Skara Brae Prehistoric Village, Scotland, United Kingdom
11am, 13* Drizzle. Took a bit to plan the day due to the weather, but we’ve booked a tour of Stromness for tomorrow morn at 10am. Thought we should really get on and do the Neolithic/prehistoric sites - there are plenty of them here.
Headed for Skara Brae. Different direction from yesterday but same countryside. New houses dotted everywhere on the landscape, but they look like old. Clusters of barns & buildings, the livestock are wintered under cover. These houses are very close to the barns, over shadowed by them, lost. We know as we're trying to find one which looks inviting. Thought we had today, but it was the Swannay Brewery! We were going to stop but Kevin said it was too early 3pm?
Skara Brae: it’s a Neolithic settlement in Orkney, long before Stonehenge or even the Egyptian pyramids were built, Skara Brae was a thriving village. First uncovered by a storm in 1850, Skara Brae remains a place of discovery today. I guess if you never had a cave, you made one, almost like I would imagine an igloo to be like only in stone.
I just find it difficult to project myself back to those ages.
A lot of tourists about, it is obviously quite a commercialised site. We had barely left the information/ticketing site when a driving shower of rain came thru, luckily we were still under cover. It’s a 5min walk to the site, around a bay. There has been a long deep sea retaining wall built to prevent further erosion from the Atlantic, golden sandy beach, people wandering it, all very peaceful but for the wind.
We were both more interested in Skaill House, this was owned by the man on who’s land Skara Brae was discovered - by him, William Graham Watt, 7th Laird of Breckness, who unearthed the World famous neolithic village of Skara Brae in 1850. Skaill House is the finest 17th Century mansion in Orkney.In its 400 year evolution, all 12 Lairds have been related, contributing to the history and collections in the house.
Today, after careful restoration work, the house is open to the public. We found it to be a very generous viewing, the family who own it now apparently move in to it during the winter months when it is not open to the public - I don’t think I liked it that much.
The last inhabitant was 76yrs old when she died in 1991, she was the second wife of the 12th Laird - had been his secretary for many years. He predeceased her by 20years, they had no children. He’d had two to his 1st wife, a daughter who he disinherited as he didn’t like who she married and a son who was killed in a horse accident when he was 14yrs.
After the 12th Laird died she became quite paranoid in later years, eventually falling down the stairs a couple of years before her death. She broke her hip, then confined herself to her upstairs rooms, with her sherry and ciggies. Rather a sad tale really. His family never accepted her and she is buried in the same cemetery but at the opposite end to her husband.
Her bedroom is exactly as it was when she died.
Moved on to the Brough of Birsay, only we didn’t know it was that! We had a coffee and laughed at all these people that were going over a slippery causeway to this Island, then up this great hill to a lighthouse, in drizzly weather and stronge winds., they were absolute specks on the horizon.
They were going to see this: https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/brough-of-birsay/
We're happy with what we did tho, as we went on to see the Broch of Gurness. Well, this was different again from Skara Brae. I think, even if totally immersed in this age of history, anyone would need several visits and hours to really appreciate fully.
Again, we were more fascinated watching where the ocean meets the sea, the Atlantic Ocean v North Sea, neither were winning, they were just clashing.
Back to Stromness by 4.15pm, we were determined to find a butcher and some North Ronaldsay mutton. Champions of North Ronaldsay mutton hold it in the same regard as prosciutto ham, truffles or caviar as it has a unique flavour. The meat is lean and has a distinct gamey taste.
Suzy
2018-09-11
Love the Owls the white one looks like Harry Potters
jukes
2018-09-12
He’s a barn owl Suzy , the lady did tell the other one - from Australia she said. That white one would just NOT look at me, I was lucky to get that pic.