If you find these interesting, and have not seen my posts, you might like to read a few where I have family games and challengesto try out similar ideas – and how to make it fun, not a sacrifice. Many of us are working on these issues – it is good to be aware of some of you. Orkney has it’s own Zero Waste project – for the whole population (19,000) of the Orkney Islands, in Scotland.
… with newly released police figures showing that crime is down by 29% for the first quarter of 2008 and detection rates are up to 90%. [Reported in Orkney Today]
Community Garden in St Margaret's Hope, Orkney
“We are still the safest place in the UK,” said Detective Sergeant Bob McKenzie, Acting Inspector for Orkney.
“We’ve got the lowest crime and the best detection rates in the UK. We are very pleased.”
He put the low figures down to extra police officers on the streets and on Orkney’s geography.
“We have more officers out patrolling on foot,” said DS McKenzie. “This gives a visible police presence, which we will be continuing.
“Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles have always had fairly low crime rates and high detection rates. Being an island tends to protect us. People can’t disappear off the radar here as readily as someone on the mainland could get away.”
~ ~ ~
Isn’t that great?! So good to live in a place where you can leave your house unlocked, a woman or child can walk the streets without threat, and people look out for each other.
Mind you, the down side is the cost of travel to leave the islands and go to the cities – but personally I’d rather live where it is safe and the air is clean than live near the city and car fumes, door locks and looking over your shoulder. Friends of ours live in Edinburgh and describe a journey to the local shop involving 7 locks … flat, front door, shed, bicycle, gate, etc … what a waste of time!
As I have lived in Scotland over 10 years, moving here from Wales, and my wife is from the USA (we met on day 3 of her vacation, on the Isle of Skye, very romantic!) I think I can see Scotland through the eyes of both a visitor and a local. So, here I am offering some honest and helpful advice for people planning their first ever trip to Scotland. Also note, Scotland is turning green!
First, some pictures. Everybody loves pictures. Then some useful websites for reviews and travel advice – and my contact details if you want a hand to hold.
Walking in the rain and open hillside
Walking in Berriedale, Hoy, in July
St John’s Head, Hoy
A beautiful walk along high cliffs of Hoy, Orkney Islands
Fishing Boats, Tay Esuary
After the Storm - Fishing Boats on the Tay
Eilean Donan Castle
Eilean Donan Castle
Beach near Ullapool
Beach near Ullapool on the West coast
Hogwarts Express and Harry Potter
Jacobite Steam Train - Hogwarts Express!
Monty Python’s Holy Grail – Doune Castle
Doune Castle - of Holy Grail fame
Edinburgh Cobbled Streets
Edinburgh Streets - in Stockbridge
Edinburgh Old Town
Edinburgh Old Town - a quiet street by the castle.
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle and City View
That is a flavour of some of the beauty of Scotland, if not the classic shots. I hope this gives you a sense of what Scotland could offer you – in addition to all the information about clans, tartans, loch ness, bagpipes and haggis.
For good honest, helpful information, the three best sites to use – where you can read tips (personal opinions) and get advice from keen-to-help locals:
Five Senses - my website – tours of Orkney, Scotland
If you need more advice than these sites can give, you’d better check out the more official sites – but risk heading to all the same tourist places every other joe goes, or if you want the real thing and off-the-beaten-track, contact me now, or see someNew PicturesI have added to this blog, January 2009
Also, I suggest you look at these superb books about Scotland! …
Flora Celtica – a fantastic copy about nature, culture and people
Here are some of Orkney’s many wonderful places to visit – from a day tour in the Five Senses car. Always atmospheric, memorable and unique – a land of history preserved in stone, protected by distance and heritage, and now open to exploration – right on our doorstep.
Broch of Gurness
The Iron Age Broch of Gurness in Orkney, north Scotland
The Broch of Gurness: one of, if not the, best preserved broch sites in Britain. Some brochs may be taller (a broch is a round tower with double walls, dating back to the iron age – they are found mostly in northern Scotland, near the coast, where a once great people or society must have flourished), but at Gurness there are the amazingly well preserved outer defenses, the buildings of a village huddled around it . Most impressive of all is still being allowed to go right inside the site, touch the stones and explore. A beautiful setting too – this site was a highlight of touring Orkney.
