Broch of Gurness
The drive was a pleasant one…. We passed Kirkwall and followed the main road to the Ness of Brodgar and pass the Ring of Brodgar. Driving up over the hill to the North we were mid way between Skara Brae and the Stones of Stenness, and the view across the ancient pastures and meadows was beautiful. Dotted with a handful of small farms, the setting was tranquil and atmospheric.
We headed NE …
A low range of hills was traversed before we drove down to the pristine beach of the Bught of Lindy. The road followed the white sand but it had become a track. A sharp right angle… a kink in the road saw us safely navigate around a marshy area, and as we did so the local farmer pulled his tractor over into the layby to enable us to pass.
He waved…… we cheerily waved back.
The sun was out and the sky was blue without a cloud in sight….. I knew that we were only seconds from our destination…. No one else did. I smiled inwardly.
The gravelled parking area ‘crunched’ as I brought our minibus to a halt, and one of my travelling friends spotted a seal in the water…the Eynhallow Sound.
We all gathered up our bags, in which we had our picnic lunch…. There was lots of food.
We walked up to a tiny building…. The admission area was closed but the turnstile was unlocked, as is always the way. I led everyone into a grassy area.
They stood in awe at the ruins of the Broch of Gurness.
It greeted at us and spoke to me as I looked at their faces.
Their eyes were full of questions and wonderment…. And were far hungrier than their stomachs.
I proceeded to ‘feed them’…..
We all had a wonderful afternoon.