Becoming a local on your travels [Rogue Nomads]

This is the next instalment of Dee’s incredible international nomad adventure. To read her previous blog, click here.

On my list of “wanna dos”, I had a visit to Rousay Island, which is known as the “Egypt of the North” as it has so many archeological sites. Plus I was hoping to see some puffins! Originally we were going to take our bikes, but were put off by the tourist information guy who said it was extremely hilly, plus windy… not a good combination for oldies! We managed to bag the last spot on the ferry, which is a tiny little thing that you have to reverse on to, so we were glad we didn’t have a caravan in tow.

Rousay Island is very small, so we had plenty of time, and had packed lunch and a flask, saving a few dollars. There is one main road, which runs round the Island (only 13 miles) so intrepid cyclists who love steep hills, like my son, would do the trip several times before getting exhausted. We preferred the transit van! First stop was a two story burial cairn, these Neolithic people were nothing if not innovative! There was even a window on the top of the cairn so you could look in!

I’d love to know what has happened to all the people that were buried in these cairns, as they are no longer there.

Next stop, after a couple of quick looks at a couple more cairns (you can only view so many of these edifices before you become “cairned out”) was the Midhowe Cairn and Midhowe Broch. To get to it we had to walk (walk?) down a steep hill for about half a mile. It’s right by the water and the road is high above. It was hot and sunny, and we both had walking boots on, plus I had a hiking stick, and still I found the first part very hard going…more like clambering. But I was obstinate and finally we arrived at the cairn, which was housed inside a big shed to protect it. It’s known as “The Great Ship of Death” and contained 25 people in crouched positions on shelves in chambers – 5000 years old! But after seeing the cairns on Caithness I think we were a bit “ho hum” and quickly walked on to the broch, which was extremely well-preserved and worth the trek. And truly, “up” was no easier than “down” and I was very glad to get back to the car, where we set out the chairs and table in true English roadside fashion and had tea and sandwiches.

The rest of the drive around Rousay was extremely scenic; very enjoyable. As usual, lots of ruins of crofts. We stopped off at the handicraft centre and I couldn’t resist a locally-made knitted cardigan and hat for a not yet born little girl, the first grandchild of my brother and sister-in-law, and a handmade spurtle. The lady selling the handicrafts has lived on the island of Egilsay, which is even smaller than Rousay, since the dustmen’s dispute in 1979 (I remember it well, piles of rubbish everywhere). She said she was living in Birmingham and the stench was awful and she and her husband decided they didn’t want to be dependant on others, so they moved with their children to Egilsay. Her husband was an electrician so he easily got work. She made cheese and kept goats etc. to make a living. Oh and she was a teacher locally. What a change of lifestyle!

So we headed back across the water on the ferry late in the afternoon…the ferry runs between several small islands, much like a bus. Some people who live on the little islands keep a car in the ferry carpark on the “Mainland” and go into Kirkwall to stock up, or work. Much like some people in Sydney take the ferry, I guess.

On our last day on Orkney we had yet another beautiful day. Headed into Kirkwall for fuel and as we were walking along, several people said hello… one said “see, you’ve been here a week and everyone knows you!”. We met the storytellers outside Tesco and they invited us to a “Midsummer Tales” evening that night. So off we went…we got lost again across the moors! These moors look so much the same with areas where you can see where peat is still being dug. So many people still use peat for heating and why not? It has quite a pleasant smell. It’s quite laborious digging it, then drying it. But unless I’m mistaken, it looks like it’s free.

Storytelling was different that night. There were a lot of people in the room and the story was about a handsome fiddler and his ugly fiddler friend, who had got very drunk playing at a wedding and the handsome one was lured into a cairn where fairies or elves lived, and they asked him to play for them, which he did. Many years later, when the ugly one was a very old man, the handsome one started walking beside him…he was still young and handsome. There was much more to the story, as it took an hour to tell with all the actions, and movement. It was actually quite creepy. The group were then taught some dances that were traditional at a wedding, and told a few other traditional customs. Another terrific evening.

Next day… off to the ferry at Stromness, a walk around the old fishing town first, and a bowl of chips to keep us going!  Oh, by the way, I didn’t see one puffin the whole time we were there… so we bought a furry one from the souvenir shop!

An hour’s drive and we found the site we had booked, at a place called Sealladh No Mara in Skerray, right on the harbour. Stunning views. The village has some very old old buildings, most of which have been renovated so it must be a popular area to get away to. Nice walking country. We stayed there two nights and really enjoyed the walking and seeing how people live. Met some people on the beach and the lady was telling me she was born there and the house they now stay in for holidays was built by her grandfather… and they have to duck to get in the door.

So… our week on Orkney, sadly was over but there are more adventures to come! Stay tuned! 

Have you felt like a local while you were travelling? Where were you and why did you just “fit in” so well? Share your thoughts in the comments below…