‘I have fled through land and sea, blank land and sea,
Because my house is besieged by murderers
And I was wrecked in the ocean, crushed and swept,
Spilling salt angry tears on the salt waves,
One of the first times I heard of Orkney was when I read Edwin Muir’s poetry. It was so strong, so vivid …
I’m fascinated by this neolithic petrosphere, or stone-age stone ball, at the Orkney Museum. I lean forward and suddenly bump my nose on the glass looking at it. What is it? What was it used for?
Earl Sigurd the Stout was an Earl of Orkney. The Orkneyinga Saga says he fought with a Raven banner made by his …
A calm day flying over the coastline of Orkney is beguiling. Looking below at the beautiful fresh blue water there’s little hint …
St Peter’s Kirk in Sandwick on Orkney looks so beautiful in the low sunshine, standing quietly alone in its graveyard. It’s now …
A trip through the Orkney Museum in Tankerness House in Kirkwall is an essential part of any visit to Orkney. There are …
In St Magnus Cathedral there is a wonderful stained glass window of Saint Timothy, the patron saint of intestinal and stomach disorders. …
Orkney Seal Rescue works to protect seals: they rescue sick, injured and abandoned animals. Here’s one: Orkney Seal Rescue founded their registered …
The graves in St Magnus Cathedral are fascinating. What caught my eye with this carving is the anatomically correct cross-bones, with perfect …
The stained glass windows in St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall are beautifully done. This is one of them, Fiat lux, or ‘Let …
The Coat of Arms of the Orkney Islands Council is displayed in the Orkney Museum. The gold ship on a blue background …
Orkney Museum has a fabulous reproduction of a beautiful and seriously unscientific map of Scandinavia showing the islands of Orkney, which was …
In St Magnus Cathedral they have a beautiful stained glass window dedicated to Ezekiel. Nowadays he would probably have a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a psychiatric nurse and a social worker on his team and be treated with antipsychotic medication to control his symptoms.
Humans have evolved as social animals and we pick up on incredibly subtle non-verbal cues from each other. Unlike most other primates …
Yesnaby Castle is a proper sea stack. Many people seem to think that Yesnaby Castle is a smaller version of the Old …
St Magnus Cathedral is slowly weathering away. Beautiful new carvings have been inserted to replace some of the most weathered parts. Their …
If you’re ever struggling to think of a present for a young child, buy them a bug pot and a magnifying glass. …
The inside of St Magnus Cathedral is just as fascinating as the outside, especially if you book yourself on one of the …
One of my favourite objects in the Orkney Museum is this neolithic pestle mace head. It makes me wonder just how fabulous …
I’ve been looking at too many early and unscientific maps of Orkney because as soon as I see this moss on a …
I love Tankerness House which houses the Orkney Museum. Here are a couple of views of the staircase.
One of the most remarkable features of current archaeology is just how much there is still to discover still lying a few …
It was great to meet Charles Tait, the author of The Peedie Orkney Guide Book: What to Do and See in Orkney …
The P&O cruise ship Arcadia in the Hatston terminal at Kirkwall in Orkney. The cruise visitors are a mixed blessing for the …
A classic Volkswagen Campervan at Yesnaby.
What was this sculpture originally do you think?
Einar, or Torf-Einar as he is sometimes known, is celebrated in this wonderful stained glass window at St Magnus Cathedral.
The wedding at St Magnus Cathedral had a beautiful vintage car and these wonderful flowers.
