Under glass: a perfect chaos of random brightly coloured objects that, eyes blurred, could be anything. A junk shop, and Aladdin’s Cave of small treasures and tat and trinkets. Red feather boas and precious vases and china plates, jewelled brooches and draped finery like silk scarves. The occasional gold watch, with pearlescent face and little hands intricately ticking away.

Whole pieces at the centre, gradually fading into fragments and sun-bleached oddities at the edges. The bargain bin of rock pools.

On the island of Rousay (often referred to as the Egypt of the North by archaeologists due to the huge amount of important discoveries made there considering its small size) is a bay shielded by the curve of the land. Saviskaill Bay is a popular site for seals (they can often be seen lounging on the rocks further out- there were quite a few while we were there; you can just about spot some in the distance below!)

Rousay is a slightly odd-shaped island- the whole thing leads up to a huge, long hill in the centre, with an almost terraced appearance, as if it’s been sculpted that way. The island is dotted with derelict farmhouses left over from the clearances (Rousay was the only one of the Orkney Islands affected by the clearances, due to the laird of the island). There are tens of cairns (tombs) to be explored, including Midhowe Cairn, a huge tomb now protected from the elements due to its importance. Next to it is Midhowe Broch, the remains of a settlement, which is fascinating to look around (there were also a pair of fulmars nesting there!).

There are rockpools full of otherworldly-looking anemones, gulls swooping low over the ocean, and tonnes of fulmars nesting in the low cliffs behind the beach. The sea surrounding Orkney is so clear it’s easy to see large bodies of seaweed as well as white sand, through the water.

            

There’s only one road on Rousay, which loops around the central hill of the island, leading from the ferry terminal all the way around, with beautiful views of the other islands. A lot of the cairns are located just off this road; we ended up doing a cairn crawl. Also accessible from Rousay are its tiny satellite islands, Egilsay and Wyre (by ferry) and Eynhallow (by chartered boat).

Saviskaill Bay is a gorgeous beach to explore rock pools, paddle, find lucky groatie buckies (otherwise known as cowrie shells) and spot seals and sometimes even occasionally otters!

           

Writing this has made me miss Orkney’s beauty and fresh air- I can’t wait to go back!

Rhi xx

  

Hi again! I’ve just gotten back from holiday in the Orkney Islands above the top of Scotland; so over the next few weeks, I’m going to post about some of my favourite places and walks in these gorgeous islands.

 Orkney is home to an incredibly diverse array of flora and fauna, including puffins, the rare primula scotica flower which only exists in specific areas of Scotland, as well as, currently, a pair of white-tailed sea eagles on the island of Hoy (one of the largest breeds of eagle in the world, often likened to a “flying barn door”!). It’s also home to what I reckon is some of the most beautiful coastline scenery in the UK, as well as some of the most important evidence of neolithic life; there are plenty of chambered cairns to explore plus larger archaeological sites like the well-known Skara Brae, a neolithic village; and the Ring of Brodgar, a stone circle, the area beside which is currently being excavated due to more discoveries (which I’ll talk about more in a sec!). I have a lot to say about it as a community, too- but I figure I’ll focus on specific parts, and let these and the photos do the talking! 

 While I was there I kept an observational diary of my surroundings, so I’ll include a couple of my favourite descriptions from that in my posts too.

#1: The Ring Of Brodgar

 

“There are a million (and have been a million more) different sunsets. They paint the sky and the landscape a multitude of searingly bright colours that you would previously only have assigned to very specific and man-made things; although, you realise, man must’ve gotten the idea from somewhere. There has been, on the third or fourth night here, a display of day-glo raspberry and peach and tangerine, cobalt blue still lingering high above to begin with until the warm, bright colours begin to soak that up and seep into the blue. Tonight, the last, it’s apricot, and turkish delight- framed by parma violet clouds floating closer and closer to the sun on a fast wind, as moths drawn to a lightbulb. The sun sinks below a low, distant hill, and egg-yolk yellow and white-gold add their own particular hues to the slowly developing mixture. The colours change continuously; imperceptible if you keep looking, but easy to document if, say, you keep darting your eyes away to scribble words on paper. The turkish delight deepens to coral; begins to follow the sun down the plughole.”

One of the most popular sites to visit on the island due to its historical and archaeological value, the Ring of Brodgar is a circle of imposing standing stones, dating from the 3rd millenium BC. The stones cut jagged, dramatic shapes against the low, rolling skyline, set amongst heather and surrounded on three sides by the Loch of Stenness. There’s something very peaceful about the stones- they’ve been there for thousands of years, being slowly worn by the harsh winter weather; changing almost imperceptibly. Here, as well as many other places on the islands, has inspired the designs of a lot of beautiful local art and jewellery.

We visited towards the end of the evening, after the coach loads had departed. It’s a beautiful spot to watch one of Orkney’s famous sunsets from- and just for the record, the second photograph above demonstrates pretty much the darkest it gets in Orkney during the summer months. I walked around the circle and sketched the shape of each of the stones; studying them, it’s as if they each have their own personality, worn in over the centuries.