June 04 – Broch of Gurness, HMS Tern, Lamb Holm (Italian Chapel), Happy Valley

Unlike Scara Brae, the Broch of Gurness was open to walk around in. It was a blasty, rainy day, but I love all Island weathers, and you just can’t wait for the sun in Scotland. So off we went!

What it may have looked like when occupied.

Unlike the brochs I visited in the Outer Hebrides and Shetland, this one had a sort of village around it. Defend and protec!

This beach was off the beaten path where we drove in search of a public restroom. I loved the colors of the water, and all the textures. One of the many ways Scotland is awesome: even at the isolated restroom, the ladies’ toilet was fully stocked with period products!

Close by was the HMS Tern and the air force and training base that stood here during WWII. David’s request!

One of the great attractions here is the preservation of the movie theater. They showed movies, and also staged plays and musicals featuring soldiers dressed in drag. For the war effort, don’t ya know.

Very, very cool. Look Out in the Blackout.

The argument against greed, period. We ain’t learned much.

Danger danger, do not enter! But David skirted the edges of it anyway.

We headed south to see the Churchill Barriers, and across them to a couple of the southern isles. The Barriers are very impressive, and would have been difficult to build with POWs “helping.” Perhaps as a reward, they were given materials to build their Catholic Chapel.

It was thought Scapa Flow was a safe port, but its weaknesses were shown when a submarine gained access and blew up the HMS Royal Oak. The Barriers now serve as causeways to Lamb Holm, Glimps Holm, Burray, and South Ronaldsay. I had hoped for tea at Burray, and maybe a hike at S. Ronaldsay, but the cafe was closed, and we had fit quite enough into one day to include a hike as well.

This was unexpected! Right at the turnoff to the Barriers.

Orcadian wildlife and livestock on the totem. Pretty cool, actually. It was a community effort with Squamish tribe members from Washington state.

The main focus of our trip to this part of Orkney was to see the Italian Chapel. It is an amazing work of art and devotion. Wikipedia has a very good article about it, and you can see the artistry of the craftsmen in the following photos. This is a major tourist attraction, and we were super happy to not experience a crowd.

“Happy Valley” seems such an unlikely place. It’s not even two acres, but it is a dedicated area of protected woodland, and. has a lovely stream running through it. It was only a few miles from where we were staying, and I’m so glad we visited!

The garden was created from a bare hillside by Edwin Harrold, between October 1948 and the 1990s. Edwin Harald lived in Bankburn (the mansion on the property), rent free, without the knowledge of either the owners or the Crofting Commission. This was clearly illegal but is not a very fashionable part of the story. During Edwin’s time in Bankburn he planted and wired the property and it became known as Happy Valley. Harrold had to give up the garden, as he was too old to maintain it, and he died in 2005. Amongst his aims, was to create a wooded area on Orkney, as trees are highly unusual on the archipelago.

In 2004, the local council, Orkney Islands Council, took ownership of the site from the owner, Professor William H. Isbister. A group was formed in 2007 called “Friends of Happy Valley”; they are a group of volunteers who meet together not only to discuss the future of the gardens, but also to work on maintaining the garden. The Council Special Projects Department assisted by maintaining some of the paths and steps, and in April 2008 volunteers planted 700 new trees to add to the existing woodland

And thus ended a very full day of adventuring.