hazelclark Posted 4 July , 2015 Share Posted 4 July , 2015 I am hoping to visit Orkney late in September when I am home for a few weeks. Have been trying to find out a bit about its' WW1 history and when I googled it, found some things that spiked my interest. Does anyone know of a book which would give a general history of the Islands at that time? One thing that caught my eye on a BBC site, was that there was some sort of animosity between the navy and the locals regarding the refusal of the navy to allow them to attempt to rescue survivors of H.M.S. Hampshire. Grateful for any info., Hazel C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaJane Posted 4 July , 2015 Share Posted 4 July , 2015 The only book I tracked down on http://www.copac.ac.uk that definitely seems likely is this: Scapa Flow : the reminiscences of men and women who served in Scapa Flow in the two world wars / Malcolm Brown and Patricia Meehan. Stroud : Spellmount c2008 (originally published: London: Allen Lane/Penguin, 1968). The following websites might be of interest: http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zxsppv4 http://www.visitscotland.com/about/history/orkney/wartime http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/scotlandshistory/20thand21stcenturies/worldwarone/scapaflow/index.asp sJ We'd been hoping to visit Orkney this year too but finances are a bit short. Hope you have a good time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanA Posted 4 July , 2015 Share Posted 4 July , 2015 Orkney is a wonderful, magical place - pop into the museum in Stromness and view the harpoons that my great great great grandfather chucked at whales in the Davis Straits. As for books - 'Scapa' by James Miller (Birrlinn Ltd, 2000); 'The Grand Scuttle' by Dan van der Vat (Birrlinn Ltd, 1997) and 'The Bull & the Barriers' by Lawson Wood (Tempus, 2000) are worth a look. The presence of the fleet added greatly to the Orkney economy but there would be fears for the morals of the lassies. Do take the ferry to Hoy and see the museum and military cemetery there. The feelings of the sailors marooned there can be summed up in the famous bit of doggerel - This bloody town's a bloody cuss No bloody trains, no bloody bus, And no one cares for bloody us In bloody Orkney. The bloody roads are bloody bad, The bloody folks are bloody mad, They'd make the brightest bloody sad, In bloody Orkney. All bloody clouds, and bloody rains, No bloody kerbs, no bloody drains, The Council's got no bloody brains, In bloody Orkney. Everything's so bloody dear, A bloody bob, for bloody beer, And is it good? - no bloody fear, In bloody Orkney. The bloody 'flicks' are bloody old, The bloody seats are bloody cold, You can't get in for bloody gold In bloody Orkney. The bloody dances make you smile, The bloody band is bloody vile, It only cramps your bloody style, In bloody Orkney. No bloody sport, no bloody games, No bloody fun, the bloody dames Won't even give their bloody names In bloody Orkney. Best bloody place is bloody bed, With bloody ice on bloody head, You might as well be bloody dead, In bloody Orkney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazelclark Posted 4 July , 2015 Author Share Posted 4 July , 2015 Thanks both of you. Will check out those web sites also Sea Jane. I love the poem Ian. Hoy was one of the places I thought of visiting, but you can be keeping your grandfather's harpoons! Hazel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaJane Posted 4 July , 2015 Share Posted 4 July , 2015 If you want some modern fiction & poetry to give a sense of the place I can recommend anything by George Mackay Brown but particularly Greenvoe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazelclark Posted 4 July , 2015 Author Share Posted 4 July , 2015 If you want some modern fiction & poetry to give a sense of the place I can recommend anything by George Mackay Brown but particularly Greenvoe. Thank you. Will look for them. I have just looked at those web sites and the first one was where I had seen the bit about the "Hampshire", but I had not found the others. My niece has just moved to Orkney, which makes it a bit easier for me to get around. Haven't driven in Britain for years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazelclark Posted 5 July , 2015 Author Share Posted 5 July , 2015 (edited) Ordered both the Malcolm Brown book and the Van der Vat. Greenvoe is next on the list. Found it!. I am finding that although Kindle has its' place it doesn't quite cut it in some instances. Hence the books. It is okay for novels I think, and for travelling. H. Edited 5 July , 2015 by hazel clark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaforths Posted 5 July , 2015 Share Posted 5 July , 2015 Mixed reviews on this one: http://www.amazon.com/Islands-Silence-Novel-Martin-Booth/dp/0312423322 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazelclark Posted 5 July , 2015 Author Share Posted 5 July , 2015 Mixed reviews on this one: http://www.amazon.com/Islands-Silence-Novel-Martin-Booth/dp/0312423322 Probably have enough now! This one looks like it is about Gallipoli anyway. You should be in bed missus! H. