Broch of Gurness

Broch of Gurness - village entry

Kirkwall; St Magnus Cathedral

Kirkwall: Bishop's Palace

 

Another gloriously sunny day. It was hard to leave our lovely parking spot opposite the causeway to Birsay island (we did consider staying), but we make our way eastwards along the coast to the Broch of Gurness Pictish village.

The broch (Orcadian word for tower, most iron-age in origin) dominates the little bay at Gurness and would have been the centre of the village, originally about 12 meters high, now only about 3m high. The village and broch built between 400 – 100 BC is in remarkable condidition. The inner and outer walls and lintelled doorway entrance (only one way in) is in tact, as is the remains of the spiral staircase that went to the upper floors (two).

The only way into the village was through the broch entrance, making it a very secure place to live. It was a likely necessity knowing now the tendency of the Vikings/Norsemen to attack thriving villages, kill all the men and old women and take over the village for themselves. The village is arranged like a three-leaf shamrock, the three lobes being groups of small dwellings, each with a hearth, and entered from narrow passageways. There is evidence of a pottery kiln, a forge, a sauna, stone-lined drainage channels under the passageways and latrines, so a sophisticated way of living.

We must spend an hour or two here totally absorbed by the way of living in the past, the way the village has been laid out and displayed using interpretive signs, making it so plain to see how the people had lived here. It is a very windy spot, so drive on, over the moorland and stop at Cottasgarth, an RSPB site accessed along a narrow road and steep track through a farmyard.

The hide (built with lottery money) is palacial and out of all context to the few moorland birds and raptors that will be seen here, we saw one kestrel and nothing else! It is a good spot to stop for lunch, perched high on the moorland, so we have a break and then move on to Kirkwall, the largest town on Orkney. Access is via a farm track and farmyard, our motorhome fitted without any problems.

We call at Tesco in Kirkwall and buy milk and the nearby campsite where we empty the toilet cassette. The discharge facilities are outside of the campsite itself.

We call in St Magnus’ Cathedral, built in 1137 by the nephew of Magnus (who was Earl of Orkney). It is a lovely tall, gothic norman church supported on fourteen pairs of massive red sandstone pillars with a tiered balcony above the nave (open for tours). Then walk to the Earl’s Palace (Patrick son of Robert Stewart of Birsay) which is only across the road and look at an even more impressive palacial mansion of an even more villainous and double dealing ‘noble’.

What interesting history (if you are interested…). Next to the Bishop’s palace which is next to the Earl’s palace and equally grand. There are some fascinating stone building features, like the circular bay windows supported on what can only be described at a cone shaped base (like an ice cream cone). The roof and top of the tower is accessible up a spiral staircase which gives very good views over St Magnus Cathedral and the town of Kirkwall generally.

We do not stay in Kirkwall but move on further east to Deerness, a remote headland of the island in the south. We park on a small car park that provides access to Mull Head. We walk part-way along, passing The Gloup, this looks like a deep sea-filled inlet. In fact it is a very large whose roof has collapsed, formed by the action of the sea. This area was one of the windiest places that we visited, as a result of the  cold and strong wind that only venture to the Brough of Deerness viewpoint where, unbelievably, there is a 4G internet signal with a fast data connection! 

The car park is deserted and makes a good overnight stop.

Summary of motorhome journey

RSPB Cottasgarth

Overnight near Mull Head

Mull Head