Orkney

RICHARD CLUBLEY lived in Derbyshire, which is not the most convenient place to stay if you love Scottish islands so, in 2017, he moved to Orkney with his wife, Berverly. They built a house in Orphir on Mainland with views over Scapa Flow. Although the phrase is a cliché, it was ‘a dream come true’. Richard has found Scottish islands endlessly fascinating since his very first one – Arran – at the age of eight. He has visited around 70 of them to date and they form the content of his first book Scotland’s Islands – A Special Kind of Freedom, published by Luath Press in 2014. As a schoolteacher Richard took several parties of children to uninhabited islands to share the unique experiences with a new generation. He knows of one or two from those early trips in the 1980s that are still hooked on island hopping. Richard is a regular contributor to Scottish Islands Explorer magazine and the online magazine Orkney.com. Writing this book and moving to Orkney do not presage an end to the infatuation but rather less flirting and a deeper love.

Map 1 Scotland with her islands
Map 2 Map of Orkney
Map 3 Orkney Mainland


Acknowledgements
Foreword by Howie Firth
Preface 15 Introduction


Orkney History
Chapter One: A Brief History of Orkney
Chapter Two: Neolithic Orkney from the air
Chapter Three: The Kitchener Memorial
Chapter Four: Lighthouses
Chapter Five: The Ring of Brodgar


Orkney People
Chapter Six: Dr John Rae
Chapter Seven: The Island Games
Chapter Eight: Orkney Furniture
Chapter Nine: Young People
Chapter Ten: The Owld Men’s Hut – The Pier Head Parliament
Chapter Eleven: Traditional Music – Hanging by a Thread
Chapter Twelve: Old Men of Hoy
Chapter Thirteen: Islands in Winter


Orkney’s Outer Islands
Chapter Fourteen: Hunda
Chapter Fifteen: Cava
Chapter Sixteen: Rousay
Chapter Seventeen: Papa Westray
Chapter Eighteen: Westray


Orkney’s Wildlife
Chapter Nineteen: Birds in Winter
Chapter Ttwenty: Stoats


Orkney’s Favourite Buildings
Chapter Twenty-One: Favourite Buildings 1 – Schools
Chapter Twenty-Two: Favourite Buildings 2 – Churches
Chapter Twenty-Three: Favourite Buildings 3 – St Magnus Cathedral
Chapter Twenty-Four: Favourite Buildings 4 – The Bothy at Swanbister


Tourism in Orkney
Chapter Twenty-Five: Cruise Liners
Chapter Twenty-Six: Orkney Produce


Orkney’s Future
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Green Energy
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Heading North – The journey to Orkney is all part of the experience
Chapter Twenty-Nine: New Hospital – The future’s bright


Epilogue