A day trip to the island of Rousay in Orkney

I wanted to see at least one other island while I was on Orkney however the problem was that public transport was limited if nonexistent on the smaller islands.  At the tourist office, they recommended I take a tour with Paddy Macguire who ran Rousay Tours.  So I booked online and off I went on the #6 bus to Tingwall from the Kirkwall bus station.  It pulled into the harbour where the 10:40 ferry to Rousay was waiting.  

No, that's not the ferry!! 

This fellow was the most popular passenger on the ferry! 

A glimpse of Rousay from the ferry

Just about to dock.  Paddy was waiting in his van for us.  There were six of us that had traveled over from Kirkwall for the tour. 

A little information about Rousay:  Rousay has been called The Egypt of the North because of its abundance of prehistoric sites. The island is 18.8 square miles and has just over 200 inhabitants.  There is one main road that circles the island and we followed it right around.  There are six cemeteries but no longer an active church.  Children attend the local school there until the age of eleven when they commute daily on the ferry and bus to either Kirkwall or Stromness.  

Yes that's a sculpture of a whale's tail. 

A local hero...As in the Highlands, there were clearances of farmers all over Orkney.  These clearances were done by the landlords. Tenant farmers and crofters paid rent to the land owners and many had done so for generations.   In order to use the land for more profitable sheep, landlords either evicted tenants from their homes outright or raised the rent so high that the tenants would be forced to leave.  Many of us bearing Scottish names in Canada, the United States and Australia are very likely to be the descendants of those forced off the land in Scotland.  James Leonard spoke on behalf of the tenants and gave evidence against the landlords in court to the Napier Commission.  Despite being assured by the court this would not be held against him the land owner Frederick William Traill-Burroughs refused to agree to this and Mr. Leonard was evicted in 1883.  If you are interested there is an interesting article about James Leonard and Burroughs here.  

The Gods of the Earth and Gods of the Sea sculpture was created by Ian Hamilton Finlay and installed in 2005.  You can read more about the artist here. 

This is the main circular road on Rousay.  

Then it was time for lunch.  Paddy stopped at Saviskaill Bay (known for seals and otters...we saw not one).  While the others brought their own packed lunch I decided to splurge and pre-ordered the deluxe hamper with crab sandwiches.  As you can see there was a lot of food.  Orkney cheeses, granola bar, apple, vegetables and more so I fed off that for the rest of the day - no evening meal required!! 

I love crab sandwiches! 

Saviskaill Farm 

The first part of the day was just looking at the scenery but then it got a bit more active. 

We had to walk down this hill.  Walking down wasn't bad, coming up was another story.  

Our first stop that afternoon was Midhowe Stalled Cairn. (the white building pictured above was the hangar that protected it)  This is the largest intact burial chamber in Orkney and held about 25 bodies in a crouched position.  It was quite impressive.  However, I don't have any photos.  My camera decided to go into 4 k mode and I had a terrible time getting it back to "normal" photos.  So while I have photos they are not suitable for viewing on a blog.  Why I didn't grab my phone is beyond me however I probably left my backpack in the van.  So here is the link to view more information about it. 

From there we walked over to Midhowe Broch. (to the far right of the picture above)  My camera was still in 4k mode until I somehow figured out how to get it back to normal.  This has happened since then as well but I think I finally have it figured out.  

This was once a very tall structure but the 4.3 metre/14 foot remains are well preserved.  It is estimated this was constructed over two thousand years ago. Midhowe is just one of several brochs scattered along the coast of Eynhallow Sound. 

Looking back towards the broch.  We walked parallel to the sea to view some Roman, Viking and 17th-century ruins.  Obviously, this area was a popular place to settle!! 

St Mary's church dates back to the 17th century however it's believed there was a medieval church on this site.  This church was no longer used after 1815 but the cemetery was in use until the early 20th century. I was huffing and puffing behind the rest of the group treading along the uneven ground so only time for a quick photo.  

I must confess I found this part of the tour physically challenging as the path across the fields was uneven and then there was a steep climb back up to the van. 

Once settled into the van again we were off to see some burial chambers of which Rousay has several.  We saw the Blackhammar and Taversoe Tuick chambered cairns.  By this time I was exhausted and the thought of going down a ladder was about the last thing I wanted to do. (only two people did this)   

This was visible through the glass above.  

No way was I going down there!!!  You can see the two chambers.  Skeletons were found in both these cairns.  Between the ladder, skeletons and small space this was the stuff of nightmares for this claustrophobic.  

You can see our ferry coming in.  By this time I was ready to get going.  

I was photographing the ferry so one of the ferrymen asked if I wanted my picture taken with it so I thought why not?!!

It was time to bid adieu to Paddy and thank him for a great tour.  Despite finding it physically challenging at times I am glad I did it. Then back on the ferry to Tingwall...

Then a bus ride back to Kirkwall and leftovers from my picnic lunch for my supper in the room.  It was a great day but oh boy I slept well that night!!!