12 noon… we are seated on the huge car ferry Hamnavoe (safe
harbor), which was the Viking name given to the area/village now called
Stromness on the south end of Orkney.
The sea is fairly calm, so there is only a bit of rocking. Walking can still be a bit unsettling, but we
managed to go to the back sun deck (hah! that’s a misnomer...) where we watched
as the Isle of Hoy was passed and we saw the famous Old Man of Hoy… a stack of
rock that has survived the merciless pounding of the sea for 250-400 years,
but is expected to collapse in the
future. The size of these cliffs is
difficult to comprehend… the sailboats in the last photos give a clue. (Foggy day, so photos don't show how stunning the cliffs and Old Man really are.)
The ferry is big… and quite comfortable. There is a good café, a well-stocked bar,
lots of comfortable seating in recliners or at tables, and observation
decks….plus all the room down below for cars, busses, and semis!
 |
| A Lego model of ferry made by school children of Stromness |
 |
| One bus already off, a second leaving the ferry. |
After we land we will drive to the city of Inverness, where
we will stay the night. Then on to our
next self-catering lodging for week 3 of our trip… it is located on the western
coast of the mainland.
Skies are overcast, it was lightly raining this
morning. The temperature is pleasant, in
the high 50’s.
9:00 pm… Kathy and I are sitting In our room at the Holiday
Inn Express in Inverness, Scotland.
We’ve had a meal, watched a show on the computer and are soon ready for
bed. It was a long day… the drive from
Scrabster to John O’Groats was fun… we revisited some of the places we’d seen
in 2014, reminiscing about that trip, recalling this place and that. We drove into the Castle of Mey (was the
Queen Mother’s castle) which we couldn’t see then because the Royal Family was
in residence. As we left the Castle of Mey we realized we were on the same road
on which we’d eaten lunch in 2014 (the road behind the castle) and laughed
again as we remembered how a sheep escaped from a farmer. This time a sheep was in the same field… was
she the same one???
In John O’Groats we
got coffee at Starbucks (first one we’ve seen) like in 2014 and had our photo
taken by the sign just like we did then, and then Dan ended up taking photos of
about five other couples. I just told
them to queue up and we all laughed and they did. That's one of the things we enjoy about traveling... people are almost always friendly and eager to converse.
The drive from John O’Groats to Inverness was longer,
hillier, windier, and more difficult than either of us remembered. It is a beautiful drive, with immense
Highland hills and beautiful ocean views.
It just takes intense concentration.
For most of the way the two-lane road is narrow, narrower than County V,
and invariably a bus or truck meets us on the corners. On one corner, Kathy had her eyes closed and
I yelled as a truck loomed so large I thought he was going to hit us. Its bumper was definitely across the center
line. Later she said, “When I heard you
yell then I knew it must be bad.” But we
arrived safely at the hotel in Inverness, had supper nearby, and have rested in
the room, thankful for another great day.
The most fun of the afternoon (for Dan at least) was a stop in Tain at the Glen
Morangie distillery. Glen Morangie is a
nice single malt, and their LaSanta (finished in a sherry cask) is especially
smooth. They have a very nice shop where
one can purchase gifts with the Glen Morangie logo, and purchase tastings
(rather unusual I’ve found). So I tried
a new variety called Nectar D’Or (finished in a Sauternaes cask). Sauternaes (Sauternes in US) is a sweet,
white, French wine. After the winemakers
are finished with the casks, Glen Morangie purchases them and finishes the
scotch for two years in the wine cask.
It has a very nice taste and finish.
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