The incredible and historical Orkney Isles

Rona and I usually holiday in November, after her wonderful plant nursery closes for winter. What? You haven't been to Quercus Garden Plants? You really must. It re-opens in March with a big selection of tough plants propagated here in

Scotland and half an acre of demonstration gardens to wander through.

Anyway, this year we holidayed in Orkney. What an incredible place. It may be a long way north, but at several times in history it has been at the epicentre of northern Europe. Scapa Flow was the home of the Royal Navy fleet during both world wars and saw many dramatic events, including the scuttling of the German high seas fleet in 1919. The islands were at the centre of the Viking world in the medieval period and remnants of Norse culture are still to be seen everywhere.

The Stenness Stones, just one of the Neolithic monuments that litter the Orkneys. Photo taken at sunset by Rona Dodds

Further back, Neolithic Orkney was a centre of activity to rival Stonehenge, leaving a landscape littered with awe-inspiring monuments, such as Maes Howe, the Ring of Brodgar and Skara Brae. The names are evocative in themselves. I can strongly recommend a trip to Orkney to see the Neolithic landscape for yourself. Stonehenge? Everyone's seen that!

The purpose of stone circles, according to Archer

'Old Reekie' - Edinburgh, the setting for the Parallel Realm books

https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/stones-of-stenness-circle-and-henge/