RoadDay34

Road Trip:
Days Three and Four

These days will be spent in Orkney, described as the perfect place to "get away from it all."

Orkney is home to some of the oldest human settlements, has a wide variety of marine, plant and bird life, is noted for its bone-chilling winds, and is famed for its dairy products, including butter, cheese, and ice cream, and beer.

So you should have a good idea of why we decided to go there.

The Ring at the Festival

Road Trip Itinerary

Edinburgh Accommodation

Once we get there, our itinerary is flexible, but here are some of the sights:

Highlands Accommodation

Kirkwall is the capital of Orkney. It's population is 7000.
Among the sites in Kirkwall:
* Earl's Palace - one of the finest Renaissance buildings in Scotland
* Bishop's Palace - a ruin with a view
* St. Magnus Cathedral - this 12th century sandstone structure is considered the most spectacular Norse/medieval building in Orkney
* Highland Park Whisky Distillery - the northernmost Scotch Whisky distillery in the world

Orkney Accommodation

What We're Reading

Useful links:

Highland Park Distillery
Italian Chapel
Old Man of Hoy
Orkney Brewery
Scapa Flow
Skara Brae
Stone Circles

Stromness - the main port of Orkney, very picturesque

Really old stuff:
Ancient stone circles:
* Ring of Brodgar, probably built between 3000 B.C. and 2000 B.C. is a stone circle like Stonehenge;
* Stones of Stenness originally consisted of 12 stones. Now only 4 remain. The remaining ones are impressive, the tallest stone being more than 5 meters high.

Skara Brae is among the best preserved Neolithic villages in northwestern Europe, built in approximately 3500 BC.

Maeshowe is one of the most impressive neolithic burial chambers in Europe, built around 2700 BC.

Where we're staying:

Miller's House
Balfour Castle

Natural stuff:
The Old Man of Hoy: Britain's tallest sea stack, 137m high and about 30m wide at its base.

Scapa Flow: One of the largest natural harbors in the world, with lots of sunken navy boats from WWI and II.