Noust
A noust is a boat-shaped hollow. It’s an ancient word from Scandinavia. There are nousts made from stone laid by Vikings on …
Westray Coast 50 – Day Five
My adventures on the fifth of five days walking the entire coast of Westray.
Kirkwall at dawn
I’ve just woken up in a Viking city. A city which is only part of the UK, and not Norway, because King …
Reading the runes
I love the Orkney Museum. Every time I go there I see something else that I’d bypassed on all previous visits. Here’s …
Saint Olaf in St Magnus Cathedral
In life Saint Olaf was a violent and brutal warlord; a killer Viking who lived 1,000 years ago. Yet he’s a Christian …
A Viking Longship in St Magnus Cathedral
Here’s a magnificent Viking longship in stained glass in St Magnus Cathedral. Viking longships were ships of war and built for raiding. …
A beautiful whalebone plaque from an Orkney Viking boat burial
One of the most remarkable features of current archaeology is just how much there is still to discover still lying a few …
Nousts
The outrageous thing about several of these nousts, designed to provide protection to boats pulled up onto the shore, is that they …
Pierowall Bay
Just a glimpse at Pierowall from the air tells you all you need to know about why the Vikings held Pierowall in …
Scapa Flow – one of the greatest natural harbours in the world
Scapa flow is at the very heart of Orkney. It is a beautiful shallow harbour of 125 square miles surrounded by islands. …
Viking traces
Traces of the Vikings are everywhere in Orkney; from the runes carved in the Neolithic chambered cairn at Maeshowe to the Viking …
St Magnus
St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall is magnificent. It’s origins are in Viking times, when Orkney was ruled by Viking Earls. It’s the …
According to the Orkneyinga Saga, detailing the lives of the Earls of Orkney from the 9th to 12th Centuries, King Harald’s sons were real troublemakers. Gudron Gleam and Halfdan Long-Leg caused lots of trouble in Norway … → 30 August, 2010
A History of the Earls of Orkney
When travelling to Orkney I always try to bring a copy of The Orkneyinga Saga with me. Westray is so full of …