2013- Scotland, so beautiful, so at home...

What a great way to start our 3 weeks in Scotland....a full day hike up to the top of Ben Lomond and then looking back over Loch Lomond, south towards Glasgow, north towards Glencoe and then east towards Loch Katrine where we were 6 years ago (see Blog post from 2007) When you open these videos make sure you click on "full screen"...enjoy!

Here we are halfway up, around 1500 feet with Loch Lomond in the background...only another 1700 feet to go...UP!! 

At the top.....!  

Loch Katrine beyond, where we were in 2007.....yes, that is snow you see, with many drifts still hugging the flanks of the Scottish Highlands from the April blizzards....certainly cut back on our Cairngorm hikes...does Robert look happy munching on his sandwich.  COLD breeze up here! 

Sue and hiking friend at the hostel....

View to Ben Lomond from hostel....lots of snow still.

View to hostel....

View back to Glasgow along Loch Lomond....you can see the Highland geological fault in the lines of islands going east to west in the loch, which divided the Highlands and Lowlands of Scotland 600 million years ago.   This is connected with the volcanic activity in Glencoe Pass 100 kms. north of here.

Video below of Glen Nevis waterfall with view to Ben Nevis...

 Robert going over the wire bridge and looking back to snow-covered Ben Nevis....and then looking back to the waterfall which flows into the Glan Nevis Valley....a great day hike.

Heading up Ben Nevis only to turn back later when the snow and hail started up as can be seen in the below picture.   Other hikers told us that you needed crampons on the summit.....second time we've had to turn back from Nevis, the first time in 2007.  Truly, we need to make this a priority in the near future....

 Below is a sympathetic Highland cattle and some sheep with Nevis beyond....they probably go up there in the summertime!!

Another reality check.....!
Now heading up north into the wilds of the Scottish Highlands....and came across this remarkable cairn dedicated to the hikers who lost their lives hiking the Munros. They were
named after famed mountaineer Hugh Munro who climbed and named all of the    peaks.

 

How sweet is this log cabin, our home for 4 days of at the base of Glencoe Pass?

 Every day, out for a hike...first was to the viewpoint allowing us to look down the stunning Glencoe Valley, an incredible lesson in the geology of 600 million years ago.   Ask Robert, my in-resident geologist, for the full scoop....basically volcanoes and glaciers shaped this awesome landscape.   We couldn't get enough of looking at this Pass from every available viewpoint....below you can see the "3 Sisters" on the left of the Pass....in gaelic, Bidean nam Bian

Below, you can see me near a sheep and shepherd shelter....

Check out Robert way below....

Probably the highlight of our 4 days was hiking up to Lost Valley, where the MacDonalds fled to in 1692, to escape the massacre from the treacherous clans acting on the orders of the English king.  This Lost Valley was traditionally used to keep cattle and sheep during the Summer.   Here's a synopsis from Wikipedia:  
Early in the morning of 13 February 1692, in the aftermath of the Glorious Revolution and the Jacobite uprising of 1689 led by John Graham of Claverhouse, a massacre took place in Glen Coe, in the Highlands of Scotland. This incident is referred to as the Massacre of Glencoe, or in Scottish Gaelic Mort Ghlinne Comhann (murder of Glen Coe). The massacre began simultaneously in three settlements along the glen—Invercoe, Inverrigan, and Achnacon—although the killing took place all over the glen as fleeing MacDonalds were pursued. Thirty-eight MacDonalds from the Clan MacDonald of Glencoe were killed by the guests who had accepted their hospitality, on the grounds that the MacDonalds had not been prompt in pledging allegiance to the new monarchs, William and Mary. Another forty women and children died of exposure after their homes were burned.

 Above Robert is contemplating a deep canyon which the Macdonalds would've had to climb down and back up crossing a stream....now a new bridge and chain rope to help the hikers.  We are wimps!  Below view looks across to the road where our car is parked and the north ridge, featuring the very demanding  Aonach Eagach hike with the famed Devil's Staircase to the right of the ridge.   That is part of the West Highland Way and leads to Kinlochmore   If you look closely you can see a school group just going into the trees below.  Lots of energy there! 

 We are about halfway up the trail now, which totalled 1300 foot climb, very rocky and scrambly, not well marked. 

Total distance from the road to the top of Lost Valley is 4 kms., then another 2 kms. to the top end of Lost Valley at the base of the mountains.  Below you can see the incredible view, incredible feeling....the ghosts of the McDonalds swirled around us. 

 After such an emotional day, we went to the King's House Hotel at the top of Glen Coe and toasted the memories of the brave Macdonalds. 

Then to the Macdonald monument in Glencoe village, erected by a direct descendent of one of the murdered Macdonalds.

