Haunted by time

“The Orkney imagination is haunted by time.”

George Mackay Brown

Right from the start of of our Scotland trip planning The Girl made a strong case for including a visit to Orkney. Neither of us had been there and her long-standing interest in ancient history marked the island group as a ‘must see’. Orkney is a long way north and getting there and back in a timely fashion – as well, of course, as seeing the sights – is quite a challenge.

What eventually made this part of the trip possible was finding ‘Shorelands’ – a B & B that is also a tour organiser. The excellent Nicky – the proprietor – picked us up from (and dropped us back to) the ferry at Stromness, entertained us splendidly at their place in Kirkwall and took us on a full day’s guided tour of all of the essential sights on the Orkney mainland.

Those from BC will be feel right at home with the most common method of reaching Orkney:

These photos are of Skara Brae – an incredibly well preserved Neolithic village that was revealed during a storm in 1850. It is older than Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids of Giza.

I recall – all of fifty years ago now – my father returning from a trip to Scotland with a guidebook to Skara Brae, the which I devoured eagerly. So taken was I with the idea of this Neolithic village rediscovered that I wrote an instrumental piece inspired thereby for the first band that I was in. Sometime later we were playing a local gig at which my father was present. As I announced the piece, explaining its origins, a familiar voice called out from the back of the hall:

”You haven’t been there!”

Well – I have now…!

There are many Neolithic remains on Orkney. This henge and stone circle is the Ring of Brodgar:

To our great surprise this group had come to the ring for a somewhat blustery wedding ceremony!

More on Orkney next time…