Day 4- Binscarth Wood

Despite having holidayed in Orkney for about 5 years, we have never walked through Binscarth wood near Finstown until today. We had been told there was a Loch to be found if we kept going, which we did, eventually finding ourselves at the top of a hill with the Loch far below us. We retraced our steps and found a farmer who indicated the path we should be taking. The trouble was he was herding cattle to be slaughtered along it. This so disturbed His Lordship that we had no alternative but to go back to the car along the muddy path we had taken from the main road, only now there was a herd of cattle with calves and a bull straddling the path. With the memory fresh in our minds of a neighbour being killed by cows protecting their calves three years ago, we opted for an alternative route across a field to the road risking broken ankles as we negotiated deep hoof holes in the soggy grass.

There must have been a cruise ship in Kirkwall today as there were hordes of aimless tourists thronging the streets of Stromness. I thought I had escaped all that by coming here! We will be going for our late afternoon stroll when they are safely back on their buses.

My blip was taken on the path in Binscarth Wood, as was the extra and I couldn't resist the solitary lamb in a field in front of the big hoose