Above video is of the Inchcailloch cemetery which has sheltered MacGregors since the 1620's.  It is located on an island in Loch Lomond and can be reached by this small ferry.

Touching the gravestone of Chief McGregor, buried here in 1623....

 This picture shows the inscription that I am touching....

 Looking towards (above) and from the 8th century church foundations built for an Irish princess....!

Now traveling towards the Isle of Skye, stopping to admire the beautiful, mystical Glen Shiel....Scotland is so full of these beautiful glens and lochs....Now opening towards Loch     and the recognizable Castle Eilean Donan.

Isle of Skye....now this is Scotland at its best...here is sunset overlooking Portree's harbor. 

Above video was taken from the turret and small castle overlooking the harbor....
Stayed at a hostel in Portree....now THERE'S a story!!!

 Headed up to Trotternish Peninsula....and the beauty just hit us between the eyes.....you can see "The Eye of the Needle" sticking up.

 Kilt Rock above with the explanation below....

 More of the kilted rock formation....

 High up on Trotternish Ridge, looking towards the inevitable sheep....video below this picture.

 At the top of the Isle of Skye, a gorgeous museum showing how the Scots lived centuries ago....

Orkney Islands.....just stunning.   http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20151210-were-these-remote-wild-islands-the-centre-of-everything
Above is the Cliffs of  St John's, the highest in Great Britain at 346 meters (over 1000 feet) on the Isle of Hoy.   Of course, the Old man of Hoy sea-stack is the draw, at 137 meters high....we picnicked right at this overlook....with sea birds and other people keeping us company.   Getting here from the tiny ferry from Stromness was an adventure....and included meeting up with 2 sisters and their pooch from Glasgow in Rathwick after walking 4 kms. through beautiful Rathwick Glen from the east coast.   My, how these sisters helped us....water, coffee, cookies and toblerone bars!!   They drove us back to the Moass Pier ferry landing through pea-soup fog.....lovely people.  Here is the view we enjoyed heading over to the Isle of Hoy from the Stromness Pier...the Cliffs of St John's are to the right of Isle of Hoy.

 After our adventure walking to the Old Man of Hoy, we munched our lunch, chatted with people and enjoyed these gorgeous views!

 

The Orkney Islands are renowned for their neolithic archeological sites....the islands are a World Heritage site. Where do you start?   The mainland is just packed with these sites and they are all linked to each other by straight lines and views that line up at different times of the year.   The most amazing one is MaesHowe burial mound from 7000 years ago which lines up with the Winter solstice setting sun....along Rathwick Glen on the Isle of Hoy!  There is a live webcam which starts operating at the end of November each year...check it out!
http://www.maeshowe.co.uk/index.html

As we finished our tour of MaesHowe and our guide pointed this out, Robert and I looked at each other in amazement! We had hiked this valley the day before.....!

 Above is a few cross-sections from the MaesHowe chambered burial mound and below is the entrance.  There is a strict quota system and ticketing so make sure you reserve ahead if you are going.  There is a multiple ticket which gets you in to 6 of these Neolithic sites for a pretty good price....

As well as these dramatic sites, there were many lesser-known places to visit and this was just on Mainland Orkney Island.  It is quite the archipelago of islands...."next time" we visit will head off to some of the smaller ones.
http://www.birsay.org.uk/baronymill.htm

One memorable visit was the Barony Boardhouse Mill (see link above), the only working mill now on Orkney,  which demonstrated the process of grinding an ancient form of barley....yes, eventually for a nice brew!  At left is the water course going towards the mill, below is the waterwheel....and the video really demonstrates the power of the water.

 We had a wonderful experience with our guide....about to close down for the day, he stayed past closing and enthusiastically guided us step-by-step through the grinding process.  This truly was a great demonstration of the hugely hospitable attitude of the Orcadians.  
For example, John invited me to pull on a tiny string, it opened the watercourse and the giant waterwheel started moving!  Quite exciting!
Below he is showing Robert the ancient grinding stone, intricately formed and transported carefully from far away....ask Robert what "keep your nose to the grindstone" means or "show your mettle"....love the Olde English expressions.

Left is the close to last part of the grinding process....shivering and shaking the grains down the chute and then up to the attic to dry out.   Do you know that when the condensation on the windows are down to one inch from the bottom of the pane of glass the grains are dry enough??!!
below is the different sized grains of barley, which is bagged and shipped to exclusive markets in the UK and beyond.

The Orkney Brewery center was a delight!  We were shown how barley is made into several special brews....the below Skullsplitter is memorable, I'd say!

 Our guide "pulled" 3 brews for each of us after the tour...3rd from left is Red McGregor...arrrrrrrrr!

 And does Robert look delighted......I'd say....!!

