Baden-Powell Council BSA
at the
2022 Blair Atholl Patrol Jamborette
Day 4 - July 15th - Orkney - Hoy and Kirkwall
 We started our second day on Orkney by meeting the first Hoy ferry at Houton on Orkney Mainland. We drove one of the vehicles on board - there was only one space left when I made the booking several months earlier - and everyone but the driver walked on. In a few minutes, we were crossing Scapa Flow, heading to Lyness on Hoy. |
 Abandoned houses on the island of Cava on Scapa Flow. |
 A fish farm off the shore of the island of Fara. |
 When we got to Lyness on Hoy we were met by a minibus from the local taxi company for the drive to Rackwick and the trail head for the walk to the Old Man of Hoy. Eight of the group boarded the minibus, while I drove our vehicle with the rest. The roads on Hoy are nearly all single-track with passing places, and the scenery is stark and beautiful. With only about 400 people living on the island today, signs of habitation are few and far between. |
 The group poses for a picture by an iconic red telephone booth outside the Youth Hostel in Rackwick, which is the starting point for the 5 mile round-trip walk to the Old Man of Hoy. |
 The group heads off on the trail to the Old Man. My knees were acting up, and I don't do well on rough and uneven trails any more, so I drove the vehicle down into Rackwick to wait on the beach for their return. |
 The Old Schoolhouse at Rackwick is now a local history museum. |
 Rackwick Beach - the trail to the Old Man can be seen on the headland - our group is just heading out around the point as I took this picture. |
 On the trail to the Old Man (Pete Cowan photo) |
 The Old Man of Hoy appears ahead (Pete Cowan photo) |
 The Old Man of Hoy, with our group on the overlook. (Pete Cowan photo) |
 Birds nest below the Old Man overlook. (Pete Cowan photo) After everyone returned to Rackwick from the hike, the taxi met us and we headed back to Lyness. |
 When we were planning the trip one of the Scouts said he wanted to try Scottish Ice Cream. By a strange coincidence, one of the few places to eat on Hoy is Emily's Ice Cream Parlor and Tea Room - so of course that's where we went for lunch. I'd made a booking in advance - there were only 16 seats, which meant we exactly filled the restaurant. The food turned out to be fantastic. Everything was locally-sourced - there was a chart on the wall if you wanted to know which fisherman supplied the fish or who grew the greens. All the leaders ordered the "Salad with Smoked Salmon", which turned out to be a huge piece of the best smoked salmon I've ever eaten, sourced from another island in Orkney, and a small amount of greens. Heaven on a plate... |
The Scouts were well satisfied with the local ice cream, too... |
 The Scapa Flow Museum in Lyness was closed for renovations when we last visited Orkney in 2018 - it reopened two weeks before we arrived in 2022. |
 The Scapa Flow Museum is dedicated to the history of the Royal Navy in Orkney. Lyness on Hoy was the center of Royal Navy activity during the World Wars. The Navy anchored in Scapa Flow, and Lyness provided space for fuel storage, logistical storage, and so on. |
 Most of the building which now houses the Scapa Flow Museum was originally a pump house for fuel which was stored in above-ground and underground tanks further uphill. The pumping machinery remains on view. |
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 After we finished touring the museum we took a walk on the Lyness War Trail which circles around the village and takes in the remaining structures from the World War base. These are the ruins of the former Naval docks. |
 Orkney is in the forefront of renewable energy production - in fact, Orkney as a whole produces much more energy than its inhabitants can use. Wind and solar farms are dotted around the islands, there are tidal power installations submerged off the coast, and this experimental wave power generator is moored in Lyness. |
 Anti-submarine net in the Scapa Flow Museum parking lot. |
 Steam Crane |
 The Houton-Lyness Ferry arriving to take us back to Orkney Mainland. |
 When we got back to Kirkwall, we parked at the Scout Hall and walked around town for a while. The Earl's and Bishop's Palaces stand across the street from St. Magnus Cathedral to the left of this picture. |
 The main street in Kirkwall is the pedestrianized Albert Street, which changes to Victoria Street past St. Magnus Cathedral. |
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 Victoria Street |
 The Scouts found friendly dogs to pat, everywhere... |
 Our spot for dinner in Kirkwall was Lucano's, where we'd eaten in 2018 as well - great Italian food. |
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