Kirkwall
Kirkwall Main Street early, before the crowds
Kirkwall is the main town in Orkney - the capital town, with a population around the 7,000 mark. This number is swelled by all the 19,000 or so residents in Orkney, who come from all over the many islands to shop and work and play, in Kirkwall. In the summer there are also many cruise ships calling by, passengers getting a fleeting look at the famous sites and a little bit of shopping before sailing away. It is much better to stay in one of the many B&Bs, hotel, hostel or camp ground and enjoy the nightlife.
Notice the ice cream sign on the left – Orkney ice cream is the best – reflecting the way the cows graze tasty, fresh grass and lead healthy lives, and no doubt craftsmanship in the making too.
Stenness Standing Stones
Stenness Standing Stones in Neolithic Orkney
The Stenness Standing Stones are in the middle of the Neolithic World Heritage Site and a “must visit” site. Notice I don’t just say ‘must see’? To appreciate these stones and his site you need to get out and walk amongst them – which we can do for free! How cool is that – the oldest henge (like Stonehenge) in Britain, probably, and it is open access 24/7.
This site holds great secrets!
The sheep keep the grass down but watch where you step!
Birsay Shoreline
Seaweed in morning light at Birsay
One of the delights of Orkney is the amazing coastline and the life it supports. At Birsay, in the NW corner of the biggest island – called Mainland – you can get really close, explore rock pools and sandy beaches as you cross the tidal causeway to the Viking and Pictish settlements.
Take time to enjoy the detail – we always try to be out of the vehicle as much as possible, to slow down and be fully present – if for a fleeting moment – at least enjoy it as much as life allows.
Tomb of the Eagles
The way in the "Tomb of the Eagles"
Tomb of the Eagles – a 5,000 year old chambered cairn above stunningly beautiful cliffs of South Ronaldsay (southerly island of Orkney) is so named because of the many sea eagle talons that were found there, as well as human bones, skulls, and mysterious stone objects / tools.
Best of all is that the site is privately run by the wonderful family who discovered and unearthed the site. You can get closer to the artifacts, learn more and visit the Bronze Age house also found on their land. From experience it is best to allow at least 2 hours for a visit – we had lunch there (picnic). See this blog.
Dwarfie Stane – Hoy
"Dwarfie Stane" - Rock Cut Chamber on Hoy, Orkney
The Dwarfie Stane is fantastic – the only one of its kind in Britain – it used to be the most visited site by antiquarians but is now forgotten, so we got it all to ourselves. Three people can crawl inside this huge sandstone boulder that has been hollowed out, experts think by Stone Age people using simple tools and brains. Not much else is known about it – unless you go with Malcolm, who knows secrets about the site.
Skara Brae Neolithic Village
Skara Brae House in Neolithic Village, Orkney
Skara Brae Village, in west Orkney is the number one tourist attraction. This is just one of the “houses” as they are called of the unique village cluster, exposed after a storm in 1850. The site has been much cleaned up and tidied now and due to visitor pressure you have to keep out of the actual site, and walk around the edge. Fair enough – the site needs protecting.
This is more than enough for one day – yet there is so much else to see and do, this is just the tip of the iceberg but I hope it helps you to decide to come and visit these amazing islands and people.
The annual gathering of Cotton Grass / Bog Cotton took place today – a day late but no great disaster.
Cotton Grass / Bog Cotton
I went up the hill this morning for my annual gathering of bog cotton or cotton grass, as it is also known. last year I had delayed going out to gather it, waiting until it was perfectly dry and just ready to drift on the wind (the fluffy seeds) when in the night I was awoken by sudden storm – wet and windy! I knew then that it would scatter the white cotton everywhere making it impossible to harvest. Sure enough, the next morning I marched up the hill to find it white, like there had been a frost or light falling of snow – but it was the bog cotton seeds, released by the plant or pulled away by the wind, scattered! That day I trudged back down and set my sights upon the later thistle and rosebay willowherb harvest, which are easier to find, being lowland plants.
This summer I have been paying close attention to the condition of the bog cotton and the weather, waiting. Last night was perfect: It had been dry for days, the wind was light but a new front was due, so the seeds were ripe for picking – still bunched on the plant so easy to gather but ready to release and dry! I should have gone. It had been a busy day and the forecast was for the winds to remain light, so I slept.
With a groan I again awoke to the sound of wind and rain. Surely not?! I set off up the fields, soon soaked by the wet grasses and made my way to a good, healthy patch of white tufts. There were still there. Some were gone, strewn across the ground, seeds that have escaped. The rest were there still, hanging on but soaking wet.
