Sunday, May 13, 2012

Journey through an ancient landscape

After the lovely sunset and afterglow of the previous evening, it was disappointing to wake up on my second day in Orkney to the sight of grey skies and rain-spattered windows. Nevertheless, trusting implicitly in the BBC weather forecast which had promised that conditions would improve, we had breakfast and set off to catch the mid-morning ferry across to Orkney Mainland. Thankfully the wind had dropped somewhat and the sea was much calmer than the day before, though it was still bitterly cold.

At the bus stop

Sian on her small island

Very soon we were in Stromness and setting off in Sian’s off-island car for our day’s exploration of a little of Orkney’s long history. As we drove the clouds started to disperse, the sun came out and before we knew it the sky was a glorious blue and the landscape breath-taking. Orkney is almost treeless and lacks the mountain grandeur of Sutherland, but the wide green sweep of its gentle hills and broad valleys, and the constant glimpses of water in loch and sea, give the soul room to breathe and I loved it.

When we arrived at our first destination, Scara BraeSian, who must know the introductory exhibition backwards after taking so many visitors there, left me to it and relaxed with a nice cup of tea. Meanwhile I was immediately fascinated by the informative and interactive way this marvellously preserved Neolithic village, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was set in context for visitors before we actually saw it.

There is a walk of several hundred yards from the Visitors’ Centre to the village itself, and along its length markers commemorating important historical events have been placed in a kind of timeline to illustrate just how ancient this site is. Constructed and inhabited millennia before the birth of Christ, old and about to be abandoned when the first pyramids of Egypt were being built, the houses of Skara Brae, with their stone furniture and central hearths, give us a vivid and unforgettable glimpse into the lives of our distant ancestors.

The village by the sea
House and hearth
Stone furniture - dresser and beds by the walls
I said it was cold

When Neolithic farmers decided to settle at Skara Brae, the climate in Orkney was warmer and drier than it is today and the site they chose may have been on the shore of an inland loch. By the time the village was abandoned some six hundred years later, the climate had changed, becoming become colder and wetter and making cereal farming more difficult. This factor, combined with the gradual encroachment of the sea, may have contributed to the decision to leave, but no-one really knows why the inhabitants of this well-constructed village finally moved elsewhere.

Once abandoned the village gradually became covered by sand dunes until a great storm in 185o uncovered part of the remains, but it was many decades before they were properly excavated and conserved.

The land on which Skara Brae was discovered belonged to a local landowner who lived in the nearby Skaill House, acknowledged as Orkney’s finest large mansion. Very sensibly, Historic Scotland, which looks after Skara Brae and Skaill House, includes both on the same admission ticket, so after our visit to the remote past, we made our way back into relatively recent history by going round this interesting and appealing building, for so long an imposing but also intimate family home.

From Skaill House  Sian drove me to the other site I really wanted to see on my first visit: the great circle of standing stones known as the Ring of Brodgar. I have been familiar with the sight of the Ring since one of my sisters gave me a print of her pastel drawing of the monument some years ago, but to see it in all its remote and mysterious grandeur was still deeply impressive. 


The path up to it was slippery after the night’s rain and my balance is not of the best, but we made it up to the stones and walked much of the way round the huge circle in its wide and beautiful setting. The Ring of Brodgar is one of a number of ancient monuments which together make up the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site. It was probably constructed between 2500 and 2000 BC (after Skara Brae had been abandoned) and was the last of the great monuments to be built in this archaeologically rich area.

The intrepid duo - it was STILL cold
We only had time to visit two of these remarkable sites that day, but that leaves us plenty to see on a future visit. J After a late and leisurely lunch in Stromness I watched Sian catch the little ferry back to her small island before boarding my much bigger one for a calm and sunlit crossing back to Scrabster and DH at the end of my fascinating and memorable birthday trip. Here's to the next time....

