Sailing By

What do you get when two cruise liners of Americans share Kirkwall with St Magnus Music Festival visitors on the same Monday? The sort of bumbling crowds of tourists His Lordship and I share a space with at home and have have travelled north to avoid, that's what greeted us this morning on a visit to Kirkwall to sort out late night travel arrangements for our Saturday night concert this week.

The town was jumping with tourists, and whilst I'm delighted that the merchants are having their coffers filled, it must be hell for the good town burghers to have to share their limited space with the crowds. Nowhere was safe as buses from the ships came and went disgorging more and more visitors to fill the streets and shops and make walking in an orderly fashion from a to b impossible. Even the lovely museum gardens were crowded with tourists, but who could blame them when they are so beautiful to walk in.

A quick food shop in Tesco's with the locals and the bus back to the relatively peaceful Stromness, and this calming view from our window over the water to Orphir.