Winter in Orkney

Its been a breezy but beautiful winter

and a bit of a drawn out affair, with high winds and that brings its challenges! We are keen to get winter tourists, as winter weather can be exhilarating! Today there are ferry cancellations, which we are well used to here in Orkney! NorthLink Ferries and Pentland Ferries are the two companies taking people to and fro from Mainland UK

Margaret still has horses to see to, the Shetland ponies in the photos belong to Hools Shetland Pony Stud Kelly and her mum Jane have the stud, started by Janes mum Ivy many years ago. It was through Kellys dad Stewart that Margaret started doing farriery, and that was about 30 years ago!

New skills

Margaret has taken on the roll of treasury secretary for the Orkney Tourist Guides Association and as she is both a driver tour guide with our own 8 seat vehicle and a step on guide, where she literally hops on a coach and tells groups all about Orkney, she can put accross both perspectives to the committee

Orkney voles

There is a solitary, rather rotund vole using Margarets stable as a new home, not managed to catch him on camera as yet, but he darts along the wall edge, fairly unconcerned about her tending to her horses Woody, Joe and Bo here is a good article Orkney vole

Longer days

The days are very notably longer, bringing with it spectacular skies, and with being able to do more each day, Davey and Margaret like to get out and about no matter what the weather, but having more daylight means they can venture further, walking their dog Kai. There are fantastic places to visit, usually with a neolithic monument or two nearby such as Cuween Hill Chambered Cairn that you get to go in and explore an incredible structure, that was used as a burial chamber around 5000 years ago!

Upcoming season

Spring/summer is almost upon us and that’s the busy time of year for tourists visiting Orkney, we are very much looking forward to meeting both new and returning visitors. So many interesting people visit, from all over the world with a passion to see the incredible sites we have here.