42 comments:

  1. OOOh that's a lovely reminder of our mini-adventure! Here's to the next time....and warmth and sunshine too ;-)

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    1. It was fun to relive it, Sian. :-) Next time I shall order the sunshine and warmth to arrive while I'm there, not two days later...;-)

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  2. This is breathtaking stuff Perpetua. The simple domestic scene, so easily imagined from the Scara Brae ruins to the out and out mystery and majesty of the Ring Of Brodgar...just beautiful. I have looked forward to this post, and it has been worth the wait...brilliant, thanks. J.

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    1. I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Janice. You've pinpointed one of the most special things about that day - the contrast between the domestic and comprehensible at Scara Brae and the sheer mystery of the megaliths and all just a few miles apart.

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  3. I bet you wished the climate had been that of the first settlers of Scara Brae...I can feel the chill through the photographs!

    But what an experience to walk the same paths as those distant ancestors.

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    1. You never spoke a truer word, Fly. The blue sky and sunshine couldn't disguise the fact that the wind was straight from the Arctic - at the end of April! However it didn't detract in the slightest from the awe-inspiring nature of what we were seeing - the homes and the monuments of those early inhabitants.

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  4. Thank you - I thoroughly enjoyed your visit. It sounds and looks a magical place.

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    1. Thanks, Susan. Magical is the right word. It was somehow outside time and the ordinariness of everyday. Very haunting.

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  5. Beautiful photos...you both look incredibly smiley, in spite of the cold!
    And I love your "new look" on here, by the way!

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    1. Thanks CB, both about the photos and the new look. We enjoyed ourselves enormously and it shows. :-) As for the makeover, Blogger has a lot of goodies in its store cupboard and it's fun to explore them...

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  6. Such an interesting post.
    We visited Stonehenge this year. Walking in the footsteps of Neotlithic man you feel the brooding presence of our ancestors.
    It is always said that there is nothing new under the sun, and that stone dresser proves the point. A vase of flowers, some brass pots, pretty china, and it would be appropriate today.
    The presentation of your blog is greatly improved. The writing is much easier on the eye.

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    1. Thanks, Rosemary. I've visited the Rollright Stones, but not Stonehenge, so this was my first, and deeply impressive, visit to a really large stone circle. One's mind boggles at how our ancestors transported and erected those massive monoliths.

      As for the stone dresser, it was so touching to see such a familiar piece of furniture in each of the houses, together with two stone-edged beds on opposite walls. It made our distant ancestors seem much closer.

      I'm glad you like the new look. It's amazing what a difference can be made by taking the font up just one point. I think the contrast is better too on a plain white background.

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  7. Looks beautiful even on a cold day.

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    1. Oh, it was, Molly, and so interesting that I almost forgot the cold at times. :-)

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  8. Very impressive post Perpetua. What a strong sense of the feel of the place you have managed to convey.
    I must say it seems rather sinister to me, but then, I'm not famous for my courage.
    As for the reason the inhabitants left. Could it have had something to do with the extremely uncomfortable stone furniture?
    As ever, excellent pictures.

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    1. ROFL! Thanks, Ray, I'm glad you enjoyed it from the comfort of your own sofa. :-) I'm guessing the beds were padded out with lots of straw and furs and things, as this was before the days of woven fabric.

      It was an extraordinarily atmospheric place and certainly the stones might seem sinister to many. But the quiet domesticity of Skara Brae, even with its alien stone furniture, made those early farmers seem very real.

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  9. It's fascinating to think this small group of islands, so far north and so difficult to get to, has been settled for such a long time and that such wonderful relics of humanity remain. I love the 'built in' furniture in the Skara Brae houses - what an excellent idea.
    Standing stones are another of my passions - they seem to cast a spell over me - usually of great calm. As Janice says, mystery and majesty.
    Glad you are back - and on sparkling form. A lovely post and great to see you and Sian together.
    Axxx

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    1. Thanks, Annie, we had a great time. I share your fascination with the wealth of superb archaeological evidence of our ancestors' lives in this remote place. It was so long ago and yet so much is instantly recognisable from our own way of living.

      The standing stones made me feel small and ignorant somehow - not knowing why or how they had been put there, yet full of admiration for the people who worked so hard to achieve that amazing and lasting monument.

