Kirkwall, Scotland, UK

Today we were at Kirkwall the capital of the Orkney Islands. There are 70 islands in the Orkney archipelago but only 20 are inhabited. The islands are about 40 miles off the Scottish coast. Kirkwall and vicinity has a population of about 10,000 with the total population of all the islands around 22,500.

The main source of income is from farming and tourism. The cattle industry is most prevalent with about 15 different breeds of cattle being raised. The prime breed is Black Aberdeen. They are expecting 200 cruise ships this season and indicated that this was a large number and very welcome. They also have a large jewelry manufacturing industry. Many retirees are coming to the area because of the relaxed way of life and the relative lower cost of living.

The islands were settled by the Vikings in the 9th century. It became part of Scotland in 1468. The main church, St. Magnus Cathedral, was started in 1137 and took 300 years to complete. Our guide told us the very intricate story of Magnus who was a lord of the land and how he became a saint.

We drove along side many lochs which were being used for salmon farms. The huge rings that hold the salmon could contain 10,000 in each one. The landscape included lots of farm land with low stone walls.

The climate of this area is considered maritime, which means it is moderate. The Gulf Stream passes close to the islands so the winters are fairly mild and the summers cool. They are at the same latitude of southern Greenland, Saint Petersburg, Russia and Alaska. In the winter they get strong gales with winds topping 100 mph.

They have over 500 wind turbines and are able to send power to the mainland of Scotland. They have a large number of electric cars.

The area has a world heritage UNESCO site which is where we were headed. It is the Ring of Brodgar. It is the 3rd largest ring in the world. It originally had 60 tall stones, but now there are 26 remaining. It is about 120 feet across. It is about 4600 years old which makes it older than Stonehenge. There is a second stone circle called the Standing Stones of Stenness which has 12 stones. In the same area is a mound building similar to one we had seen on another trip. On the winter solstice, the sun shines in the doorway and lights the inner chamber. It was closed to our group because of the number we were. They will only allow groups of 5 to enter it.

Our last point of interest was Scappa Flow which was a huge military area during WW I and WW II. In WW I the Germans had brought their fleet to this large harbor to protect them. In June of 1919 all the ships were sunk. There are still 7 in the waters. All the others have been salvaged. In WW II the British fleet was here to blockade the Germans.

The day turned out to be cool and sunny. We are always thankful for the sun.