Orkney Islands, Scotland

The rain was heavy as we walked to our coach for the day's excursion. (Sorry about the quality of photos, rain kept the camera undercover most of the day.) Talk about remote, the Orkney Islands are approximately 1/4 the size of Genesee County and have a population of about 26,000 people, 80,000 cows and 100,000 sheep!   Mesolithic nomadic tribes occupied these islands more than 8,500 years ago.  Today we visited the 5,000 year old Ring of Brodgar, a ceremonial circle of stones that predates Stonehenge by 500 years. 

Umbrella in hand, we stepped off the bus and sloshed about 1/4 mile through a muddy pasture.

The ring originally consisted of 60 stones placed in a circle 341 feet in diameter.  Today, only 27 remain standing.  The stones average 18 feet high and are buried 3 feet into the ground.  A ditch encircles the ring.  With the effort required to construct it, one can assume it was a place of importance or religious significance.  To preserve this archaeological treasure, this region became UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999.

A short distance away we visited Skara Brae, a well preserved Stone Age settlement.  Called the Scottish Pompeii, the ancient stone houses were preserved beneath sand dunes until 150 years ago.  For a few minutes we stood out of the rain inside a reconstructed house similar to the Neolithic structures found here. The houses had a domed, skin-covered roof.  Skeletons found in the area indicate adult females were 5'3" and men averaged 5'8" in height.  This was tall for people living in the Neolithic ages and indicates a good food supply.

Back outside, it was still raining as we walked around the archaeological dig revealing the interior of several homes in the village.  The earth and grass surrounding the houses would not have originally been there and are the non-excavated remains of the sand dunes that once covered the area.

Each structure was about 16 to 20 foot across offering 300 to 400 square feet of living space.  They were well organized with sleeping, cooking and storage areas.  Most even contained an inside toilet area.

Enough walking in the rain, time to visit the historic Skaill House built in 1620 by Bishop George Graham.  The estate has remained in his family for 400 years.  His property is where the various archaeological finds visited today are located. 

The dining room featured fine china dating to the 18th century.  The home also had a collection of Chinese porcelain plates given to the Bishop by the 17th century British explorer Captain Cook.

The sitting room was large and comfortable.  Skaill House is said to be the finest mansion in Orkney.

"How do you sleep in this short bed?  I'm cold and want to crawl under the covers!"