Orkney

   We were on the road bright and early for our drive from Gairloch in the North West to Orkney, the closer of Scotland's Northern Isles. The foggy drive brought us to the Ferry, where we had the choice of a nap, a snack, and as we got closer to land, a view of Orkney's beautiful sea cliffs. This interesting feature is formed by the erosion of the sandstone cliff side along preexisting weaknesses in the rocks. A natural arch forms, and once it collapses a tall solitary stack remains. 

Old Man of Hoy


   Just before the Old Man of Hoy, a couple of students and Vasa ran excitedly across the deck of the ferry. They say they saw a dolphin, but without photos I suppose we'll never know for sure! 


Once we reached the island, we found our hostel and called it a night.


For our one and only full day on Orkney, we had three goals:
  • Explore the rich Archeology
  • Admire the beautiful coastal geology
  • Enjoy a distillery tour and have a Scotch

   Archeologically, we tapped into Vasa's knowledge the research of our leaders for the day to learn about mysterious human creations on the island. These Neolithic stone aged structures included standing stones at the Ring of Brodgar and Skara Brae. The island's early inhabitants  erected these landmarks approximately 4500 years ago at a time of early agriculture, and stone tools.  

Ring of Brodgar
Skara Brae


   The ring of Brodgar is a standing stone circle, with  Stones left today but up to 60 estimated to have been present at its creation. This site is thought to have been a focal point for rituals of death. Nearby at Steness a similar ring contains a hearth, which would indicate a focus on life. Skara Brae is a village that contains several residences and a workshop, fully furnished! It was hidden by the sands of time (literally), until a severe storm uncovered it beneath the dunes in the 1800's. 

   The geology of Orkney stands out due to its contrasting grassy plateaus, and steep cliffs of old red sandstone. We explored the cliffs at Yesneby, and a coastal exposure of sedimentary structures. At Yesneby, the so called castle is another sea stack like the Old Man of Hoy, and it formed in the same way. The sediments here show extreme cross bedding, a feature that forms as a result of sand being blown up and over the edge of a dune.   

Yesneby Castle
   Our last academic stop for the day was along the shore where the otherwise continuous sediments are disrupted by a large fold at Whitaloo point. It was extremely out of place here and is a mystery in many of our minds. 

Whitaloo Point Sedimentary Folding
  
   The day was topped off with a tour of the Scapa whiskey distillery where we learned about the art of making single malt Scotch whiskey. It was a great end to an interesting day. From, there we enjoyed a group dinner and a late night voyage on the ferry to head for Shetland, the far North. It was a full day but a very enjoyable one. 

Scapa Distillery

- Michael Rego

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