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  10. This is a very different sort of place for me. I don't believe I've ever been anywhere quite like it and The Ring of Brodgar is so intriguing. I'm glad you had such a nice visit in spite of the cold weather.

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    1. Rubye, the same can be said of me. Though I have seen Neolithic remains before, I've never been anywhere where they are so prolific or so much part of the landscape. The Ring of Brodgar seems as though it has been there for ever.

      We had a wonderful trip and were very lucky the sun shone for us, as it was pouring down in the rest of the UK. It's still cold in the middle of May, so I hope summer arrives before too long.

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  11. Hallo, liebe Camperwagen-Crew! Wie schön, dass Ihr mich mit auf Eure Reise nehmt. Und seid getröstet: in Hamburg ist es auch immer noch kalt und gestern pfiff der Wind um die Ecken! Erstaunlicherweise ist das aber normal, d.h. diese saukalten Tagen werden bei uns als die 3 Eisheiligen benannt: Servatius, Pankratius und Mamertus. Nun denn, bei all dem Klimawandel immerhin mal eine Konstante. Die Bilder sind sehr schön, liebe Perpetua, und Du strahlst wie immer! Liebe Grüße aus Hamburg

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    1. Guten Morgan, R, und ich hoffe, dass bei Dir, wie bei uns, die Sonne heute scheint. Hier gibt es noch immer einen sehr kalten Wind aus dem Norden und das Frühling geht nur langsam vorbei. Ja, das war eine sehr glückliche Geburtstagreise und es freut mich, dass sie Dir Spass gemacht hat. Liebe Grüsse von mir auch.

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  12. As I expected Perpetua, a post that was well worth waiting for. Wonderful descriptions and splendid photographs. I particularly like the 'woolly hat' look :-) The Orkney Islands are now definitely on what my Texan friends (you know who I mean) call 'my bucket list'.

    I concur with several of your earlier commenters approving the new look to your blog. Cleaner, clearer & pleasing on the eye. As you will know, I'm no great fan of Google blogspot though I enjoy & follow several blogs, including yours, that use it. I'm currently in discussion with my internet savvy wife about changing my WordPress theme. Therefore I too, may have a new look very soon!

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    1. Thanks, Ricky, I thought you would enjoy it. The light was perfect for photos - very clear and bright. You would love it there. The woolly hats were essential to our survival and we didn't take them off until we sat down in the cafe for our belated lunch. :-)

      I think the new look came partly from exploring the possibility of moving my blog to WordPress. Having set up a duplicate blog there as a reserve, I got to like the look I'd chosen and tried to do something similar here, especially as now isn't the time to move to WP with some of the changes they've been making recently. :-( I'll stick with Blogger until the new interface finally arrives and then decide.

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  13. You guys look so cold! But blissfully happy to be in a place of so much history...not sure I could handle it though...since I start looking for space heaters if the temp. drops below 75F. Love your photos and so happy you obviously had a ball! Smiles - A.

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    1. We were freezing, Astrid, and our noses were red from the biting wind, but we still enjoyed our day enormously. It would have taken more than a temperature hovering around 40F to deter us. 75F is a warm summer's day to us Britons, and not one we encounter very often.:-)

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  14. Sunny smiles in warm woolies....what more could you want? Thanks for the pictures and the post ...very interesting to see another place, another time. Sue

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    1. Absolutely, Sue. It was perfect day and one I shall remember for a very long time. I'm glad you enjoyed the post. It's these glimpses into different lives and worlds which makes blogging so fascinating.

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  15. Hello Perpetua:
    How absolutely fascinating all of this is, and what a wonderful landscape with, as you say, glimpses of loch and sea in all directions. We should have been really interested to see for ourselves the houses of Skara Brae with their stone furniture - such things we find endlessly intriguing. But the cold! We have to say you do both look rather perished.

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    1. Good morning, Jane and Lance. I'm glad you enjoyed my little excursion to the frozen North. It truly was perishingly cold, especially for the end of April, hence our somewhat spherical appearances with all the layers of clothing. :-)

      But it was so worth it to have stood where our distant ancestors once lived and worked and died. There is so much left that it wasn't hard to imagine oneself back in those small, dark houses so many centuries ago. A memorable experience.

