Skara Brae

Ever since I read The Boy With the Bronze Axe in primary school I've wanted to visit Skara Brae, and it far surpassed my expectations. I was awe-struck to witness houses that existed 5,000 years ago complete with hearth places, bed recesses and even dressers (so civilised!) in place that were still standing so intact all this time later. I wonder what else lies hidden beneath the land waiting for a storm to unearth it.

Read more about the history on the Orkney Jar website.

After our bit of history, we drove to Yesnaby and walked along the clifftops, being sprayed by floam (my word for sea foam that's flung into the air by the wind) and sea water. I thought I saw an Orney vole, but I think it might be a rat - the tail's too long. What do people think? I didn't catch its head, unfortunately, or I would be able to make an identification based on the nose. The photo is here.

Gally and Betty, the Jack Russells, were very enthusiastic about Yesnaby and we had a horribly anxious hour when Gally started digging into a rabbit hole on the edge of a cliff, yapping excitedly. We knew that he'd caught a scent and we wouldn't be able to haul him away. There's no chance that we could attempt to catch him without killing ourselves. A rabbit ran out of a hole nearby and hurtled around the frantically digging dog, disappearing into another hole. Gally didn't even notice. Thank goodness or he may have skidded off the cliff! It started raining and the wind got up and we knew we'd have to walk away. Fred and I decided to go to Skara Brae to pick up hot coffee, sandwiches and cakes while Heath stayed in case the wee horror decided to come back.

Mission accomplished, Fred and I bore the picnic to Heath and saw him walking down the road with a white wagging bundle at the end of a lead. it's hard to scold an enthusiastic terrier whose just had the time of his life and we were just extremely relieved to get him back in one piece. We retired to Stromness for a pint and Gally had a rest.