Traveling to Orkney was my sixth trip to Scotland (Edinburgh, a round trip, Shetland, the Isle of Skye, and the North Coast 500). If you are wondering why so often, just look at the pictures. Every tour is different, but the landscape remains beautiful all the same. So it never gets boring and the scenery helps to recharge my batteries for months on end (or so I like to think). And because every trip is different, my learnings and experiences are also varied. Here is what I learned while visiting around Orkney. Yours, Pollybert
1.) All entertainment ends at 22:30 sharp on a Friday night. Or at least during a pandemic.
2.) It’s extremely hard catching Northern Lights even when the sun activity is perfect. In our case the moon was too strong and we gave up around 1:30am. Later we saw pictures from 3:15am. We were quite unlucky in this matter. But there is always a next time.
3.) Rainbows never get boring.
one of the many rainbows @Orkney
4.) Fish and chips really is enough as a meal and does not need a starter. Something I always forget and need to remember from now on.
5.) After our hiking trip on the island of Hoy we were unable to find an open restaurant or coffee shop. In the end a wonderful local lady pointed us in the direction of the only supermarket on the island.
6.) The bookshops in Scotland are always great (see the one in Ullapool) as was the one in Stromness. It had a great selections and the owner a great attitude.
the pub stays closed for the foreseeable future @Stromness books & prints
7.) The Covid rules in Scotland are super, super strict. Also people here still believe in contact spreading which has already been proven that it’s not the culprit.
8.) Crawling on hands and knees inside a cairn when the floor is as usual muddy and wet, is no fun. Especially once you have reached a respectable age and only travel with one pair of pants for a weekend. As you can see from the sign you have to be really old and shriveled to enter this cairn upright.
the right size and age to enter this cairn @Cuween Hill
