In June 2017 we had a week’s holiday in the Orkney Islands, a strange and amazing place full of archaeology. I did blog about quite a lot of the places that we visited, then life got in the way – and books and more travelling and such – so some blogposts fell by the wayside. So if you’re interested in seeing the Brough of Birsay have a look at Jack’s recent blogposts about the Brough of Birsay here and here.

Most of what can be seen nowadays at the Brough of Birsay dates from the Viking settlement of the place between 800 and 1200, but before they invaded the Picts built a settlement in the 600s and 700s.

To reach Birsay you have to wait for the tide to go out and then you can walk over on a narrow causeway, it’s just a short walk of a few minutes and when we set off the weather was fine. But as soon as we set foot on Birsay we were blasted by a storm of howling winds and horizontal rain which drove into us like spearheads. In seconds we were drenched and it took two days for my anorak to dry out! Jack posted about the causeway here.

I’ve recently finished reading Dorothy Dunnett’s book King Hereafter which features Thorfinn as the main character, and I was really chuffed to think that I had visited what is thought to be his home in Orkney.