Field Trip to Orkney

CAMP's Field Trip to Orkney May 9-16 2015

Here are some highlights of our trip to Orkney. Of course the famous sites were fabulous but the lesser-known ones were up there on our 'favourites' list too, so we share some of these with you on this page.

On Pip's wishlist to visit was the Broch of Gurness, a circular tower surrounded by an Iron Age settlement.

Brough of Birsay is an island which we accessed on foot across a causeway at low tide.

This is a multi-period site, with Bronze Age, Pictish, Norse and later medieval archaeology. The views were amazing.

The cairns were full of surprises. At Cuween you borrowed a torch and let yourself in, entering by crawling along a passageway. On the island of Rousay, next to the Broch of Minehowe, there looked to be a rather incongruous farm building. However, on further investigation we found inside a very large, stalled cairn.

The Click Mill was a working horizontal watermill- a rarity. This was the type used at the time of the Domesday book so it gave a real connection to the past. Heather particularly wanted to visit the Italian Chapel, built by the Italian Prisoners of War and beautifully preserved. A Mass is still held there once a month.

Kirbister Farm Museum was a real treasure and could have so easily been overlooked. A delightful local lady explained how life was for the occupants of this cottage, which has been bequeathed to the nation. It is a time capsule of a bygone age.

Each day was crammed full of visits to monuments and museums, with the occasional trip to a tearoom, craftshop or supermarket, and suprisingly no pubs! We made our own entertainment, as you can see from the photo.