Watch Stone Videos - An Orkney Odyssey



	Watch Stone Video Productions

"Our journey to Orkney begins with the crossing of the Pentland Firth......."

An Orkney Odyssey begins on the P&O ferry St Ola as it crosses the Pentland Firth past the towering rock stack of the Old Man of Hoy on its journey from Scrabster on the north coast of the Scottish mainland to Stromness, a small fishing port on Orkney's west coast.

"Another day dawns......."

Sunrise over Orkney and the start of another day mark the beginning of our journey. Firstly, we take a look at Orkney's agricultural landscape and get a glimpse of farming practices both old and new. Kirbuster Farm Museum, a Click Mill and the Rendall Doocot feature briefly on the tour, as does a visit to Lerquoy in Orphir where Tommy and John Lennie still use traditional methods for gathering in the grain harvest.

"Five thousand years ago man first made his mark on these islands......."

As we leave the relatively modern face of Orkney behind we take a tour through its ancient past with brief visits to the Neolithic village of Skara Brae, the Ring of Brodgar stone circle, the Broch of Gurness, the Earl's Palace in Birsay and the Earl's and Bishop's Palaces in Kirkwall.
During this section of our journey we learn a little of Orkney's ancient past and the infamous Stuart Earls who were responsible for the building of the Earls Palaces.

"Kirkwall and Stromness are the only towns in Orkney and are home to around 8000 residents......"

The towns of Kirkwall and Stromness are the next part of our itinerary. Here we learn a little of the history of these two enchanting towns and glimpse some of their traditions such as the 'Ba' that takes place in Kirkwall's town centre on Christmas Day and also the Stromness Shopping week Parade with its procession of floats and modern day Vikings. Whilst these events take place we travel back and forth to Broad Street in Kirkwall to see the Kirkwall City Pipe Band as they parade in front of St Magnus Cathedral.

"Dominating the centre of Kirkwall stands the beautiful cathedral of St Magnus......."

Founded in 1136 by Earl Rognvald Kolsson, St Magnus Cathedral is both beautiful and impressive and no journey to Orkney would be complete without a sojourn into its rich past.

"During the First and Second World Wars Orkney played a crucial role in the defence of the nation........"

Moving from the cathedral's ancient past we travel forward in time to the first and second world wars. We visit the island of Hoy and the village of Lyness and examine the role they played during the wars. We also take a look at the Naval cemetery and museum there with its collection of wartime relics. From Lyness we return to the mainland to take a look at the blockships and barriers that were used to protect the north Atlantic fleet based in the natural harbour of Scapa Flow during the wars. Despite the presence of the blockships at the harbour's entrances a German U-boat still managed to penetrate the defences and in 1939 sank the battleship Royal Oak with the loss of 833 lives.

"It was during the construction of the barriers that one of Orkney's most enduring wartime relics was built; the Italian Chapel.........."

Constructed out of scraps of waste material by Italian prisoners of war, the Italian Chapel is a marvel to the faith, skill and dedication of the Italian prisoners who built it. The elaborate designs that cover it's interior were painted by Domenico Chiocchetti who made two return visits to carry out restoration work. As a result the Italian Chapel remains in excellent condition and like the cathedral, no journey to Orkney would be complete without a glimpse of its splendour.

"Orkney's coastline is made up of a mixture of long sandy beaches, rocky stretches and dramatic cliff scenery.........pounded by the sea for eons these bastions of stone appear unmoved by the rigours of time........."

As we leave Orkney's history behind it's time to visit the splendour of its natural beauty. The dramatic sea cliffs along Orkney's west coast hold vast colonies of sea birds and some of the features of the sea cliffs can be breathtaking. Yesnaby, Marwick Head and Windwick Bay in South Ronaldsay all feature as the sea crashes against rocks in an endless procession that has shaped the county's coastline for millennia.

"As the light begins to fade we end our journey......."

The day begins to draw to an end and so too does our journey. During the summer months the twilight seems to last all through the short night and with the dawn comes another day, another day in the life of Orkney, the tranquil islands set in Britain's northern seas.

All images here are taken from the film and are copyright of Watch Stone 2002