4 different sites. The first was Maeshowe, a huge chamber which one entered via a 10 metre long tunnel which was about 3 feet high. Well some could enter as I found it more than I could face. So I had to make the long trudge back to the Visitor Centre whilst Meryl enjoyed seeing it at first hand. Pity but whilst I thought I could enter the chamber, I was concerned about whether or not I could summon the stomach, or even head, to leave. Whilst awaiting here return in the dry I spoke with a couple, one of whom was an experimental archaeologist from Butser Hill in Hampshire. He was on a visit to see for himself how peoples without trees built their dwellings.
With the wind blowing, rain clouds hovering overhead, and the cold burrowing deep into ones bones we continued to several other sites. Two of tehse were stone rings. The first was the Ring of Stenness which is quite small in size, with few stones remaining. However, as the picture shows, one at least was very tall. The second ring, Brodgar, is huge and far more complete. All were windswept and walking was bedevilled with sodden grass, puddles and slippery mud (see pictures).
The highlight of the day was Skara Brae, that greatest of ancient sites situated on the coast in a classic, south-seas type of bay. Apparently it was first settled about 5000 years ago when the sea was many hundreds of yards further way. It was only abandoned when it probably reached the settlement and its impact in terms of turning the soil sandy meant food production was very poor.
What one can see is only part of the settlement, the rest having been swept away by the sea, it is said. What is striking about these remains, as indeed of the others we have seen is the use of stone. It survives because the built in stone rather than wood. Well, there was virtually no wood so there choices were limited.
We left for a gentle drive around the mist laden coast. It was so misty that the Kitchener monument, on the top of a cliff overlooking the Atlantic was hidden from sight. It is a curious spectacle to drive 30 miles along roads with but a single carriageway and only passing places and, so far, not be faced with any form of road rage. Remarkable!
Finally, we went to our last concert. Not one I might have otherwise chosen given that it was a concert of Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven. Nothing against these composers particularly except that they would not be mine if other choices existed. What struck me when listening to the Beethoven was the extraordinary amount of repetition in the music; almost mind numbing. The same tune/motif or what ever repeated so many times. Added to that were the repeats of whole sections of the piece which simply felt as though he wanted to ensure we had got it the first time; Yes we had!!! Oh, it was the Pastoral Symphony, by the way.
So they longest day ended with the longest rainstorm for, well , days. A lady who works for Historic Scotland at Skara Brae told us that she had been running around The Ring of Brodgar eg the Stonehenge of the North, at 3 am and the sun never appeared. Only the rain!! ( OK, I have said enough about rain, wind, cold…no more, OK?)
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