Round The World and other travels
A frequent flyer's collection of trip diaries
June 2008 : Island Do 3 : Orkney
Following the Barra Beach-Landing Party of 2005 and Island Do 2 (Islay) in 2007, the chosen venue for Island Do 3 was Orkney. It wasn't meant to happen until 2009, but the impending cessation of Loganair's BA Franchise justified bringing it forward.
Friday
Friday's sightseeing began with a visit to the extraordinary Italian Chapel on the tiny island of Lamb Holm, a place of worship created by Italian prisoners of war, from the unlikely raw material of a Nissen hut. This was followed by a beach stop - not for sunbathing! - and a drive to Deerness, then a quick visit to the airport to pick up more Do attendees. I then had time for an introductory look around Kirkwall prior to dinner.
Saturday
Saturday brought some very poor weather
Still, you just have to
get on with it, don't you? I started by looking round the inside of
the former cathedral, now owned by the local council and used for
parish worship by the Church of Scotland. After the
charter flight, we visited
the standing stones known as the Ring of Brodgar and the
world-famous, preserved Neolithic village of Skara Brae. To round
off a rather wet afternoon, we visited the narrow streets of the
Orkney Mainland's second town, Stromness.
Sunday
Sunday morning brought some of the best weather of the trip. I managed a final look around Kirkwall in the much-improved conditions before a visit to the Highland Park distillery.
Based at : Ayre Hotel, Kirkwall
Linked reports from same trip :-
Flight Log : BA8891
Flight Log : Loganair Charter