Skara Brae, Orkney

Skara Brae is a perfectly preserved Neolithic village older than the Pyramids and Stonehenge! Built around 5000 years ago with extraordinary engineering. It’s thought between 50 - 100 people lived in this village of nine identical houses which are made from stone with box beds, stone dressers and a central hearth. People lived here for 600 years before the site was abandoned.

We’d been to Maeshowe earlier where we had a fabulous Historic Scotland guide bring the place alive. It too was built around 5000 years ago and from the outside looks just like a large grassy mound. It’s thought these tombs were used to pay respect to ancestors. To enter you need to stay stooped down along the walkway to the central stone built chamber. The interior of the chamber has been orientated exactly so that on the winter solstice the setting sun shines along the entrance and illuminates the chamber. Amusingly, there’s a remarkable collection of 12th century Viking rune graffiti on the walls. Much like today’s graffiti it mainly says I was here and a bit of showing off!

We briefly spent some time at the ruined Earl’s Palace at Birsay. It was built in 1569 by Robert, the father of Patrick who built the Kirkwall Earl’s Palace.

It was getting ever more grey, misty and windy but we managed one last stop. The relatively new Broch of Gurness is about 2500 years old! A broch is a tall circular stone tower about 6 - 12 metres high and again their purpose is not clear. Around the broch is a cluster of houses and workshops.

Addendum: later this evening the BBC news announced that Queen Elizabeth II, aged 96, passed away this afternoon at Balmoral and that the crown has passed to King Charles III.