St Magnus Cathedral (rear view)

Since arriving in Kirkwall I have made my morning base at the St Magnus Centre, which is at the back of the St Magnus Cathedral. The image is taken through the large glass window of the centre, a quick snapshot on a day that had seen rather a lot of showers and it was a cold day to boot.

Got into conversation with a local hotelier who seemed to think that there were far too many hotels on the market at the moment. I got the impression he would feel also and move back to Scotland. Yet, talking to my B&B hosts, there are not enough B&B's on the Mainland to meet the ever increasing demand. However, both seemed to think that the hotels on the market were over-priced hoping to snare non-business people from the rest of the UK into making a very expensive purchase. Most hotel properties here go on the market for four years before they actually wishes to sell, often selling at the current market price, at many thousand of pounds cheaper than when they first went on the market.

Kirkwall has it all, culture, history that goes back 5000 years, a safe place to bring up children. There is still an innocent about the islands, that bring a lot of people here to live and work. If you like walking, bird watching, archaeology, painting, community spirit, and generally being creative, then this a place for you and me…