Not wanting to use more than one day of our time, we opted for a tour to the Orkney Islands. We boarded the bus at the Inverness bus station at 7:15 in the morning and returned about 9 that evening. The trip involves a bus, then a ferry, then the final tour bus. In spite of the long day, it was much more enjoyable than a marathon drive!
The Orkneys are quite different from the lower part of Scotland. They are closer to Oslo than London! Unlike the Scottish highlands, they are flat. The major town of Kirkwall is almost the same latitude as Anchorage Alaska. Their place in British naval history is significant.
Some of the earliest prehistoric sites have been discovered here. One of those is Skara Brae which dates to about 3100 BC!
Our last stop here was the Italian Chapel. This was created by WW II Italian POWs who were captured during the North African campaign and imprisoned here.
