Beautiful Orkney ~ Fly Away (Gary Stadler & Singh Kaur)
These are some of my photographs of a recent visit I made to the Orkney Islands.. They are 16 kilometers off the north coast of Scotland..and there are 70 islands in all, of which 20 are inhabited..
My video starts with the amazing Ring of Brodgar, a neolithic henge and stone circle..These are the northernmost examples of circle henges in Britain..The ring originally comprised up to 60 stones, of which only 27 remain standing today. The stone circle is 104 metres (341 ft) in diameter, and the third largest in the British Isles. It was wonderful to walk amongst these ancient stones, and touch them..and feel their energy..
Next stop was Skara Brae, which is a neolithic settlement.. It consists of eight clustered houses, and is approximately 5,000 years old...it is Europe's most complete Neolithic village
Then onto Maeshowe, which is a Neolithic chambered cairn and passage grave. It was built in around 2800 BC, and is a great example of Neolithic craftsmanship... In the weeks leading up to the Winter Solstice, the last rays of the setting sun shine through Maeshowe's 11 metre (36 feet) entrance passage to pierce the darkness of the chambered cairn.
I also visited the Broch o` Gurness... A broch is an Iron Age drystone hollow-walled structure of a type found only in Scotland.
The tower was likely inhabited by the principal family or Clan of the area, but also served as a last resort for the village in case of an attack
I went to the capital, Kirkwall and photographed St Magnus Cathedral, which is known as `the light in the North`...it was founded in 1137 by the Viking, Earl Rognvald, in honour of his uncle St Magnus.
The Cathedral, set in the heart of Kirkwall, is a place of stillness, of inspiration, of warmth, and is steeped in the presence of God..
I visited the ruins of the Bishops Palace, close by St Magnus Cathedral...Originally it is thought to have been like a typical Royal Norwegian Palace, with a large rectangular hall above store rooms and a tower house as the Bishop's private residence..
And close by were the ruins of the Earls Palace... Built by Patrick Stewart, 2nd Earl of Orkney. It was begun in 1607 and built largely by forced labour. Lord Orkney and his father, Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Orkney, are acknowledged to have been among the most tyrannical noblemen in Scotland's history.
I really enjoyed my visit, and hope you enjoy my video...