Farewell to Stromness 2013

As luck would have it after the miserable weekend of weather, the 5 hour crossing from Lerwick to Kirkwall last night was calm and sunny. There was an beautiful sunset after 10pm over the Orkney Islands, leaving a dark red glow in the sky as we neared Kirkwall.

After overnighting in Kirkwall, we drove back to Stromness this morning in more sunshine for the ferry crossing to the Scottish mainland, turning right at the T junction in Scrabster instead our usual left and heading along the north coast to Tongue.

The scenery was breathtaking with long stretches of deserted yellow beaches glimpsed far down below the road ; a road with such long steep climbs that even the hardiest of cyclists we passed were struggling. I have never seen so many people pushing bikes laden with gear up hills.
And always in the distance, the hazy blue mountains of Wester Ross, luring us west.

But our evening halt was Tongue and before dinner, we climbed the winding path to Castle Varrich high on a rocky outcrop with a magnificent view of Ben Loyal in one direction and the sea in the other.
Whoever built it centuries ago in that high exposed position, certainly couldn't have expected many visitors.