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazelclark Posted 20 August , 2015 Author Share Posted 20 August , 2015 Well, I did plan to take the ferry to Orkney from Aberdeen and then from Stromness to Scrabster on the way back, as I thought it would be lovely to sail through the Islands However, I just read the first few chapters of "Scapa Flow". The plane is starting to look pretty good. I had no idea what it can be like. Hazel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanA Posted 20 August , 2015 Share Posted 20 August , 2015 Scrabster - Stromness is a great way to arrive and you get excellent views of the Old Man of Hoy. The only downside is that it is over almost before it starts. If you are truly as wimpish as you sound, there is a shorter route between John o'Groats and St Margaret Hope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
healdav Posted 20 August , 2015 Share Posted 20 August , 2015 The plane can be great. I have done it a dozen or more times when I used to fly to Dounreay (the quickest way for me was via Orkney!). Mind you, I remember on one occasion going over Scapa, and then dropping like a stone under the cliffs, and along them, skimming the sea (the flight attendant was having kittens). Eventually the captain came on. "It's such a lovely day that I thought you would like to see the cliffs properly. WE are just passing the Old Man of Hoy, and you can see a group trying to climb it". He just had time to flip up and over the cliffs of the Pentland Firth and land at Wick. Interesting, but not too often! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth Davies Posted 20 August , 2015 Share Posted 20 August , 2015 You must go to Orkney Library. Their Twitter feed @OrkneyLibrary is great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaJane Posted 20 August , 2015 Share Posted 20 August , 2015 And St Ola's Hotel in Kirkwall was there during the GW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazelclark Posted 20 August , 2015 Author Share Posted 20 August , 2015 Scrabster - Stromness is a great way to arrive and you get excellent views of the Old Man of Hoy. The only downside is that it is over almost before it starts. If you are truly as wimpish as you sound, there is a shorter route between John o'Groats and St Margaret Hope. I AM NOT A WIMP!!!!!! In fact my husband was reading something about the Pentland Firth and asked me if I realised where I was going. He tried to persuade me to fly and I refused. Next day be brought me a bottle of Gravol"!! And then I read that book!! I have now decided that unless there are gale force winds, I will do as I have said. The reason for doing the round trip from Aberdeen was that the north sailing is during the day and the return at night. I suppose I could do the same route both ways. I have made note of the suggestions everyone. One good thing, is that the way things are shaping up over there at the moment, I may have more time to spend there than I originally thought. Thanks, Hazel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanA Posted 20 August , 2015 Share Posted 20 August , 2015 I AM NOT A WIMP!!!!!! Tee hee! My ear drums may never recover. The Pentland Firth can be a wee bit bouncy - I had to cope with a force 8 and my leg in plaster - the best way to deal with it is to take yourself to the bow (the pointy end) and yell "Wheeeee!" every time it pops up a vertical wall of water. Never fails. