Stromness

 After spending a relaxing couple of days anchored behind Rysa Little, we hoisted the sails again and headed to Stromness. The Orkney Islands have been on our bucket list for a long time. Unfortunately we would only have a few days here. We arrived at the marina, finding it nearly full. We didn’t realize there was a music festival that weekend. Unfortunately, the tickets had been sold out for months. As we explored the town we found many fascinating tidbits. A visit to the local museum gave us an overview of the history of the islands

                

We discovered the this is where John Franklin’s ships Erabus and Terror filled their water tanks before crossing the Atlantic to explore Arctic Canada.

A picnic table lunch at a local cafe was fun as we chatted with fellow travellers. They had driven from the Netherlands. 

One cloudy day we got out the bicycles and peddled to Skara Brae.  An ancient settlement that is old than the Egyptian Pyramids. The site was covered in sand from the Atlantic terms for thousands of years and thus preserved until another storm in 1850 uncovered parts of it. It was partially excavated and then abandoned until another storm damaged some of the site. A sea wall was erected to protect the site and excavation resumed. Carbon dating has placed the village between 3200 and 2200 BC. 

After exploring the Visitor Centre and enjoying a cup of tea we came outside to a cold rainy afternoon. We decided to splurge on a taxi ride home. I love our folding bikes.

Another day we hopped on the local bus to explore the city of Kirkwall. The main city in the Orkneys it i a hub for both industry and tourism. We found a cute communication museum which made us realize how old we were as many devices that we used a we grew up were on display. Do you remember the Sony Walkman?

We explored the harbour and the touristy shops. Our souvenirs tend to be edible given the limited space on the boat.

We closed out the day with a stop at the major grocery store to add to the provisions. It was time to begin our voyage south.