I got a bag full in 10 minutes and returned home, relieved and happy, my nose clear and scenting the distant cattle, the odd smells of things unseen. The cotton is now in a pillow case over the solid fuel stove, slowly drying so I can keep it dry and use all year, until this time next year. There is no supermarket for this sort of stuff -just like the old days, the weather and season matter greatly. Be lazy and stay in bed and you miss it for at least a year!
Bog cotton actually had many uses, one of which was as a stuffing for pillows, so my harvest over the fire looks appropriate! Of course, it has also been used like commercial cotton to make thread and cloth, described in the Great Exhibition of 1851 as “garments woven by crofting women … much admired for their beauty and fine texture” (the fabric, not the women, alas).
Bog cotton is also reputed to have miracle healing powers for the sheep that eat it, though I do not know how accurate this observation from the 19th century is.
There are a number of traditional Scottish stories that refer to shirts made of this plant, known locally as canach or caineachan. I’ll quote from Flora Celtica:
“such as the tale in which a girl refuses to marry her suitor unless he procures a gown of canach down.”
“In another story a prince is bewitched and becomes a creature, neither man or beast. His distressed father calls on the local maidens to weave 3 shirts from canach down but only one girl sees it through to the finish. When the prince receives his 3 shirts he turns back into his handsome old self and marries the lass, and they all live happily ever after.” (p159 Flora Celtica, Milliken and Bridgewater).
So what do I want with the downy, white seed heads? I have not the patience to weave a shirt, though I will try spinning some thread from it. I do not believe it shall make me more handsome – though I suspect the stories demonstrate just how hugely labour intensive making garments from this lovely, soft material would have been. It is hard enough to gather it, let alone clean it, spin it and then weave it. I sit here in my cotton t-shirt bought pre-made and I am grateful.
What I want the bog cotton for is making fire – as a very fine, fibrous plant material it is perfect for helping the most stubborn ember to glow bigger and grow into a ball of heat! A dry bag of it in my pack weighs next to nothing and it also makes fantastic down-like insulation, which could just save a hand from freezing – and in the outdoors that is the sort of advantage that might save my life – just being able to open a karabiner or a rucksack for precious food. I’ve been there so I speak from experience.
It is interesting to note how many plants associated with wet ground are helpful in making fire – how these are our friends and not weeds. Today we stick close to the land, rarely venturing out in a boat, be it on sea or a lake, so it is hard for us to imagine how our ancestors lived close to and on water. They had no roads, no metal tools – so they thrived at the water margins. Land we have either built cities on or drained for farming – little remains, to our loss.
Bog cotton is my friend!
Note: I only gather small quantities from any one location allowing natural processes of seed germination to carry on unhindered. To take too much from any one plant or area breaks to rules of aesthetics and nature (one and the same).
Bog Cotton is the common name of Eriophorium vaginatum.
There’s a memorable film called If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium, which is a hilarious parody of the “ticking the boxes” travel package. Why people would choose to put themselves through such things in the name of relaxation is something tour guide, Malcolm Handoll, finds very hard to comprehend – which is why he set up Five Senses, a tour company with a difference.
Gathering firewood - Rackwick, Hoy
If you join Handoll on his Orkney-based outings you’re likely to find yourself exploring an ancient burial site by candlelight, visiting a present-day Celtic drum-maker or learning to navigate using a compass.
It’s all part of what he terms “the Five Senses experience”, an off-the-beaten-track adventure that is different, imaginative, and fun.
Handoll grew up in north Wales, between the sea and Snowdonia National Park. “My childhood was one of playing on the hillside, exploring nature and getting lost in my imagination – the timeless meandering of summer,” he says.
Holidays were spent in old cottages “with wood fires, smoky tea, candlelight and rattling windows”.
It all affected him profoundly. So much so that certain sounds and smells take him back in an instant. The experience he says was the foundation for Five Senses.
“My enthusiasm for exploring is matched by my awareness of the environment and my ability to find my way, naturally and simply. Using all five senses opens a whole new world and I get a huge buzz out of helping others to find it too,” he says.
He is aided and abetted in all this by his partner, Rachel DuBois, who was an inveterate globe-trotter until five years ago. Encountering both Orkney and Handoll in one go upset her equilibrium so much that she got engaged and put down roots within weeks.
