By Bernie Bell.

I needed to get out and about to help to clear my head.  It was a bit of a miserable day, but how many times have we set off in similar conditions and had A Grand Day Out.

We decided on Skaill Bay – an open, wide sweep – walk along, look about us, big sky, big sea, walk back, which is what we did.

Young Ravens scavenging in the tide-wrack

two crows on the shore

A clear view of the Hole O’ Rowe

the hole through the landscape

The Weeping Stones of Skaill Bay

By the remains of the sit-ootery – A Shark!!

the rocky wall on the cliff edge with a shark painted on it

Looking up at Skara Brae

the sea wall protecting Skara Brae

Worm tubes looking like ceramic

a small rock in the sand with worm markings on it

Before we set off we’d checked if the café at Skara Brae was open, according to Google it was, and the menu looked tempting….

https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit/all/skara-brae/shop-and-eat

So there we were, sitting in the café, thinking that something Neolithic was probably under our feet as we ate our lunch

On the way home we parked  in the Ring of Brodgar car park and re-traced our steps from the last time we went to the Ness dig…

https://www.spanglefish.com/berniesblog/blog.asp?blogid=17892

We were pleasantly surprised to find that the gates to the Ring were un-locked, so we seized the day

the wooden gates open to the inner ring

We walked round, touching each stone, front and back

standing beside one of the stones

Mike took pictures of lichen on the stones, some of which had their fruiting bodies

lichen growing on the stone

Then we walked on, to lean over the gate and survey the site of the Ness of Brodgar – looking like the excavations never happened.

an empty field

The digging has finished, for now, but the site is still there

The Ness Sleeps

The Ness sleeps

Under earth

Under sky

Between Lochs.

Grass will come

Flowers will come

To form a blanket

Keeping it safe.

Knowing folk will come

To break its slumber

What might they

Uncover?

BB Sept. ‘24

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