Orkney (The Ferry and Stromness)

I worried about the ferry ride from Scrabster Harbour to Stromness. I made the mistake of looking on the internet and seeing a video of a rough crossing, and read anecdotes about how wild the weather could be. I stocked up on anti-nausea pills, and then tried not to think about it. As it turned out the crossing was easy and relaxed, and rather beautiful, and the entrance into Stromness Harbour was lovely.

The town of Stomness is particularly beguiling with it’s narrow streets and tall stone buildings. It feels like a town sheltering it’s occupants from winds and icy rains, (I’m imagining this – we were there in summer and the weather was mild). The buildings, the roads, the pathways are all made of stone, so the town sits happily in the environment – grey and brown in the green, green landscape. It’s an old town that used to belong to the Vikings (among others), and was named Hamnavoe, so while it still felt Scottish, it also seemed to belong to a seafaring, far-north history that went beyond a national boundary.