Monday, September 08, 2003
One-day Itinerary , north Orkney Mainland
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By car from Stromness back to Stromness this is do-able in a day . A long leisurely day or a zip around . A warning for those wishing to visit the Brough of Birsay to plan your visit some time ahead - because it is a tidal island even with a vehicle you could find it difficult to reach there on spec and go much to anywhere else ( there is only a daily listing for accessing the Brough on http://www.orcadian.co.uk , and that only updated mid-morning ) . I have left out seeing the palaces at Kirkwall to simplify the itinerary , perhaps I shall have a south Orkney Mainland to include these .
On the main Stromness-Kirkwall , after the Brig o'Waithe and just past the Orphir turning , on the left a short lane leads to Unstan Tomb . This is as good as our stalled cairns are , short of a trip to Rousay . Back on the road we come to Stenness . On the left again are the famous stone circles , on a turnoff . I suggest going up to visit the Ring of Brodgar first . Then as you come back down to the main road the Stones of Stenness are on your left . A short track on the left of the enclosing fence takes you to the Barnhouse Settlement . Once on the main road again you quickly come up to a pair of sites , Maes Howe on yet another small track on the left whilst Tormiston Mill stands on the right . Many prefer the climb up the hill to going inside of Maes Howe . At Tormiston you can take refreshment .
Along the main road the next major junction on the left takes you to Dounby . on the right a road goes to Evie . Partway along this lies a track down to Click Mill . After Tormiston Mill this is back to a more human scale , a perfect miniature landscaping . The machinery still awaits inside , if that is your thing . But for me what makes it is the exterior and the confluence of waters meeting earth and stone to form an exquisite whole . When you come to the Evie end take a minor detour to the right and sharply find on the left a long minor road that leads you to the Broch of Gurness on the headland . On this stretch of coast , facing Rousay of the fabulous tombs , are the remains of many brochs . But this is the only one viewable up close as a scenic site for visitors ( further down this road to Finstown lies the Tingwall road , and if you go down to the pier to catch a boat to Rousay just before you reach farm in front of the pier , on the left of the road lies Thing-Voll Broch , a Broch and thing site [ resembling Dingieshowe Broch in this ] . But it is much fragmented and encumbered still by earth still ) . This is a lovely multi-period site , fully excavated ; not just the broch alone but many houses and extensive turfed ditches . Back on the main road turn right and take the long way round over the top of the island . I suppose you could return to Dounby and reach Birsay that way . But my way around the coast the scenery is absolutely magnificent . If you are familiar with Orcadian landscapes this route comes as a shock , a shock that thrills because , to put it simply , it is as if you had slipped into somewhere quite other than Orkney . And you get a stunning look down on the length of the Brough .
On your way around for the next sites you turn off to the right and down into Birsay village (somewhere here is a tearoom) . Here are the mortal remains of the later Earl's Palace . And if you've hit the tides right you continue east along a very minor road and reach the Brough of Birsay by going down some steps and walking along a causeway . It is very pretty I must say , if a little extensive to take in in one glance . To get a more inclusive look use binoculars from the headland before you cross . And , should you not be able to reach the Brough , from here the waves are wonderful to behold , crashing in or across as the mood takes them . Now up onto the main road once more and continue past the working Boardhouse Mill on the right until you come to the junction where the roads for Dounby and Skaill part . Immediately before this , in a field on the right , I would like to point out the remaining courses of the Oxtro Broch , unimpressive though they are to others . At the junction the right-hand road goes to Skaill Bay , on which lies the Neolithic village of Skara Brae . Along the way there you pass a right-hand turning to Marwick Bay . I mention it simply as a well-known viewpoint . Reaching Skara Brae I must point out that personally I still find it almost as much a disappointment , after all the hype , as Maes Howe . The advantage that the site clearly has , though ,is that finally here are prehistoric houses that you can look at complete and actually go inside . You can have refreshments in the new visitor's centre or dine at Skaill House . And here I leave you to follow the signs back to Stromness , though if you still have too much time you could always visit the cliffs at Yesnaby or just outside Stromness itself go down to Wharebeth beach .