And for sheer hands-on enthusiasm you can’t beat the pair of them. Their Orkney tours last three days and in that time you’ll try out fire-making with an ancient bow drill (an experience Handoll says is guaranteed to be magical) and learn how to find your way through natural landscapes. You’ll visit artists crafting pots, painting, taking pictures and creating sculptures. You’ll see how bodhrans (Celtic drums) are made and played, and you’ll find yourself testing the extraordinary acoustics of an ancient Neolithic drum – in its original setting. You’ll explore cliffs, beaches, hill and moorland and learn to use your senses to connect with your surroundings.
Rachel DuBois and Malcolm Handoll - Five Senses
Orkney can test survival skills pretty efficiently. “People can learn not just how to survive, but how to thrive in the outdoors,” says Handoll. To this end, your accommodation is an old stone bothy – mod cons not an option. Party-poopers can upgrade to a B&B by pre-arrangement, but if you’re the type who needs to do that then you’re hardly on the right wavelength when it comes to getting the most out of this kind of experience anyway.
If it smacks of New-Ageness, Handoll certainly doesn’t come across that way. He’s a former instructor at Glenmore Lodge, Scotland’s national outdoor training centre, and he’s seen first-hand just how beneficial to mind and body these “back to nature” experiences can be. And no, you don’t have to be a fitness freak.
Because the groups are small, the activities are tailored to fit the level of fitness of the people involved. Those with mobility problems are catered for too, and the courses are child and pet friendly to boot.
Unsolicited testimonials on the internet are certainly complimentary. What comes across is the friendliness and enjoyment factor – which is the whole point, says Handoll.
“Our courses aren’t meant to be strenuous – unless you want them to be – they’re meant to teach you the skills you need to go outside and have fun.”
Five Senses tour exploring Dwarfie Stane
Variations on this theme include a Rites of Passage weekend to mark life-changing occasions such as birthdays, coming of age or forthcoming marriage. Built around the ancient rite of passage into adulthood that young warriors may have gone through, the course involves novices learning ancient life skills that they in turn can pass on to the next generation.
These skills include fire-making and night walking. It all culminates in “much celebrating around the camp fire” and the passing on of ancient secrets from the “elders” in the group. For those a little wary of what might be involved, Handoll – a qualified mountain leader fully versed in first aid – is in no doubt how much safer it is than the average booze cruise through the pubs that is the norm for most stag and hen nights.
Malcolm making nettle cordage - with tour car behind
And the fact that there are no central traffic reservations with lamp-posts to be tied to has to be a bonus.
OldManofHoyBASE jumper, Gus Brown, dies in Swiss cliff plunge – Jun 7 2008 Exclusive by Charlie Gall, in the Daily Record.
The Old Man of Hoy, Orkney Islands, Scotland
ONE of three base jumpers who created history by parachuting off the OldManofHoy has been killed in a cliff plunge in Switzerland.
Gus [Hutchison-Brown], Tim Emmett and Roger Holmes made their daring leap off the 450ft Orkney landmark last month.
The trio then set off for a summer ofbase jumps – where the parachute is only pulled as the thrillseekers hurtle towards the ground – at some of the best and most dangerous locations across Europe.
But just days into the adventure, Gus died when a jump off cliffs atMeiringen in Switzerland went disastrously wrong.
It is thought he pulled the cord too late after trying to glide clear of power lines on the way down and his chute could not get fully pressurised.
Tim, who did the OldManofHoybasejump with London-based Gus, saw his pal plummet to his death in Switzerland.
Yesterday, a spokesman for Tim, a Bristol TV presenter, said: “They were only two days into their European trip when Tim’s friend Gus died. Tim is still over there and they have suspended all jumps.
“Tim is devastated. He has lost a good friend.
“It’s a real shock because everything had been going so well for them.”
The OldManofHoy leap had taken the trio more than three years’ planning.
They spent seven hours climbing the red sandstone tower – and took 10 seconds to get back down again.
The pals, who had made 1000 base jumps between them, said the OldMan was the most difficult they had ever attempted.
Afterwards, team leader Tim, 30, told the Record: “It was totally awesome and well worth the effort.
“The idea was to get to the top and have the time of our lives.
“It was an awesome climb, very atmospheric, tough and unique.”
