Having arrived in the rain, with a persistent and cold northerly wind, and few cafes or pubs open, initial impressions of Stromness were not good, however, a few days later and with the sun shining, things looked and felt very different.
Stromness is a very atmospheric town with crooked streets and narrow alleyways leading down to the harbourside. Houses and old warehouses are huddled together and the deep maritime heritage is clear everywhere. There are whale bones decorating houses, memorials to Orkneymen who headed off to Canada with the Hudson Bay Company, a Fitzroy Barometer for 19th century weather reporting and today, a busy harbour with fishermen, ferries and yachts including many from Scandinavia. The associated pictures provide a better ‘feel’ of Stromness but it is a lovely town and well worth a visit – especially if it’s sunny!
On board Little Scarlet I had been concerned about a rather unpleasant and intermittent rattling sound that seemed to be coming from below the cockpit sole, perhaps around the gearbox or propeller shaft mountings. Having had a brief phone call with John Redington, an experienced marine engineer and old friend of Little Scarlet, I put on my wet suit and took the plunge into the cold Stromness harbour to have a look at the shaft. As suspected, the sacrificial anode that I had fitted onto the shaft in the Spring had come loose and was the source of the rattle. It was easily removed and I was hugely relieved that the noise was not a sign of something far more serious.
Nigel and I celebrated by hiring bikes for the second day for another exploration of the island around Stromness town. This time we focussed on some of the Neolithic sites that have been proclaimed as World Heritage Sites.
The first site we visited was Skara Brae, a Neolithic village that was occupied from around 3000 BC so is older than Stonehenge of the Pyramids. I am not particularly interested in ancient history but this site is extraordinary. We were lucky to visit on a sunny day but with such well preserved house remains it is easy to understand why they have been referred to as the ‘Scottish Pompeii’.
A few miles away are the stone circles, the Ring of Brodgar and the Standing Stones of Stenness. The sheer act of moving these stones that are up to 19 feet tall and then erecting them so that they survive in position for over 5000 years is beyond believe, and why did they do it anyway?! They are wonderful sites that, despite the coach loads of tourists from the cruise ships apparently moored in Kirkwall, are well worth a visit.
Another aspect of Stromness and the surrounding area that we were particularly impressed with was the gardens – they are almost without exception beautifully cared for!
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