Orkney Isles

 Tuesday 27th August Day 10

We had torrential rain overnight and the wind was so strong it was rocking the van, at one point it felt like a load of people were pushing it on my side and trying to tip it over! The day dawned and the rain had stopped but it was very overcast. Nothing could dampen our spirits though as today we were booked on a ferry to the Orkney Islands 🥳 We have wanted to go there for ages, so much ancient history to explore and we both love a stone circle 🤣 


Before catching the ferry, we wanted to visit Farr beach which was along the route back to the Ferry terminal at Scrabster. 


We set off back along the route towards Thurso, admiring the scenery along the way.
















We got to Farr beach and managed to park opposite the footpath down to the sand.






It was a beautiful beach, thanks to Neil Sheppard for recommending! 












Dex made a new friend on the beach, Blackie. We spoke to her owner and she said she lives 12 miles away but this is her favourite beach. Apparently this was a busy day! 🤣





We set off to Scrabster as we had a ferry to catch!



























We passed the Nuclear Power plant at Dounreay.



We could see Scrabster ferry terminal ahead.





Soon we were boarding.


We made our way to the dog friendly lounge. There were water bowls and dog treats! 


Dex was very happy 😃 


The sun came out so we decided to go out on deck. It was glorious absolutely warm and just like a Mediterranean cruise! We couldn’t believe how lucky we were getting to see Orkney for the first time in glorious sunshine 🥰






Brucie bear decided to have a cheeky cider! 🤣



The first Island is Hoy. We wouldn’t be visiting this island so it was great to sail past. The rock formations were so impressive. 



We could see the stack called the old man of Hoy.




St John’s Head


















Hoy High Lighthouse.



Our first glimpse of Stromness where we would be docking and staying at the Point of Ness campsite for 2 nights.





We were soon off the ferry and after a quick trip to the Co-op we found our campsite.


Another terrible view! We got the chairs out to make the most of the afternoon sun. 



A beautiful tall ship left the harbour and we watched it glide past.





Then the ferry set off on its return journey.

We went for a walk along the headland. There were lots of plaques showing where all the lookout points and battery positions were during the war. 










This was the old lifeboat station.














The waves were really high in this stretch of treacherous water.



We are so happy to be here, it’s absolutely beautiful 🥰



Comments

  1. Steph29 August 2024 at 15:00

    Wow stunning scenery both again, Farr beach looked amazing & the journey there wasn't too bad either. I love the openness of Scotland, it really is breath taking. Glad you're finally on Orkney & a fab journey over, looked amazing love the doggy lounge ❤️ xx

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