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Scorer Posted 20 August , 2015 Share Posted 20 August , 2015 More years ago than I care to remember, I visited Orkney for a few days over the weekend. My outward journey was from Scrabster to Stromness on a "big ship", which as was said earlier, was a great way to arrive with excellent views of the Old Man of Hoy. The only downside for me was my return journey which, because it was on a Sunday, had to be from South Ronaldsay to John O'Groats. I don't think that it was from either of the current departure points, as I have a strong memory of arriving at the top of a cliff and having to walk down to sea level. Before I went, I looked down at the very "small ship" and asking someone where the ferry was .... they said "You're looking at it!!" Well, it wasn't a very good crossing .... ! When I got to John O'Groats and said that I didn't enjoy it, one of the locals at first said that I was imagining it. However, having spoken to other locals who had been on the same ferry, she changed her mind and agreed with me! I would like to go back .... but next time I'll go from Scrabster to Stromness on the "big ship", and return the same way! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazelclark Posted 21 August , 2015 Author Share Posted 21 August , 2015 Tee hee! My ear drums may never recover. The Pentland Firth can be a wee bit bouncy - I had to cope with a force 8 and my leg in plaster - the best way to deal with it is to take yourself to the bow (the pointy end) and yell "Wheeeee!" every time it pops up a vertical wall of water. Never fails. Are you scaremongering????? Mr Scorer. I think you are very wise! The gentleman quoted above, suggested that the other route was better for "wimps". Like you, I think the slightly longer trip on the MUCH larger boat would be better, AND the ferry from Aberdeen (mostly just on the North sea anyway, not the Pentland Firth) is VERY big. Hazel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanA Posted 21 August , 2015 Share Posted 21 August , 2015 Are you scaremongering????? About leg in plaster and force 8? No - been there, done that but it was on the 'Hamnavoe' which was up to the job (sailing from Stromness to Scrabster). I've no doubt that it can be 'interesting' at times but most of the crossings I've done have been on seas as rough as a boating pond. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J T Gray Posted 21 August , 2015 Share Posted 21 August , 2015 Orkney is wonderful, Hazel - feel free to PM me for tints and hips. Fundamentally, everywhere is worth visiting, though plan a day if you intend to visit the Barony Mill at Birsay - you'll need it for Brian. Driving won't be a problem as there isn't a lot of traffic and the roads are pretty good - though the locals do overtake in some interesting places, takes a little getting used to. Stromness has a stunning museum, we had an hour, I could have spent a day quite happily. But try not to drive into it - the High street is very, very narrow. We've always taken the Pentalina from Gills Bay to St Margaret's Hope - it was recommended by an online acquaintance, run by a friend of theirs, and apparently makes more money, is faster, and runs more services than the subsidised Northlink service. It's worth a trip just to wonder at how they pack the cars in - I bet their loaders are good at packing for holidays! The disadvantage is you don't go round Hoy. It's a bit lumpy if you hit the tidal split behind Swona/Stroma at the wrong time of tide, but worth a laugh for all the car alarms going off, so the boat blares and honks its way into harbour. An island hopping trip on the Islander is well worth it - like a large and noisy minibus, no frills, but the islands from 500 feet are just stunning beautiful. We've done the Papa Westray -- Westray flight just because. And finally don't forget to tell your friends you've been to Twatt! Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Scorer Posted 21 August , 2015 Share Posted 21 August , 2015 My biggest regret when I went there before is that I didn't really see anything. I was travelling on a travel pass which the local agency issued for the highlands and islands, and I tried to travel as far as I could in the time allowed, so sightseeing whilst I was on the island (well, everywhere, really) wasn't really on the agenda. Added to this, of course, was that the second day was a Sunday, and in those days everything was shut ... which is why I had to go back on the "small" ferry. This is why I'd like to go back ... to see those many things that I ignored when I was there before! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazelclark Posted 21 August , 2015 Author Share Posted 21 August , 2015 Everyone with whom I have spoken who has been there, describes Orkney in the same terminology. Magical! I will do my best to see everything I can. Thanks everyone for the suggestions. If the weather is awful and I am sick, at least there is the option of flying back! Hazel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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