Road Trip--John O' Groats-Orkney Islands

While Courtney and her children were here in Scotland, we decided to take a road trip to John O' Groats and the Orkney Islands. The drive was beautiful and the kids traveled well.

The drive to John O' Groats.

The Coastal Drive to Northern Scotland

The skies parted and showed us the sunshine. We appreciate the sun more now than ever.

John O' Groats is the northernmost town (village) on the mainland of Scotland. It is as far north as you can get without leaving the main British Isle.

As the sign says, this is the last house in Scotland.

We rode this boat from John O' Groats out to the Orkney Islands. The Orkney Islands are made up of about 70 islands, most of them small. The population of the island is approx 19,000. It rains here about 240 days out of the year and the wind blows a lot. It rarely gets below freezing in the winter because of the Gulf Stream which keeps the temperature moderate during the winter. Snow is rare here. In the winter, the sun comes up at 10am and sets by 3pm. The northern lights are spectacular here in the winter.

Approaching one of the main islands on the boat.

The Orkney Islands have very few trees.


Orkney Islands--the islands were conquered by the Vikings and ruled by Norway for about 400 years. Scotland purchased the islands from Norway. The Viking blood is still dominant in the native Orcadians.


Some of the major islands form a large natural harbor. During WWII, the British fleet was stationed in the harbor to prevent the German U-boats from sinking the fleet. To protect the British ships, they scuttled numerous older ships in between some of the entry ways to the harbor. The remains of the older boats can still be seen.

The beach at Skara Brae.

The wind picked up and made some good waves.

This is Skara Brae, a World Heritage Site. It is Europe's best preserved Neolithic Village. In the winter of 1850, a wild storm stripped the grass from the high dune know as Skara Brae in the Bay of Skaill on the main island of Orkney. An immense refuse heap was uncovered along with the ruins of ancient dwellings.

The village of Skara Brae was inhabited before the Egyptian pyramids were built, and flourished many centuries before construction began at Stonehenge. It is over 5000 years old.

It isn't the age alone that maks it so remarkable and so important. It is the degree to which it has been preserved.

The structures of the semi-subterranean village survive in impressive condition. Also surviving is the furniture in the village houses. The furniture was made of stone, including beds, dressers, and tables.

It was a windy day, although it wasn't cold.

We also visited the stone circle at Brodgar. It is the 3rd largest stone circle in Britain with the diameter measuring over 100 meters.

It is amazing how they put so many huge upright stones in the circle.

The end of the day. We enjoyed the trip but it was tiring to all of us.

The boat ride from the Orkneys back to John O' Groats.