When friends suggested accompanying them to the Orkney Folk Music Festival we jumped at the chance despite knowing nothing about the Orkney Islands or Folk Music Festivals. It sounded like an adventure not to be missed. I set about looking for information about the islands.
Orkney, also known as Orkney Islands, is an archipelago off the northeastern coast of Scotland. There are dramatic cliffs towering above the sea, beautiful beaches, seal colonies and puffins. The islands are the UK’s most popular cruise ship destination in the UK…who knew?
We flew from London to Aberdeen then on to Kirkwall, on the main island. It is a short, but expensive trip. Kirkwall is the largest town in Orkney. It was our base for the 5 days we spent there.
Flying in we could see green farmland, grazing sheep (more on that later) the town of Kirkwall and a cruise ship in the harbour.
Our first stop in Kirkwall was St Magnus Cathedral in the centre of town. The cathedral was founded in 1137 by Earl Rognvald , nephew of St Magnus. When first built, the cathedral was part of the Archdiocese of Nidaros (Trondheim) in Norway. Orkney became part of Scotland in 1468 and a few years later, the cathedral was given to the people of Kirkwall by the Scots king, James III.
Restoration works took place in the 1850s and again from 1913-1930 following a large bequest from Sheriff George Thoms, when the present floors, woodwork, stained glass windows and spire were installed.
Our first lunch was in an excellent shop called Judith Glue, across the road from the Cathedral The shop has a great selection of Orkney items as well as a cafe, Real Food Cafe, at the back of the shop. We returned a couple of times.
Kirkwall is a pretty town, with some lovely old buildings and a good range of shops, and cafes.
In the afternoon we hired a car and ventured out of town to see the country side. Much of the land is cultivated. The land is fertile and agriculture is the most important sector of the economy, providing employment for a quarter of the workforce. More than 90% of agricultural land is used for grazing sheep and cattle. 90% of the islands’ milk production goes towards the manufacture of Orkney Cheddar cheese. There are around 77,000 cattle and approximately 210,00 sheep on the islands. We saw a lot of them. They were all kept busy eating the green grass that grows everywhere.
It is essential to have a car on Orkney. There is much to be seen and the public transport is minimal. There is more Orkney to come in following posts, including some amazing archeological sites.