We made a quick shopping trip at the grocer's for lunch and breakfast provisions then headed north to the Brough of Birsay - a Norse stronghold built upon a Pict settlement likely built upon another culture's settlement.
Accessible only at low tide we tumbled out of the rental car into the fierce wind blowing from the north.
The purpose built causeway spans the divide between Mainland and Birsay. We are heading for the remains of the settlement just to the right of the small building near the center of the photo, then up to the lighthouse on the horizon.
Video from the causeway looking north.
Even on a grey day the color of the stone and waves is amazing.
This settlement clings to the edge of Birsay, facing the fierce northern winds. Thornfinn Sigurdson, one of the famous Earls of Orkney with a charming history of fratricide, pillage and murder, eventually converted to Christianity and had a "minster" built at Birsay (Orkneyinga Sagas), perhaps here. This is a photo of the remaining walls of a church building at the settlement.
Stone lined and lidded drainage ditch from the settlement to the edge of the island.
A Pictish standing stone was unearthed in the cemetery and now is displayed in the National Museum. This is a replica.
A very windy walk led up to the lighthouse. I didn't get a photo of the lighthouse itself; rather, I let it break the wind's fierceness and enjoyed a respite in its shadow.
As always I am fascinated by ocean beaches and the detritus created and left behind by the mysterious tides and ocean. These rocks have beautiful patterns on them, reminiscent of water and birds.
After a quick visit to the 16th century ruins of the Earl's Palace, we headed to Scara Brae. This ancient community was buried under sand for millennia and unearthed in the 19th century. Pre-dating the Pyramids by 1,000 years these stone dwellings were all built similarly with a central hearth, a "dresser" on the wall facing the entrance, and sleeping compartments along the sides. Joined by narrow passageways, sometimes covered, the people who lived here were farmers and fishermen.
Our last stop of the day was to the Ring of Brodgar. This site is near the Stones of Stenness that we visited yesterday and is contemporary with those stones. The circle once contained 60 or more standing stones; today there are about 30, with half of them repositioned to standing from where they had fallen.
We were unable to touch the stones as the weight of tourist like us damages the pathways nearest the stones.
Not much to say about this place as it left me speechless.