We spent most of Sunday in our place, even though it was mainly sunny. We just needed a day out of the car. We went to church nearby and had a little stroll in the pm, but that was it. We finished the day with our Thanksgiving dinner.
Today we had a lazy morning and then set off to the north of Mainland Island and as is our pattern, we got about five minutes up the road when we stopped at Tormiston Mill, an historic mill used to grind barley and oats for porridge, and cattle feed. Just across the road from the mill was Maeshowe, a neolithic burial mound from 5000 years ago. It had a 3 foot high entrance passage leading to a square chamber 4.7 metres each way. There were smaller side bone chambers off three sides. In the 1100's the Norse were caught in a snow storm and broke in for protection. They stayed at least 3 days, and in that time, they carved runes on the walls. It remains to this day the best display of Norse runes in existance. The guide read them to us.Graffeti hasn't changed much over the centuries. Amazing.
We stopped at two sets of standing stones. The wind was cutting.
For such a small place, we seemed to be lost a lot. We found one small store open so I went in to get directions to our next destination, and, more importantly, a place for lunch. " Oh," said the lady, "The best place to go for lunch is the Orkney Brewery Guest Centre."" Is it far?" I ask. "Oh no, it's just two bends from here." It was closed.
Then we moved on to Skara Brae. We had a good lunch, then visited the site. This is a prehistoric farming settlement dating fron 3100 BC to 2500 BC. It was uncovered by a storm in 1850. It comprises a group of small dwellings conected by tunnels. The whole community was then covered over with midden, or the food scraps of another community. Basically, compost. Each dwelling had a central fire pit with a chimney stack piercing the midden. So the whole community was a large knoll. Today the wind was howling and cold. What we would have done to be under a good heap of midden.
Then we moved on to Skara Brae. We had a good lunch, then visited the site. This is a prehistoric farming settlement dating fron 3100 BC to 2500 BC. It was uncovered by a storm in 1850. It comprises a group of small dwellings conected by tunnels. The whole community was then covered over with midden, or the food scraps of another community. Basically, compost. Each dwelling had a central fire pit with a chimney stack piercing the midden. So the whole community was a large knoll. Today the wind was howling and cold. What we would have done to be under a good heap of midden.
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