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  16. Skara Brae was magnificent was it not? I couldn't wait to visit it after learning so much about it at university. It was unreal.

    Did you go to the other tomby place though? That was equally brill, will remember the name eventually.

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    1. It was fantastic, roughseas, everything I'd read about and more. I've never read anything scholarly about it, but it has still been in my consciousness for a long time and it was great to see it for myself.

      As for the other tomby place, do you mean the Tomb of the Eagles on South Ronaldsay, http://www.tomboftheeagles.co.uk/? Not this time as we only had the middle of one day at our disposal, but it's on the list for a future visit. :-)

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  17. Enter Envy again! I'd sooo love to get to Orkney (& Shetland as well, to visit SOLI on Fetlar), but as the Better Half found the Mull trip so tiring (as did I) I suspect that it'll have to remain a 'pipe dream', like my desire to cruise to the North Cape and see either the midnight sun or the Aurora (having missed it on Mull!) Great photos. Sympathies re the cold - we froze on Mull, despite the sunshine. Wind was lazy - went straight through us. Glad you're back safely.

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    1. The answer to your travel problem is to fly there, Helva. Lots of people who live in Orkney or Shetland always fly when travelling south, as it's a VERY long way to drive. Worth thinking about...?

      The light was perfect for photos and I took lots, though I kept having to put my gloves back on to thaw out my fingers. :-) It really was freezingly cold!

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  18. Niall has often waxed [rightly] lyrical about his one and only visit to Orkney. Your post has added super pictures and added texture to his descriptions [--including his very storm tossed crossing on the ferry :-)]
    Thank you, a great tour!

    It is a long way north but obviously very well worth the trek -- it is now on the list to try and visit.

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    1. Thanks, Antoinette. I'm glad you enjoyed it so much. I think I'm now in the same position as Niall, captured by the atmosphere and landscape of this extraordinary place. For a historian it must be even more special. You really must go there one day if you possibly can, though be prepared for the crossing of the Pentland Firth to be lively in most weathers. :-)

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  19. Wonderful stuff :D And you visited two of the places I most hope to visit some day. We have friends on Shetland, and have even contemplated relocating there, but I have a hankering for Orkney! I suspect all those far flung islands work their magic on those who visit :D

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    1. Thanks, Annie. I had a wonderful subject to write about, as this is a trip I've wanted to make ever since one of my sisters lived on one of the northern Orkney islands nearly 30 years ago. Though I'd be interested in visiting Shetland too, it's a bit too far north for me for anything longer than that, but I can certainly understand the appeal of Orkney now. :-)

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  20. I just read (or heard) about Scara Brae from Bill Bryson's book, At Home. I was curious about it and thrilled to see your pictures and further explanation here, Perpetua. Your enthusiasm over your trip to Orkney and time with Sian just oozes from your words and my-oh-my, those pictures are wonderful. I'm so glad the weather lifted a bit, even if it was cold. Thank you so much for sharing.

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    1. I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Penny, and that I posted while your first introduction to Skara Brae was still fresh in your mind. Life is full of these nice little coincidences. :-) It was a super trip in every way, and not even the Arctic wind and our red noses could dim the pleasure we had.

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  21. Dear Perpetua, . . . thank you once again for introducing me to new places and sights. I've never seen a Neolithic village and so I found your pictures and text exciting to read. Satisfying. To think that 5,000 years ago our ancestors ate and slept and laughed and made love and comforted one another there.

    Then I went to the Skaill House link and discovered more about Skara Brae as well as the history of the 12 lairds who have lived in the house. And to think that the land has been farmed for at least 1,000 years. Another satisfying read.

    And then to see the Ring of Brodgar, which I've never read about. Ah. Thank you.

    Peace.

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    1. You're very welcome, Dee. I found it all so fascinating and have really enjoyed sharing what I discovered. I agree - the awareness that I was looking at buildings where our ancestors lived their ordinary family lives so long ago was very special and rather moving. I'm glad you followed up the links and read more about what I could only touch on in s single post.

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