ALONG THE NORTHERN COAST AND INTO THE ORKNEYS

We had a very long day on Wednesday if we wanted to make it for the last ferry to the Orkneys. We grabbed something for breakfast and lunch at the supermarket, and then began the long drive along the northern coast of Scotland.

There were a couple of stops on our way to the Smoo Caves in order to have a small walk along a mountain creek, where Budgie talked to us about how the forests disappeared due to the war needs in the twentieth century. The weather was lovely at the Kylesku bridge and we could take some good pictures.

By the time we arrived to Smoo, it was almost lunch time. We weren´t sure about going into the caves or having lunch, and we ended up walking down to the beach and trying to get into the boats going to the caves. Mei, the Malaysian girl, didn´t want to wait for the whole group, and she insisted on getting inside before everybody. That caused a delay for the rest of the group. I opted to stay in the beach and picked up a few stones for my collection. I am not so keen on caves unless they are big or you have something to look forward to (such as Proteus in Postojna).

Budgie got everything ready to get lunch, and we had some sandwiches and crisps. We also met two very nice couples from Barcelona, and we shared stories and even some whisky.

Weather was foggy and a bit rainy, and to top it we were under pressure to get to the ferry to St Margaret´s Hope. It was a long drive, and I don´t know if I would have managed it on my own with all the coming and goings and overtakings.

But we arrive on time, and the clouds disappear and we are able to see seals and a school of dolphins and the arrival to St Margaret´s Hope is quite lovely. Our hostel for the night is located right there, and we have it for ourselves.

We cook fajitas (still don´t get this obsession with Mexican food and anglos, specially when it is way too spicy) and then we go to the pub. It´s only ourselves, and we taste the local whisky ( Highland Park and Scapa ). The guys play some snooker and we get back to the hostel to rest after the long day.