Orkneys and Shetland Islands
The 21.15 overnight sleeper from Euston to Aberdeen had not changed much since we last travelled on it in the seventies.
You need to know your travelling companion really well and a pre-travel lesson in acrobatics would not go amiss. Accommodating two suitcases and two adults has to be approached with the precision of a game of chess. Climbing the ladder to get into the top bunk is the easy part but finding out that you do not bend in the right places to come down the ladder again is a surprise.
The overnight ferry to Shetland leaves Aberdeen at 21.15 and our outside cabin was spacious with two bunks, a dressing table and bathroom complete with washbasin, toilet and shower. This was luxury accommodation after the previous night on the train.
60 Degrees North
Shetland is a collection of 100 islands of which 15 are inhabited. Lying at 60 degrees north the wind is a constant reminder that you are 338km north of Aberdeen and only 1123 km from Iceland, but in spite of its northerly position it lies in the Gulf Stream and this keeps temperatures above freezing for most of the year. The wind chill factor is what makes these treeless windswept islands seem colder than there really are. In 1992 winds of 194mph were recorded.
The oil boom of the 1970s changed these islands. In one month as many as three thousand people arrived and accommodation sprung up to cater for this influx. Now the oil and gas industry has gone the island’s capital shows the money drifting away. The Council have tried to make use of the wealth that came in to improve the lot of its people but the main street now looks tired and shabby. They have managed to get contracts to decommission one of the oil rigs but this is a finite project.
Craft industries are springing up but the future seems bleak for these ancient islands. The old industries of crofting and fishing are not viable and tourism is the only growth industry.
A Safe Haven for Grey Seals
The southern most point on the main island – Sumburgh Head is a RSPB Nature Reserve providing easy viewing of the colonies of puffins, fulmars, guillemots and skuas. The craggy outcrop is topped by the lighthouse built in 1821 by Robert Stevenson – the father of Robert Louis Stevenson. At the base of the cliff there was a safe haven for grey seals and these could be seen swimming in the clear water and sunbathing on the rocks.
Nearby Jarlshof is a large Neolithic site which was revealed after a violent storm in around 1890. The remains are thought to date from 2500BC with several ovoid houses from the Bronze Age. Later, in the Iron Age, further small round houses were added and a number of “wheelhouses” survive in a cluster in and around the broch. The circular houses have radial stone “spokes” which divide the living space and would have helped support the roof. In the northwest corner of the site the ruin of a medieval house shows the great hall was over 20m long with outhouses and a possible bath house. Clearly the site was inhabited over many centuries and by many different people.
The five hour crossing to Kirkwall in Orkney gave us time for dinner before a late arrival at our hotel.
Thriving Craft Industries, Popular with Cruise Ships
Orkney is a collection of seventy islands joined as a community by the ferry services. The main island seems more prosperous and is visited by as many of eighty cruise ships throughout of the year.
The main street of Kirwall is thriving and a showpiece for the craft industries that are springing to take the place of the oil fuelled boom of the 1970s. The street is dominated by St. Magnus Cathedral built in 1135 AD and unique because it does not belong to the Church but to the City and Royal Burgh of Kirkwall.
An Impressive World Heritage Site
If one site has come to represent Orkney's ancient heritage, it must surely be the Ring o' Brodgar. The stone ring on the lonely moor land was built in a true circle, 104 metres wide, and originally contained 60 megaliths. Today, only 27 of these stones remain – but still the spirit of the past seems to walk among these giant stones. It is rightly a World Heritage site and like the Avebury Ring and Stonehenge this monument shows the strength of the belief of the ancient people living there. No one knows for sure why it was built or its meaning but the fact that an ancient people created such a site must have had a deep significance to them.
Orkney has a long and varied history some of its sites dating back to the Stone Age.
The village of Skara Brae was discovered on the southern shoreline of Sandwick Bay after a violent storm exposed it in 1850. It is a collection of well preserved remains of eight dwellings that gives a picture of life on this windswept island 5200 years ago. No one knows why the settlement was abandoned in 2500BC. Was it due to sickness or did the people decide to move inland and take up farming? If they had been overrun by an outside force then why did the victors not make use of the well built houses? Archaeologists are puzzled to this day. The area is still being excavated and due to erosion is in danger of slipping into the sea so measures are being taken to save this unique site.
Scapa Flow is one of Britain's most historic stretches of water – a natural habour located within the Orkney Islands. Its sheltered waters have been used by ships since prehistory and it has played an important role in trade and conflict throughout the centuries - especially during both World Wars. It was used in both wars to hide the British Fleet and from this base they went out to search for the enemy.
After a German U Boat found Scapa Flow measures were taken to secure the entrances and Winston Churchill issued orders that barriers should be built - these were to be known as the Churchill Barriers. These causeways were built from huge blocks of concrete and constructed by Italian prisoners of war. Under the Geneva Treaty prisoners of war were prevented from working on military projects and as we were still at war with Italy, the prisoners were told that the structures were to help the islanders - they were causeways linking the smaller islands.
In 1942 prisoners from Camp 60 built a small “Italian” chapel in two Nissan huts. They used concrete and scrap metal found on the site and the result is a very moving tribute to the spirit of captured people in times of war. It stands today as a monument to the faith and ingenuity of men and Orkadians still have close links to the family of Domenico Chiocchetti the man who designed and orchestrated the construction. He produced the statue of St George you can still see today, fashioned from barbed wire covered with concrete. The prisoners also worked to produce a theatre and a recreation hut, complete with a billiard table made, perhaps inevitably, from concrete. (More about the chapel »)
The Orkney and Shetland Islands may be the most northern of our islands but they present a wealth of history and culture. The natural beauty of the treeless islands gives home to birds on some of the most beautiful empty beaches. They are easy to reach and a welcome awaits any traveler.
More about the Chapel »
Rail Links:
Scot Rail – www.firstgroup.com
Ferry Company:
Northlink Ferries – www.northlinkferries.co.uk
Air Links:
British Airways - www.britishairways.com
Package Company:
Newmarket Travel - www.newmarkettravel.co.uk
Car Hire:
Orkney Car Hire - www.orkneycarhire.co.uk
Bolts Car Hire - www.boltscarhire.co.uk
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