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By car from Stromness back to Stromness this is do-able in a day . A long leisurely day or a zip around . A warning for those wishing to visit the Brough of Birsay to plan your visit some time ahead - because it is a tidal island even with a vehicle you could find it difficult to reach there on spec and go much to anywhere else ( there is only a daily listing for accessing the Brough on http://www.orcadian.co.uk , and that only updated mid-morning ) . I have left out seeing the palaces at Kirkwall to simplify the itinerary , perhaps I shall have a south Orkney Mainland to include these .
On the main Stromness-Kirkwall , after the Brig o'Waithe and just past the Orphir turning , on the left a short lane leads to Unstan Tomb . This is as good as our stalled cairns are , short of a trip to Rousay . Back on the road we come to Stenness . On the left again are the famous stone circles , on a turnoff . I suggest going up to visit the Ring of Brodgar first . Then as you come back down to the main road the Stones of Stenness are on your left . A short track on the left of the enclosing fence takes you to the Barnhouse Settlement . Once on the main road again you quickly come up to a pair of sites , Maes Howe on yet another small track on the left whilst Tormiston Mill stands on the right . Many prefer the climb up the hill to going inside of Maes Howe . At Tormiston you can take refreshment .
Along the main road the next major junction on the left takes you to Dounby . on the right a road goes to Evie . Partway along this lies a track down to Click Mill . After Tormiston Mill this is back to a more human scale , a perfect miniature landscaping . The machinery still awaits inside , if that is your thing . But for me what makes it is the exterior and the confluence of waters meeting earth and stone to form an exquisite whole . When you come to the Evie end take a minor detour to the right and sharply find on the left a long minor road that leads you to the Broch of Gurness on the headland . On this stretch of coast , facing Rousay of the fabulous tombs , are the remains of many brochs . But this is the only one viewable up close as a scenic site for visitors ( further down this road to Finstown lies the Tingwall road , and if you go down to the pier to catch a boat to Rousay just before you reach farm in front of the pier , on the left of the road lies Thing-Voll Broch , a Broch and thing site [ resembling Dingieshowe Broch in this ] . But it is much fragmented and encumbered still by earth still ) . This is a lovely multi-period site , fully excavated ; not just the broch alone but many houses and extensive turfed ditches . Back on the main road turn right and take the long way round over the top of the island . I suppose you could return to Dounby and reach Birsay that way . But my way around the coast the scenery is absolutely magnificent . If you are familiar with Orcadian landscapes this route comes as a shock , a shock that thrills because , to put it simply , it is as if you had slipped into somewhere quite other than Orkney . And you get a stunning look down on the length of the Brough .
On your way around for the next sites you turn off to the right and down into Birsay village (somewhere here is a tearoom) . Here are the mortal remains of the later Earl's Palace . And if you've hit the tides right you continue east along a very minor road and reach the Brough of Birsay by going down some steps and walking along a causeway . It is very pretty I must say , if a little extensive to take in in one glance . To get a more inclusive look use binoculars from the headland before you cross . And , should you not be able to reach the Brough , from here the waves are wonderful to behold , crashing in or across as the mood takes them . Now up onto the main road once more and continue past the working Boardhouse Mill on the right until you come to the junction where the roads for Dounby and Skaill part . Immediately before this , in a field on the right , I would like to point out the remaining courses of the Oxtro Broch , unimpressive though they are to others . At the junction the right-hand road goes to Skaill Bay , on which lies the Neolithic village of Skara Brae . Along the way there you pass a right-hand turning to Marwick Bay . I mention it simply as a well-known viewpoint . Reaching Skara Brae I must point out that personally I still find it almost as much a disappointment , after all the hype , as Maes Howe . The advantage that the site clearly has , though ,is that finally here are prehistoric houses that you can look at complete and actually go inside . You can have refreshments in the new visitor's centre or dine at Skaill House . And here I leave you to follow the signs back to Stromness , though if you still have too much time you could always visit the cliffs at Yesnaby or just outside Stromness itself go down to Wharebeth beach .
