Broch of Gurness Brough of Birsay

Firstly, last nights concert.
Fiddling , as in playing a violin in a folksey manner, is a large part of the shetland and orkneys culture. When we arrived here, we  found out by accident of a concert of the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra ( including, we found out later,  3 flutes, 2 accordions, 1 double bass , 1 cello, 1 percussionist) . Why not?  In the shetlands we have foregone the opportunity to go to a dingy bar to hear poor quality, drunk, local fiddlers.  Last night we walked to a new performance venue/ aquatic centre/ ??.  The concert was excellent. The compere was from Aberdeen, we could hardly understand a word. We did however get the joke about a terrific sheep farmer who was outstanding in his field.  There were items of the orchestra playing jigs and other Scottish tunes, a mezzo soprano and a tenor singing popular folk ish tunes and 3 different groups of young, mainly fiddler, musicians.  At the end, they played auld lang syne. Everyone stood and sang. Apparently this is normal in Scotland ( maybe just northern islands?) after any concert.  The conductor was a showman and used the fact that the audience could see his feet moving  in time to the music, his knees and the way his kilt fell beautifully, swished and swayed,  when he moved his rear end. All in aid of a neuro ward in Aberdeen infirmary.  What are the odds of that?


Kirkwall is known for its large cathedral of st Magnus, built in the 1100s.  We have yet to learn about its history, but today we went to a service in it.  It was a bit incongruous to us - robed choristers, booming organ and modern songs.  We enjoyed it nevertheless.

After a nice lunch which included crab quiche - there seems a lot of local crab on the menus, not too expensive - we set off for the Broch of Gurness.  On the way we saw in a field adjacent to the road a man, his dog and some sheep. The ex sheepfarmer was pleased . A little later we were stopped by a truck blocking the road and it became clear that a farmer, his son, his dog and his wife were trying to move a mob of about 200 sheep along a laneway from one field to another on the other side of the road . They were having difficulties. After some grunts , the ex sheepfarmer told me how it should be done. This was definitely not what was happening .

The broch of gurness was interesting.  It was a broch with the remains of a Pictish village built all around it, built  about 2000 years ago. It became deserted but there is evidence later  Vikings used it as a graveyard.  It is really hard to get your head around who was here when, each island seems a bit different, different theories from archaeologists add confusion,  a big jigsaw puzzle.

We then drove along more single lane roads to Birsay. Coffee and scone before driving to the edge of the  causeway that links the mainland to a  island. The causeway is only passable at low tide. On the island there is the remains of a Pictish village and a later Norse church and some housing.  Reputedgy,  St Magnus was buried there after he was killed.

There is also a lighthouse on the island, but it was almost 5 pm,  the weather was closing in , so we gave the lighthouse a miss.