Scotland Tour 2019: Kirkwall, the Stones of Stenness, and a Ceilidh

(Note: Ceilidh is pronounced 'kay-lee' and means 'party')
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After spending the morning at Skara Brae, we headed for a round of shopping in lovely Kirkwall. Of course, Thorfinn came along.

The cathedral you see in the background of this photo is St. Magnus' Cathedral, and I have Thorfin-less photos for you below. Known also as the 'Light of the North', it was built in 1137 by Earl Rognvald in honor of his uncle, St. Magnus, and as a final resting place for his relics. It is made of both red and yellow sandstone which gives the building its unique coloring.

We of course found lots of wonderful shops, and arrived back at the bus with various treasures, ready for a short trip to the Standing Stones of Stenness. Needless to say, none of us found any activity within the standing stones, though we were allowed to wander among them, and Susie was not left wondering what happened to any of the group. But we enjoyed ourselves just the same. We arrived back at our hotel in time for a delicious dinner followed by a fun evening of learning some traditional dances. Our musicians were the Orcadian band Kirkjuvagr, which is an old name for Kirkwall.

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The stones at Stenness date back to at least 3100 BC, making them one of the oldest stone circles in Britain. The stones are taller than those at the Ring of Brodgar, the tallest standing 19 feet tall. There are only four stones left of the original twelve (some people say only ten) which were laid out in an ellipse. There are also two angular slabs near the center with a large stone laying next to them. A few of us walked between the pair, and they simply kept their secrets.

I'm counting my steps to the next turn, lol!

What fun!

I'm one of those people who has two left feet, but the music was beyond toe-tapping, and I really enjoyed myself! The last (or next-to-last) was a dance called 'Strip the Willow' and it was a furiously fun reel with lots of laughs and gaffs. Thanks go to my cousin Mary for the photos!