Day 24 8/6/16 Orkney, in and around Stromness

Day 24 In and round Stromness - Orkney Islands

We awoke to a gloomy day  but no rain.  It did look to be threatening but is holding off at the moment.  At breakfast we discussed options and while we had hoped to do a cruise on Scarpa Flow,  some late night calls proved fruitless as yet another large cruise ship was visiting and the local cruise boat was booked out until mid July.  To avoid the crowds we decided to drive to Stromness and have a walk around.

Road from Dounby to Stromness grey  but no rain...yet!

It's good to know they have been warned about our presence.

We parked the car which again drew a small crowd but it is great that people are interested and want to know more about them.  Tearing ourselves away we headed for a walk towards the museum down the main street of Stromness. 

Memorial in the carpark in Stromness

We walked along the stone paved main street which was sometimes single laned, carrying both cars and pedestrians in both directions so we did need to be somewhat watchful as cars did tend to whip up and down the street. The town is right on the edge of Scapa Flow with houses basically built down to the waters edge and in some cases into the water.   It was sad to see a large number of shops are closed up - the extreme seasons do not help the retail trade.

Main Road Stromness

Some of the buildings are built hanging over the water. 

Dale and Alan....waiting outside the wollen's shop.....

David, Kay and Noeline in Stromness

Dale in Stromness

A local waits to greet all passers by.

We walked to the museum hoping to get a coffee on the way.  W eventually found a tiny shop that sold coffee, tea and homemade soup.  Problem was there was nowhere to sit....


Finally reaching the Stromness Museum where the purchased tickets last for one week and you could easily find enough to keep you occupied for at least few days. It is an incredible collection of local artifacts from all periods as far back as the Neolithic, a huge natural history collection with birds {NO PUFFINS, we think they are mythical} and animals (of course most of these are historical it now being illegal to collect wildlife however occasionally an animal is donated when it dies of natural causes or accidentally). The collection also, of course, includes memorabilia from both World Wars and also the many countries the people from Orkney have visited, they have always been a people who have travelled to far away lands.

Golden Eagle - stuffed unfortunately

A collection of native bird specimens from Orkney Islands. 

At least I get to see one up close!  Even if it is "stuffed".

From here David and Kaye went to Kirkwall for a fiddle session and we went to the Brewery, it was a bit late for the tour but we did sample a small selection of some local brews.

On the road again...off to the Brewery

Vjew across Scarpa Flow

Outside the Brewery