Over the hills and far away

A fantastic walk up over peat bog and heather to the Kame o Corrigal. 

Not a high hill really, 182m, and not a long walk. But what a view as you come over the top. The centre of the west mainland is seen in all its glory, the world heritage site of the heart of Neolithic Orkney between the lochs and the Hoy hills in the distance. To the west we could see the Atlantic coast and behind us the moors spread out over the hills. Marked by centuries of peat cutting, now just scars in the landscape like some strange carvings to be seen by passing aliens.

Still lots of wild flowers around and more bog asphodel than I’ve ever seen. A few small birds flitting around but this is definitely raven country, saw a lot of what I imagine must be a family group of about 5 very big glossy looking birds. Stunning. 

We had lost the path whilst we were on the summit so decided to take a direct route back. It was definitely shorter but tough going. Every step was unpredictable, firm ground gave way to soft mud, springy moss and thick heather bounced you sideways. Ankles and knees were put to the test and I was very glad I had my walking poles with me. A route that we expected to take about 20 minutes took 45. Will definitely walk up there again but I think next time we’ll be sure to follow the path down.