Orkney Fudge Disaster

School half-term often sees the whole family in Wick for a week together and spending time with their Caithness rellies. Highlight of the week so far was a visit to Orkney. Tuesday  dawned misty but full of promise on the weather forecast. The ferry journey from Gills to St Margaret's hope on South Ronaldsay was the calmest I can remember. In the six hours available we restricted ourselves to the great sites. Orkney is dotted with reminders of WWII. The Italian Chapel is the most evocative, dedicated to beauty and spirituality rather than death and destruction. Maeshowe speaks to us from 5000 years ago of a rich agrarian society with the time and resources to build the best chambered tomb in Western Europe. The grandchildren enjoyed the story of Maeshowe told in a wonderful rich Orcadian accent by Moira, our guide. For her, all small things were 'peedie.' The Viking runes story added spice from a much later period of Orcadian history, when the Norse invaders colonised the islands around the end of the first millenium. The kids love the 'pixies' we bought in the Tormiston Mill shop.

 The impressive Ring of Brodgar shows an extra quality against a low winter sun. The long shadows suggest the very runes that we saw in Masehowe. In Kirkwall we bought Orkney fudge (see below) and visited St Magnus Cathedral and the main shops.

 

 

At Scara Brae the grandchildren loved the replica of  house number 7 and wanted to spend the night there. Is there a business opportunity there- A Neolithic night?
     On the ferry journey back the setting sun highlighted the WWII gun emplacements on Hoxa Head and finally disappeared behind  Dunnet Head

 Back at the house in Wick the main event was a blind tasting of Orkney fudge against Granny Jen's. The grandchildren described the Island product as too sweet and sickly. Granny Jen's home made fudge evinced more nuanced replies- delicate, smooth and balanced was the conclusion and her product was unanimously voted the best. So it was 4-0 to Granny and an Orkney icon bites the dust.

The Stuart Agenda by Alan Calder published by Willow Moon. e-Book and paperback at all Amazon sites. Reviews at www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005BJ3GNI