My first stay in Orkney was at a lovely croft near Evie, with this stunning view of Roosay. My home was the former cattle stable and was very cosy and neat. I enjoyed visits from the cats of the croft and from the poultry or better said the very curious chickens.
On my second day in Orkney, I went to a peninsula in the east of Orkney, Durness. On the way I stopped at a beach, I can´t remember which one it was, but it was stunning!
My cute little home in Evie and one of the curious but very friendly chickens.
After exploring the Broch of Gurness I made my way to Kirkwall, the largest town in Orkney. It was just a short drive along the coastline.
Officially a Royal Burgh since 1486, Kirkwall’s name comes from the Norse ‘Kirkjuvagr’, meaning ‘Church on the bay’, and a Viking spirit still runs through the town, focused on the magnificent St Magnus Cathedral. (Orkney.com)
Kirkwall has a lovely town centre filled with independent shops and cafés. Stroll around the harbour and take a peek into Orkney Museum, where some of the finds from the Broch of Gurness are exhibited.
The Bishop´s Palace and Earl´s Palace
The ruins of two remarkable buildings are site by site next to St. Magnus Cathedral.
The medieval Bishop’s Palace was built around the same time as St Magnus Cathedral, in the early 1100s. The builder may well have been Bishop William the Old, crusader and friend of Earl Rognvald, St Magnus’s nephew and patron of the new cathedral. (Orkney.com)
Earl´s PalaceBishop´s Palace
The ground floor of the quite simple two-storey hall house is quite intact and offers an interesting view of former times.
St. Magnus Cathedral in the back.
Across the road is Earl´s Palace built in 1603 by Patrick, Earl of Orkney – one of Orkney’s most notorious rulers.
His Renaissance palace was built to impress and featured a first-floor hall with elaborate staircase, inner, outer and guest chambers and accommodation for staff. Huge fireplaces dominated the main hall. The Earl’s Palace incorporated the Bishop’s Palace into a larger complex in the heart of this old Viking town. (Orkney.com)
St. Magnus cathedral
St. Magnus Cathedral, the light of the north, dominates Kirkwall’s skyline, it is one of the most iconic buildings in Orkney.
This stunning Romanesque cathedral, made from striking red and yellow sandstone, was founded in 1137 and took around 300 years to complete. It was dedicated to Magnus Erlendsson, Earl of Orkney. (Orkney.com)
Magnus’s bones are held at the Cathedral, the only church in the country known to hold the bones of its original saint. And the only complete Medieval cathedral in Scotland.
After driving through the dense fog the night, I was pleasantly surprised by my view the next morning. My lovely little cottage had a beautiful view of the sea and I could even see the Broch of Gurness from there sitting on the coastline vis a vis from the island Rousay.
I already had booked my ticket and started my stay in Orkney with a visit to one of Scotland´s finest broch. The Broch of Gurness was an Iron Age settlement with a small village surrounding a massive broch tower.
The first settlement started between 500 and 200 BC, later a causeway was added and the broch was built, surrounded by small stone houses with attached yards and sheds.
But the broch then again was abandoned after 100 AD and the ditches filled in. The site continued as a single farmstead until around the 8th century. In the 9th century, a Viking woman was buried here, which became the last activity on this very spot.
The broch was probably the home of the chief family of the community and probably was also a defensive refuge for the village.
The broch originally had a central hearth, stone-built cupboards, sunken water basins used as wells but also for rituals, and a stairway going to the upper floors.
The broch is surrounded by numerous houses which each had a large living and sleeping room with smaller side rooms. Again we find stone-built cupboards and shelves, sleeping spaces and a large tank set into the floor.