END
The above article I found at UKC Forums and I assume is entirely attributable toCharlie Gall. The original article can be found in the Daily Record
Footage of the succesful Old Man of Hoy BASE jump – 2008, can be seen at:
I thought it time to help raise awareness – like this blog is going to be read by anyone! – about The Sorting Room in Stromness (Orkney).
The Sorting Room, Stromness
Just to put you at ease – anyone and everyone is welcome – it is a very friendly, informal and welcoming space, right in the centre of Stromness – conveniently opposite the Pier Arts Centre (what have they done with their website!?)
So, I suggest if you are in town you pop in for a browse, a blether and a bit of leather, some pottery or a mug of tea; – a place to get out of the rain, sit and eat your lunch, play and just chill out. This is for everyone, young and old.
The name – The Sorting Room – comes from it being the location of the old sorting room behind the Post Office – so, it is easy to find! Oh, and support the post office too – it is a wonderful old fashioned community saving venture that needs to be used to continue. So, just like you buy your food from small, family run stores in villages and buy petrol from little, independent retailers who struggle to keep services near the people – instead of all piling into cars to drive to supermarkets – yeah, be honest! – support your local stores!
The Sorting Room opened in May 2008. Look out for the red sign beside the post office and then the red door – inside is a surprise to delight in.
I decided my blog lacked images, so here you are – this is the rocky shore around Orkney, showing the wave cut causeway at Birsay – see how the sandstone naturally splits to create blocks with nice right angles and diagonals – let nature do it for you!
The past 24 hours have been good – watching seals, a whale, cattle in the fields, oystercatchers on the lawn and a mouse squeeking its last gasping breath at my cat’s behest. And lots of clean air!!!
Cattle watching in Orkney fields
I took guests on a Five Senses tour of the West Mainland, here in Orkney, and in addition to all the ancient sites and World Heritage (Skara Brae, Ring of Brodgar, etc), we managed to lie in the heather sunbathing – delighting in the twittering antics of the skylarks.
We explored Stromness and out at Ness Point we watched the seals at close range, within 20 feet of us, diving and entertaining us. However, we were really treated to a glimpse of whales off the Yesnaby cliffs in the late evening, when no one else was around. That is the fun with my tours – going out at the times best to see wild life and avoid the crowds – instead of boring old stones, unmoving and silent.
friction fire lighting
Earlier in the day we made fire by friction, cordage from stinging nettles and lamp wicks from soft rush – so bringing the past to life and history blending with environmental issues.
We called in at Andrew’s pottery and he kindly threw a few pots for us, there and then, demonstrating his mastery of the skill, making it look so easy. We ate delicious Orkney ice cream outside St Magnus Cathedral, we sampled local cheeses, salmon and oatcakes and had a tasty home made soup (lentil).
We crawled inside Cuween Hill chambered cairn (tomb) in the dark and waited until our eyes adjusted to the light – just this side of being scared! We told stories of skulls and nasty things, to tease ourselves more. We listed to local music, we laughed, we paddled barefoot in the Atlantic ocean, we smelt the meadowsweet and currant leaves and generally explored Orkney using all our senses!
Stenness Standing Stones - Over 5,000 years old
This morning I was awoken by the oystercathers going crazy on the lawn and the cattle bellowing in the field beside our house – it is full of yellow buttercups and maybe something was hiding in the grass – like one of our cats – cos certainly nature was agitated – and I could only get up and watch it all from the window – better than any hide – I didn’t even have to put on clothes, let alone a jacket!
The Hamnavoe ferry steamed (well, powered, as it is diesel) out of Stromness and the sun burned its brightest so far this year. Summer solstice has been and gone again, so with each day now the time of the sun is depleted a minute or two, and we gently decend into the long draw down for winter.
In the distance a neighbour hammers nails into the roof he is building, as the casual tap of summer rain announces the coming new air. There is always new air here in Orkney, always clean and fresh. How can you ever have too much of a good thing? Thankfully this is still free. Humans have for a long time had to buy food instead of harvesting it from nature (though some are still lucky enough to produce some for their needs) and water is gradually being priced (supposedly for pipes and purification but always with a healthy profit for shareholders). Only the air is still free – as it should be – yet still many people find their air polluted and impure. It is so easy to take this purity for granted, here in Orkney, and to bemoan the lack of heat or the cost of fuel – but I’d rather this any day than a life of breathing fumes. That is like a prison with no escape – unless you escape to here, I suppose!
