Frommer's Scotland 8th Edition - To Parent Directory

THE ORKNEY ISLANDS: AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL GARDEN 411conversation and entertainment. The guest rooms boast antique or semi-antiquefurniture and lots of character.The estate shelters the only forest in the Orkney Islands, planted in the 19thcentury by the Balfours and composed chiefly of sycamores. In its center, a 3.5m(12 ft.) stone wall surrounds the kitchen gardens, where greenhouses producepeaches, figs, and grapes; and strawberries, cabbages, and salad greens grow wellwithin the shelter of the wall. The estate is still a working farm, involved withbeef cattle, sheep, and grain production. The hosts will take the time to tour theproperty with guests and also arrange fishing trips or bird-watching tours, as wellas photographic and ornithological trips with guide and boat. Between May andJuly, the bird life is unbelievably profuse. Guests may also be taken to the family’s40 hectare (100-acre) uninhabited island, where colonies of gray seals andpuffins like to say hello.The kitchen relies on such tempting ingredients as local wild duck and freshscallops, crabmeat, and lobster. Guests who catch their own dinner will have itcheerfully prepared for them.Balfour Village, Shapinsay, Orkney KW17 2DY. & 01856/711-282. Fax 01856/711-283. www.balfourcastle.com. 6 units. £100 ($160) per person. Rates include 2 meals. Discount of 30% for children under 12. There isa discount of 10% for a 3 or more day stay. MC, V. Amenities: Restaurant; bar. In room: Coffeemaker, hairdryer, iron, no phone.ROUSAYCalled the “Egypt of the North,” the island of Rousay lies off the northwestcoast of Mainland. Almost moon-shaped and measuring about 10km (6 miles)across, the island is known for its trout lochs, which draw anglers from all overEurope. Much of the land is heather-covered moors. Part of the island has hills,including Ward Hill, which many people walk up for a panoramic sweep ofOrcadian seascape. In the northwestern part of the island is Hellia Spur, one ofEurope’s most important seabird colonies. As you walk about, you can see themuch-photographed puffin.But where does the bit about Egypt come in? Rousay boasts nearly 200 prehistoricmonuments. The most significant site, the Iron Age Midhowe Brochand Tombs , is located in the west of the island and was excavated in the 1930s.The walled enclosure on a promontory is cut off by a deep rock-cut ditch. Thecairn is more than 23m (75 ft.) long and was split among a dozen stalls or compartments.The graves of some two dozen settlers, along with their cattle, werefound inside. One writer called the cairn the “great ship of death.” The othermajor sight, the Blackhammer Cairn, lies north of B9064 on the southerncoast. This megalithic burial chamber is believed to date from the 3rd millenniumB.C. It was separated into about half a dozen compartments for the dead.Excavation began in 1978 on a Viking site at Westness, which figured in theOrkneyinga Saga. A farmer digging a hole to bury a dead cow came across an OldNorse grave site. Three silver brooches, shipped to the National Museum of Scotlandat Edinburgh, were discovered among the ruins; the earliest one dated fromthe 9th century. Die-hard archaeology buffs might like to know that a 1.6km(1 mile) archaeological trail begins here; a mimeographed map (not very precise) issometimes available from the tourist office. The trail is clearly marked with placardsand signs describing the dusty-looking excavations that crop up on either side.To reach Rousay, you can rely on the service provided by the Orkney FerriesLtd., in Kirkwall (& 01856/872-044; www.orkneyferries.co.uk). The trip ismade six times daily; round-trip passage is £17 ($27) for vehicles, £5.70 ($9.10)for adults, and £2.80 ($4.50) for children.