Runes – How can you tell if it’s the real thing? How can you tell if something you have found is an authentic runic inscription? When I get sent pictures of stones with lines that look like runes on them, people often ask me if it’s the genuine article or not. To find out, I first ask myself: Is it natural? Because quite […]
Flotta: A hidden gem among the Orkney Islands! Coming to Orkney on holiday and want to go island hopping, but not quite sure which island to go to? Here's somewhere out of the ordinary: Try Flotta! It is a seriously underrated Orkney island, but has a lot to offer. Many people wouldn't think of going [...]Read more of Sssh, don’t tell – Flotta is our secret!...
St Magnus Way: Across the Orphir hills in sleet and snow, December 2017. The sun glowing golden on the horizon over Scapa Flow between sleety showers. The Round Kirk, Orphir. 12th Century. Believed to have been commissioned by Earl Hakon Palsson, killer of St Magnus, after a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Firth and Orphir on a [...]Read more of A pilgrimage in sleet...
Seal Islands Newborn seal pups are a gorgeous sight. Pure white, with huge, dark eyes and heart-shaped puppy noses, suckling their mothers, shuffling about on the sand, scratching themselves or each other with their little flippers. They are born in the late autumn, so November is the best time to see them. The mother seals [...]Read more of Seal safari, South Ronaldsay...
