Orkney in December/January
In December 2009, we had a lovely Christmas at the Hill with the whole Noden clan. Then we spent a week in lovely, snow-topped Orkney. The ferry to Orkney was a hoot. I felt a bit queasy getting onto the thing but didn’t think much of it. When I got sick (very, very sick) repeatedly on the ferry, I figured it was travel sickness. The travel sickness pills wouldn’t stay down, which didn’t help. I’ve never been so happy to see solid ground than when we arrived in Kirkwall. We were only on that ferry for six hours, but they were hellish hours.
It turned out that I had some kind of stomach bug (not just travel sickness after all), and it lasted for most of our time on the island. We didn’t do all the hiking we’d anticipated, but we still managed to see the sights. Kirkwall itself was lovely with an amazing hostel. We walked all over the town and visited the gorgeous Italian chapel nearby. We then spent a few days in Stromness. On our way there, we stopped in at Maeshowe, a wonderfully ancient tomb which features Roman graffiti and from which various standing stones can be seen. After our visit, it turned out it would be quite a while before the next bus would pass by, and we were so grateful when the shop attendant offered us a lift the rest of the way to Stromness. Talk about island hospitality! He even gave us the local history and gossip along the way. I was utterly charmed.
We got out at Stromness, thanked our driver profusely and at length managed to find the cottage we’d rented. It was amazing, so luxurious and even featuring a real fireplace. I should mention it was absolutely baltic up there. In a way I was glad for the excuse not to hike! We were mostly lazy in Stromness, just enjoying the cosy cottage. It was in Stromness that we rang in the new year. It’s only a small town, but seemingly most of its inhabitants were out for Hogmanay. There was a band of pipers which marched up the main street and fireworks once the clock struck midnight. It was low-key, and we loved it. Chris even managed to share his whisky flask with another out-of-towner.
On New Year’s day, we ventured back to Kirkwall (spying some inquisitive seals on our way) for the ba’. It’s a crazy game of street rugby in which the local men and boys take part each Christmas and New Year’s day. Pretty much every shop and residence in the town has strong boards across the windows on the street for when the ba’ players (uppies and doonies) crash into them. We’re talking about massive teams vying against each other for the ba’, which they have to take all the way across town in order to win the game. It’s hotly contested each time, and they get into it seriously enough for people to get hurt (including bystanders who get in the way). There are two games, one each for the men and boys. The boys started in the morning and hadn’t even quite finished when the men began in the afternoon. There were dozens of men/boys on each team but hundreds of us spectators. There would be periods of inactivity when the teams (and the ba’) were at an impasse, during which times we spectators would amuse ourselves and then have to run out of the way when the ba’ suddenly was on the move yet again. We loved it all; it was such a fab thing to experience. The uppies and doonies really get into it (players and spectators), but we just cheered for everyone.
We then had a couple more days in Stromness before we got the ferry from there to Scrabster on mainland Scotland. From there we caught a local bus to Thurso, from where we’d booked a train back to Aberdeen. It turned out that the trains were cancelled, though, due to the heavy snow. And we just missed a van that the train company chartered to take some people (like us) who’d booked the train. It was so cold, and we (along with dozens of other people who eventually showed up too) just had to wait outside the train station for a few hours until more vans arrived. We elbowed our way onto one of them (how quickly the orderly queue disappeared once the vans arrived!) and made our slow way nearly to Aberdeen. We wound up getting out at a train station where we were able to get onto a train which was running. It took us to Inverness, where we had an hour or so to kill before we got another train to Aberdeen. We wound up getting out at Dyce and having a lovely visit at the Hill before heading home. What an amazing week!
It turned out that I had some kind of stomach bug (not just travel sickness after all), and it lasted for most of our time on the island. We didn’t do all the hiking we’d anticipated, but we still managed to see the sights. Kirkwall itself was lovely with an amazing hostel. We walked all over the town and visited the gorgeous Italian chapel nearby. We then spent a few days in Stromness. On our way there, we stopped in at Maeshowe, a wonderfully ancient tomb which features Roman graffiti and from which various standing stones can be seen. After our visit, it turned out it would be quite a while before the next bus would pass by, and we were so grateful when the shop attendant offered us a lift the rest of the way to Stromness. Talk about island hospitality! He even gave us the local history and gossip along the way. I was utterly charmed.
We got out at Stromness, thanked our driver profusely and at length managed to find the cottage we’d rented. It was amazing, so luxurious and even featuring a real fireplace. I should mention it was absolutely baltic up there. In a way I was glad for the excuse not to hike! We were mostly lazy in Stromness, just enjoying the cosy cottage. It was in Stromness that we rang in the new year. It’s only a small town, but seemingly most of its inhabitants were out for Hogmanay. There was a band of pipers which marched up the main street and fireworks once the clock struck midnight. It was low-key, and we loved it. Chris even managed to share his whisky flask with another out-of-towner.
On New Year’s day, we ventured back to Kirkwall (spying some inquisitive seals on our way) for the ba’. It’s a crazy game of street rugby in which the local men and boys take part each Christmas and New Year’s day. Pretty much every shop and residence in the town has strong boards across the windows on the street for when the ba’ players (uppies and doonies) crash into them. We’re talking about massive teams vying against each other for the ba’, which they have to take all the way across town in order to win the game. It’s hotly contested each time, and they get into it seriously enough for people to get hurt (including bystanders who get in the way). There are two games, one each for the men and boys. The boys started in the morning and hadn’t even quite finished when the men began in the afternoon. There were dozens of men/boys on each team but hundreds of us spectators. There would be periods of inactivity when the teams (and the ba’) were at an impasse, during which times we spectators would amuse ourselves and then have to run out of the way when the ba’ suddenly was on the move yet again. We loved it all; it was such a fab thing to experience. The uppies and doonies really get into it (players and spectators), but we just cheered for everyone.
We then had a couple more days in Stromness before we got the ferry from there to Scrabster on mainland Scotland. From there we caught a local bus to Thurso, from where we’d booked a train back to Aberdeen. It turned out that the trains were cancelled, though, due to the heavy snow. And we just missed a van that the train company chartered to take some people (like us) who’d booked the train. It was so cold, and we (along with dozens of other people who eventually showed up too) just had to wait outside the train station for a few hours until more vans arrived. We elbowed our way onto one of them (how quickly the orderly queue disappeared once the vans arrived!) and made our slow way nearly to Aberdeen. We wound up getting out at a train station where we were able to get onto a train which was running. It took us to Inverness, where we had an hour or so to kill before we got another train to Aberdeen. We wound up getting out at Dyce and having a lovely visit at the Hill before heading home. What an amazing week!
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