Scapa Flow, good food and guide cats

There's more to Orkney than Fudge, day 3 - 16 September 2014

Day three started well with black pudding, bacon and baked beans.  Took the bus to Houghton and walked onto the ferry to Lyness on the island of Hoy.  Not realising we could ride up top and enjoy the view we sat in the dungeon that was the passenger lounge for the crossing.
There is no alternative way of crossing back to the mainland so you have to make sure you don't miss the ferry back.

It's only a short walk from the ferry terminal to the Scapa Flow museum and as we approached I was surprised to see what looked like a Russian flag flying there.  When we got there it did turn out to be a Russian flag alongside the Union flag at this memorial with inscription in English and Russian erected in memory of the brave men who manned the arctic convoys during WWII.

Lyness was the Royal Navy base during WWII and was also the base for the salvage of the scuttled German fleet in 1919.  James Isbister was the first civilian casualty of WWII, killed by Luftwaffe bombs jettisoned over Stromness after a raid on Scapa Flow, on 16 March 1940
Unseasonably warm weather is relative, it was windy (see the flags) and cold.  My new hat came in very handy.


Behind me is Scapa Flow, the body of water, where on 21 June 1919 the captured German fleet of 74 ships hoisted the Imperial German Ensign and 52 of them were scuttled on orders of their German commander rather than letting them be used by the Allies.

The 833 men of HMS Royal Oak mentioned on day 1 were torpedoed in this body of water by german submarine U-47 on 14 October 1939.Behind the museum building (where I had a very nice bowl of home made lentil and vegetable soup) up a flight of stairs is a large oil tank.



Inside the oil tank is an eclectic mix of exhibits including a searchlight, bren-gun carrier and a boat that sailed to Orkney from occupied Norway and a small theatre layout showing a video about the history of Scapa Flow.
How often do you watch a movie inside a large oil tank - selfie was obviously called for.

This stylish fence is part of the anti submarine boom net strung from shore to shore during both 20th century wars.
I recommend a visit to Lyness for anyone visiting Orkne, very moving and interesting perspective on 20th century naval history.  make sure you bring a jumper because the museum is not heated apart from a small room at the back where you can watch any of the various videos in relative comfort.

We caught the ferry back to Houghton and sensibly sat up top this time to enjoy the spectacular view. Photographs don't do it justice so you will have to imagine it and I will remember it.
Changed at Kirkwall for the St Margaret's Hope bus for our dinner at the Creel.  Lovely restaurant with the perfect menu (this or that for for each course, no difficult decisions between multiple dishes).  Lovely restaurant, highly recommended.  After dinner we had a while to wait for the bus so we went for a walk up and down the bay and this very friendly ginger kitten accompanied us.
Then we went into the Murray Arms for a quick one before the 22.11 bus to Kirkwall and witnessed a very lively referendum debate between the patrons, 3 Scots, 1 Englishman the barman and a silent (and therefore of unknown heritage) solitary drinker.  The 3 Scots were decisive 'no' votes and the Englishman seemed to have a death wish as he was very emphatic in his support of the 'yes' vote but ended with the comment 'if it all goes tits up I can piss off back to England'.  evidence of the good natured complexion of the debate is that when we left for our bus he was still alive.