Print This Post
2010, Year O Orkney Dialect
The Orkney Heritage Society are making 2010 the Year O Orkney Dialect. They aim to raise awareness of the rich heritage reflected in the dialect and encourage its use in everyday life.
History of Orkney Dialect
The Orkneyjar website has some excellent information on old Orkney dialect and explains that;
“For almost 950 years – from approximately 800AD [...]
Print This Post
Camping and Hostels in Orkney
Camping in Orkney can be a very rewarding experience, many campsites are near the shoreline and offer stunning views over the archipelago.
Wild camping is also a right of passage in Scotland, with breathtaking scenery and well kept public facilities. Of course, it is important that you look after the countryside and adhere to the Wild [...]
Print This Post
Login’s Well – Stromness, Orkney
Two things limited the distances early mariners could sail, one was food the other was fresh water. Early sailing ships needed large quantities of both of these commodoties before any adventures could begin.
Login’s Well in Stromness, Orkney, is once source of fresh water drawn upon by some of our famous explorers.
At first glance the well [...]
Print This Post
Stromness ‘Liberty’ Cannon
Rusting at the edge of the sheltered harbour of Stromness is a cannon said to be a relic of the Anglo-American War.
Trade routes and access to the vast grain fields of Canada became the trigger for war and the shipping lanes between Canada and Britain came under constant threat from the US Navy.
Canada was a [...]
Print This Post
Fresson Cairn, Kirkwall
Tuesday, 8 May 1933 marked the start of what would become the longest continuously-operating scheduled air service in Europe and probably the world. It was to be called Highland Airways.
Commemorating this adventure, started by Captain Ernest Fresson, is a cairn overlooking the current Kirkwall airport.
Unveiled in 2008 by Stephen Hagan, the convener of Orkney Islands [...]
Print This Post
Broch of Gurness
February 24, 2010 by admin
Filed under Archaeology, Featured
The Broch of Gurness in Orkney is one of the most outstanding surviving examples of an Iron-Age settlement in northern Scotland.
Scottish Brochs
There are over 500 brochs, all unique to Scotland, with many of them scattered around the highlands and islands.
Unlike other brochs, the ones in Orkney were often surrounded by villages and the Broch of [...]
Print This Post
Take a cruise to Orkney
For thousands of years the Orkney Isles have been seen by mariners as a great place to stock up with provisions before or after a great sailing expedition.
In modern times the safe harbours offered by Orkney were the last stopping point for ships heading out across the Atlantic to the New World and beyond.
Today this [...]
Print This Post
Whisky – the spirits from Orkney
February 24, 2010 by admin
Filed under Featured, Food Trail
Blessed with two distilleries, Orkney is well placed to be on the whisky trail for every lover of good quality spirit.
The Highland Park Distillery is the most northern of all the distilleries in the world beating the Scapa Distillery by about a mile or so.
Print This Post
Genuine VW Camping in Orkney
Visiting the Orkney Isles is addictive and one of the best ways to see the islands is to go camping.
Many people travel to Orkney via ferry, bringing their own motor home with them, However, we would point out that the roads in Orkney are not designed for large vehicles and heavy traffic, many are indeed [...]
Print This Post
Orkney Island Yarns – Woolgathering
This interesting website belongs to one of our twitter followers. Woolgathering.org.uk is the home of The Woolgatherer, aka plumbum.
Woolgathered concentrates largely upon the fibre habits of The Woolgatherer but also encompasses several areas of Woolgathering Lifestyle. Pull-out sections are available for readers with focused interests.
For readers who love knitting, cats, dogs or are generally interested [...]
