Orkney

Sunday June 21st. Drove to John O'Groats where we joined the tour £44 for passenger ferry and coach round island which was excellent value. Glorious sunshine best day they had had this year! Nice coffee shop in Kirkwall. Scapa Flow and the Churchill barriers. Have been pronouncing Scapa wrong - it is a short a! At Stromness excellent crab pie and local ale at Betty's. Found a beautiful small gallery which had Ben Nicholsons and Barbara Hepworths - a gem! Scara Brae the prehistoric site is amazing and well presented and Skalk castle too. Standing stones and then back to Kirkwall to see Earl's palace and bishop's palace both fine ruins and the magnificent cathedral - the festival started today. Ice cream and then to Italian chapel which is lovely. Fish and chips on our return to Thurso which we decided was a bit of a dump!