It was when the Atlantic surf starting drawing me down towards the village of Skara Brae that Orkney really started to sink in. From the visitor centre, I passed signs that marked more recent constructions – from the Pyramids to Stonehenge – transporting me back over 5,000 years.
The natural backdrop for this historical drama is the 70-plus islands sprinkled off the wild northern fringes of Scotland. Orkney is not barren as the Outer Hebrides can be; nor bog-laden like Shetland; it’s a green oasis where the locals have been doing very well, thank you, farming the rich pastures since time immemorial. When they talk of distant ‘southerners’ here, they mean me, a mainland Scot, who clearly isn’t as lucky as them. And Orcadians are demonstrably lucky: they keep coming out tops in UK lifestyle and contentment surveys to prove it.
Orkney is built on rock solid foundations in every way. This is a land of Viking warriors and Scottish monarchs, a battleground fought over for centuries, not least in both World Wars. The vast natural harbour of Scapa Flow saw both one of the Royal Navy’s darkest days – the sinking of HMS Royal Oak in 1939 – and the scuttling of 52 captured German ships in 1919. But it is Orkney’s pre-history that is most beguiling: a quartet of Unesco-listed sites, among a litany of others, many protected by Historic Scotland. There is even a rare, privately run prehistoric gem, the Tomb of the Eagles.
Visitors usually spend most of their time on Orkney’s mainland, home to the hub towns of Stromness and capital Kirkwall. But while it’s a wrench to move on – with all that history, scuba diving, hiking, birdwatching and rugged coast – a flotilla of subsidised local ferries, causeways and wee aircraft spirit you off to isles that make the Orcadian mainland seem like Manhattan.
Papa Westray tempts with two remarkable prehistoric sites (including ‘mini Skara Brae’ the Knap of Howar); Sanday with its, well, sandy beaches; and hilly Hoy with Dwarfie Stane, reckoned to be the only prehistoric rock-cut chambered tomb in the UK. Because in the Orkney archipelago, history isn't trapped behind museum glass; instead it bursts into spirit-soaring life right in front of you.
Today you’re delving deep back over 5,000 years exploring the Unesco World Heritage-listed ‘Heart of Neolithic Orkney’ (historicenvironment.scot), all within 5km of each other. At Skara Brae, wander above this beachfront village peering into the lives of our ancestors. Heading south-east, next is the Ring of Brodgar, the only major henge in the UK that forms an almost perfect circle.
Next door the Ness of Brodgar tempts, where excavations are very much ongoing at what BBC TV presenter Neil Oliver calls the “The most significant
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As I bowled along the roads linking Herefordshire’s ‘Black and White Villages’ (named in honour of their two-tone buildings), I believed, for a second, in time travel. Here, in one of England’s least populated counties, little appeared to have changed for decades, centuries even.
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Of course Britain has more than its fair share of world-class art galleries and exhibitions, but sometimes it's more interesting to find artwork out and about in public spaces. Here's a few of our favourite al fresco pieces, drawn from travel bible Make The Most Of Your Time In Britain.
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With countries around the world making their first steps towards lifting lockdowns and easing restrictions, tourist boards, hotels, restaurants and attractions are all working overtime to deliver for the summer season. Of course, this won’t be business as usual. While people everywhere will be keen to get out of their houses and book a relaxing break, most will want to keep things domestic this summer – especially since Home Secretary Matt Hancock warned that in the UK “it’s unlikely big lavish international holidays are going to be possible for this summer”. Though things are still unpredictable, staying closer to home – where risks are lower and costs are smaller – will likely be the trend of the season. So what can the UK expect for travel in the summer after coronavirus? The answer is a very British summer holiday.
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