orkney's may 04

pign9 said:

Have any of you walked around John o groats and orkneys, doing a whistlestop 3 day venture with a
overnight in John o Groats and Orkeneys, Problem when looking at tourist maps it sends you to all
the gift shops etc. So any tips and places of interests would be helpful, due to time scales etc
will be looking for a good 4 hour walks, possibly taking in some points of interest cliff /coastal
walking. We will be going up in the car and taking it across on the ferry so can make a few
different stops..

Scheduled date is May 04

Its that long ago that I was on the Orkney Isles but Skara Brae and the Italian Chapel spring to
mind as well as The Ring of Brogar. A quick google got this interesting site,

undiscoveredscotland.co.ukindex.htmlOpen ↗

be happy and well,

jimf

"pign9" <[email hidden]> wrote in
:"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Have any of you walked around John o groats and orkneys, doing a whistlestop 3 day venture with a
overnight in John o Groats and Orkeneys, Problem when looking at tourist maps it sends you to all
the gift shops etc. So any tips and places of interests would be helpful, due to time scales etc
will be looking for a good 4 hour walks, possibly taking in some points of interest cliff /coastal
walking.

You might consider taking the car across to Hoy and walking from Rackwick over to the cliffs
opposite the Old Man of Hoy. Spectacular! You can extend the walk further for more cliffscapes, or
climb the hill behind (name eludes me at the moment - sorry). If you drive to Rackwick dont miss the
"Dwarfie Stane" (a hollowed out boulder) in the valley that crosses the island. (It's signed).

There's more good coastal walking with sea-stacks near Yesnaby, on the west coast of the "mainland".

Other walk that take in some fantastic archeology would be to the Tomb of the Eagles on South
Ronaldsay, or from the ferry along the coast to Midhowe Broch on Rousay.

Pay your respects to the Broch of Gurness, on the mainland opposite Rousay - my mother's cousin
discovered it!

Stuart

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Have any of you walked around John o groats and orkneys, doing a whistlestop 3 day venture with a
overnight in John o Groats and Orkeneys, Problem when looking at tourist maps it sends you to all
the gift shops etc. So any tips and places of interests would be helpful, due to time scales etc
will be looking for a good 4 hour walks, possibly taking in some points of interest cliff /coastal
walking. We will be going up in the car and taking it across on the ferry so can make a few
different stops..

Scheduled date is May 04

Magical place, and not just for walkers. 'Mainland' is one of those barren, windswept landscapes
with cliffs around the edges, some hills, and virtually no trees. Lakes and inlets everywhere. Other
islands are rockier, flatter, emptier, etc. Hoy has excellent walking, Rousay has some more good
archaeological sites.

I started listing a few 'must sees' here, but then I gave up. You're not going to be there long
enough to see them all anyway. I'd really advise getting a tourist guide book - don't worry, it
won't just list the burger bars (there aren't many anyway). They're well aware that most people who
take the trouble to go up there are either wildlife spotters or folks interested in history and
prehistory. Gifts for the folks back home are easy too: Ortak jewellery and Highland Park whisky
(and you can look around the Ortak factory and Highland Park distillery too, if you want to get out
of the wind).

You've made me want to go back now.

Quoted message said:

Its that long ago that I was on the Orkney Isles but Skara Brae and the Italian Chapel spring to
mind as well as The Ring of Brogar. A quick google got this interesting site,

undiscoveredscotland.co.ukindex.htmlOpen ↗

be happy and well,

jimf

One of the best hillwalks in Scotland, is on Hoy. Awkward to get to the start at remote Rackwick,
but when you are there, walk over to the Old Man, and then along the crags to St Johns Head. Easy
moorland, watch out for bonxie attacks, to Cuileag, then a steep descent and reascent to Ward Hill.
Fine glen walk, with trees! to Rackwick.

Tourist things on Mainland - all good. St Magnus' Cathedral Skara Brae Maes Howe Ring of Brodgar

Rousay is good for the ruins too. Good independant hostel there.

Richard Webb

Stuart Mann <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

"pign9" <[email hidden]> wrote in :"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

You might consider taking the car across to Hoy and walking from Rackwick over to the cliffs
opposite the Old Man of Hoy. Spectacular! You can extend the walk further for more cliffscapes, or
climb the hill behind (name eludes me at the moment - sorry). If you drive to Rackwick dont miss
the "Dwarfie Stane" (a hollowed out boulder) in the valley that crosses the island. (It's signed).

Don't consider it - do it! There used to be a taxi service from the ferry landing point on Hoy to
Rackwick Bay. We used it and walked back from Rackwick across the island, having seen the Old Man.
On Mainalnd, Yesnaby is the place for long, spectacular cliff walks but you shouldn't miss Brough of
Birsay in the far North western corner - a tidal walkway across to an old Viking village and then up
a steep outcrop of land to watch the Puffins.

thanks for the info, cant wait now?

paul. "