Sunday, September 07, 2003
SPACE , + -
All the years that I have been in Orkney of all the major sites to look at I had never been to the Knowe of Onston , despite its lying alongside the main road just short of the Brig o'Waithe . Somehow it looked insignificant and also I was put off by the thought of crawling through some damp passage . Then I saw a photo of the inside on a website a couple of weeks back and was surprised by the light and space . So this weekend finally I paid homage to the Unstan Tomb , finding it to be just as the photo showed . Such a contrast to the Cuween Hill Cairn : there really was a short crawl , here more a shambling crouch , there the main compartment only fairly visible with a lantern , here apart (alas) for the side-chamber it was as if you were out in the open . The place is refreshing to look at . A couple visiting at the time were impressed by the use of red sandstone slabs.
Also travelled the length of the road in Orphir upon which lie the Bu and the Round Church . Going up from the Hall of Gyre (alias Orphir House) at the first corner I looked back to the left of Gyre and saw a couple of fields away a large mound of apparently crescentic shape that wasn't shown on my map (and nothing later showing on CANMAP) . Perhaps , big as it was ,it was only a modern spoilheap . But it lies in splendid isolation . Going round another corner also on the right the other side of the wall was what looked like a quarry except it looks more as if a large scoop of earth had been taken by some giant's hand . It may be fanciful of me to see a connection between mound and scoop .
Back to another journey , only along what I call the 50-50 road but is actually the Germiston Road to Orphir . Shortly after it leaves the main road (on the other side you look across to Lower Hobbister) there is a mound on the left that does not appear on the archaeological map even though there are traces of excavation trenches . A stream lies a short distance fom its left-side and is stone-lined . You can imagine that the mound's creators are responsible for this too only the large blocks seem more like bedrock . Wholly natural or adapted to form some outer ditch ? Whatever it really is I reccomend it to anyone that likes the revealed interplay between rock and water
All the years that I have been in Orkney of all the major sites to look at I had never been to the Knowe of Onston , despite its lying alongside the main road just short of the Brig o'Waithe . Somehow it looked insignificant and also I was put off by the thought of crawling through some damp passage . Then I saw a photo of the inside on a website a couple of weeks back and was surprised by the light and space . So this weekend finally I paid homage to the Unstan Tomb , finding it to be just as the photo showed . Such a contrast to the Cuween Hill Cairn : there really was a short crawl , here more a shambling crouch , there the main compartment only fairly visible with a lantern , here apart (alas) for the side-chamber it was as if you were out in the open . The place is refreshing to look at . A couple visiting at the time were impressed by the use of red sandstone slabs.
Also travelled the length of the road in Orphir upon which lie the Bu and the Round Church . Going up from the Hall of Gyre (alias Orphir House) at the first corner I looked back to the left of Gyre and saw a couple of fields away a large mound of apparently crescentic shape that wasn't shown on my map (and nothing later showing on CANMAP) . Perhaps , big as it was ,it was only a modern spoilheap . But it lies in splendid isolation . Going round another corner also on the right the other side of the wall was what looked like a quarry except it looks more as if a large scoop of earth had been taken by some giant's hand . It may be fanciful of me to see a connection between mound and scoop .
Back to another journey , only along what I call the 50-50 road but is actually the Germiston Road to Orphir . Shortly after it leaves the main road (on the other side you look across to Lower Hobbister) there is a mound on the left that does not appear on the archaeological map even though there are traces of excavation trenches . A stream lies a short distance fom its left-side and is stone-lined . You can imagine that the mound's creators are responsible for this too only the large blocks seem more like bedrock . Wholly natural or adapted to form some outer ditch ? Whatever it really is I reccomend it to anyone that likes the revealed interplay between rock and water