There were several other "minor" sites we visited:  Kitchener's Memorial of "Your Country Needs You" fame on the recruiting poster.  He died off Marwick Head when bombed in the HMS Hampshire in 1916.   We walked up to the cliff and along to this wonderful overlook....Robert thought it looked like the castle in a chess game.  Incredible cliffs and pounding waves....

Close by, were the "Fishermen's Huts" made of flag (stones) and turf, a common sight in years past.  Below you can see the beach where the boast were hauled up as well as the storage huts.

Above shows one of the numerous Brochs, this one called Guerness on the east coast of Orkney mainland.  Once housing a thousand or so people, the brochs were built in a circular design, complete with center tower and surrounding houses very similar to the Skara Brae model.  Below is the hearth of a firepit, with a water resevoir beside it.

 If you look at these information boards carefully on the Brough of Birsay in north-west Orkney, you can see the careful organization of this 8th century Viking settlement (above) and a detail of one of the buildings (below).  Would love to compare this with L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland!!!

Above is the apse of the Viking settlement's church...you can see the altar just inside the entrance to the apse and the ocean beyond, now at low tide.   Nearby, on the mainland, were the ruins of the Earl's Palace, a sort of "summer home" for the Earl of    whose main castle was located in Kirkwall.  A disreputable ruler of Orcadians, his legacy was one of fear and ruthless intimidation....

Above you can see the remnants of the circular staircase which ascended into one of the corner towers.  Below are a few pictures of his Kirkwall residence, quite an interesting tour through many chambers and great dining halls.

 And yes, we met the Earl of Kirkwall, now behind bars!!!!

Skara Brae was a major focal point for us....occupied from 3100-2500 B.C., this fabulous Neolithic site epitomizes a superbly preserved set of house walls, revealed during a ferocious storm over 150 years ago.   I wonder if it was a tsunami.....?

Discovery was made in the 1850's by the Earl of Skaill whose house overlooks this area....imagine his astonishment after a huge storm when he spotted these foundations peeking out from the sand dune which had buried them for over 3000 years!!

Below is me viewing the central house...and the view north back to our sheep farm apartment where we stayed for the week.  What a sight from our kitchen window!!  

It displays furniture, jewelry, tools and how separate families cozied up to a central fire-pit.  Below shows family beds facing the fire-pit in the center as well as some storage alcoves.  Beyond the site can be seen Skaill House which we toured after Skara Brae.  

Here is a cooking area as well as water reservoir and fire-pit....such an integrated modern kitchen!!

In these pictures one has a view out to sea from the Skara Brae site and Skaill Bay which has receded considerably over centuries.

Views from our sheep farm apartment....below you can see Ann and her sheep dogs checking out Week 2 lambies.  The nearby field would always have the new-born lambs.  As soon as they were up, numbered to match them up with Mama, tottering around and then latching on for good feeds, they would be moved to the farther field....graduation!!   Robert in particular liked twin lambs #37.  The days were so long at this point that we could see the action until almost 10:30 at night.   When we had the windows open you could hear the surf from Skaill Bay beside Skara Brae.  Ann was a welcoming and accommodating hostess for our apartment, perfectly situated on the west coast of the Main Orkney Island.  Excellent place for us to head off every day to explore.....

Do these 2 below scenes look familiar?  Central fire-pit, open vent in the roof, fish drying and smoking over the fire, bed facing the fire for warmth and protected by thin shale walls....just like Skara Brae!!   16th century farm museum near Corrigall echoing the living arrangement of 2 milleniums before.  

 Yes, those are peat bricks in the fire, which we saw excavated throughout the island and yes.....it was extremely smoky in there.

 Check out the whale ribs arching over the garden entrance

 and a beautiful carriage in the storage area.  

Barnhouse Village site near the Standing Stones of Stromness, in the process of being excavated....

 Above view looks back towards the Ring of Brogar,

Straight line through these stones look back towards the Ring of Brogar on the other side of the causeway....seen below.  Beyond the Ring of Brogar can be seen the Isle of Hoy.   Full circle!!

 Close up of the beautiful stone used in these sites, with sheep grazing peacefully beyond.  

 Scapa Flow played an enormous part of history during the 2 World Wars.  Above is a quilt hanging in the Kirkwall Library which outlines some of the major events: 
Below is the causeway over Scapa Flow with a fascinating addition to the area:  a totem pole carved by an Orcadian, a native Canadian from the Haida community on the west coast of Canada and a New Zealander!  Beyond to the left is the famous Italian Chapel, built by POW from Italy during WW2.

Here is a lobster carving....maybe from PEI??!!

 And a sacred bird....

 This beautiful bench was contributed by Maori carvers from New Zealand...

In addition to Scapa Flow, we toured the Ness Battery near Stromness which guarded the strategic passage ( sen in below map) between Isle of Hoy and mainland Orkney during WW2.