We'd booked in advance to visit Skara Brae today. It can get quite busy when there are cruise ship trips going on, there were quite a few coach loads there.
After looking round the visitors' centre we first looked in the reconstructed house just outside. It's set up how the houses in the settlement would have been in Neolithic times, from 3180 BC to around 2500 BC.
We then went over to the site itself - it was quite busy as our visit coincided with a cruise coach party. It's very interesting seeing how they lived in those days.
Our entry ticket also got us into Skaill House, a manor house adjoining the site. It was set up as the former owners would have had it.
The bathroom has a 1960s pink suite.
After leaving Skara Brae we went to Barony Mill, a restored watermill, where we got a guided tour. It mills the local Bere, which is an ancient type of barley. The flour is rough in consistency, and mainly used for oatcakes, biscuits etc.
We got shown round all the mill, it was pretty interesting. We were the only ones on the tour.
We set the waterwheel going and went outside to see it.
We went up to the far north west of the mainland, and parked near the causeway to the Brough of Birsay. This is a tidal island, that has a lighthouse at the far side and cliffs with lots of nesting seabirds.
The tide was far enough out, so we walked over the causeway and then round the circumference of the island.
Unfortunately we didn't see any puffins.
Once back on the mainland we walked along the coast to Skiba Geo. There are interesting depressions in the turf there, which were used in the past to shelter fishing boats.
We went to Marwick Bay and considered staying there overnight. We made our dinner, chilli beef and rice. However we changed our mind and drove back to Skaill Bay to stay, mainly because it had toilets nearby.
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