Trip to Orkney - 4 October

On awakening, the rain was pouring and the wind was howling. Dreadful morning, which I spent around St Magnus Cathedral in the heart of Kirkwall. Although I know the town quite well, they had changed it around. So, I had to pop into a tourist attraction to ask for the Tourist Office and the Bus Station, both of which had been relocated. Anyway, I found 3 wargraves outside the Cathedral (photographing wargraves is the objective of this trip).

After a cuppa in my favourite coffeeshop on Albert Street, I walked up the Old Scapa Road, by which time it was drying up. Glanced in at the Youth Hostel, which was my base during my stay in Orkney during September 2004 - see Northern Trip - The Start. Happy memories, although the place does not look terribly attractive.

A little way down the road lies the St Olaf Cemetery, where I located 125 wargraves, of whom 16 were for Norse sailors, 1 Greek and 1 German. In death, all are equal, and political and military differences no longer apply. Next, I went down to Scapa Flow to visit the memorial to HMS Royal Oak. This battleship was sunk by U-boat 47 on 14 October 1939, with the loss of 833 men.

At 1.45pm, the bus turned up to take me to the ferry terminal at Houton, some 10 miles away, from where the ferry would sail to Hoy. The weather had turned severely showery and perishingly cold. During the crossing to Flotta and Hoy, a heavy hailshower strafed the islands, leaving a thick layer of hail in the verges of the road on Hoy. I found the Lyness Naval Cemetery on Hoy, but could not find my B&B. A quick call on the mobile confirmed my suspicion that I had overshot, and a few minutes later, Helen and Derek gave me a warm welcome into their B&B. I was their very first paying guest.

Dinner was at 7pm, and I was served a very creditable pie as a main course. The light died over the sea. Spent the evening in cordial conversation with my hosts. Retired for the night at 11pm.


Inside St Magnus


A street in Kirkwall


Kirkwall Youth Hostel\


Cross of Remembrance, St Olaf's Cemetery; Scapa Flow in the distance


Exhibition on the sinking of HMS Royal Oak


On board MV Hoy Head


Derelict naval installations at Lyness, Hoy


View from Wild Heather B&B