Eeh, ya lucky swine!

We've driven to Orkney and the Outer Hebrides (separately) from Southampton (through Brum) - you're in for a treat! Well, several treats. I'll see if I can furnish you with more info and ideas later...

G x

[EDIT - Actually, I seem to remember someone doing the Lewis-Orkney run in a limited time a few years back on here - can't remember who it was, but I do remember thinking they were bonkers doing it in such a short space of time! They had a great time, though, whoever it was! :) It should be somewhere in the forum's archives if I had time to seek it out... ]

Avoid the town centre pubs in Thurso, the locals can be hostile towards English folk. Sad but true. Thurso isn't a nice place really.
Enjoy Orkney it's a lovely place and the Orkney folk are much nicer!

(((Charlie born in England, brought up in Thurso)))

I had a similar story growing up Charlie.

I hate bigotry, but I feel for those generations that had to sit through English history lessons which deliberately excluded anything Scottish, and along with compulsory R.E. lessons deliberately excluded anything before christianity as being savage times we need not bother with. I myself experienced this in school in the eighties. In breeding ignorance you breed contempt, the contempt tends to be directed at the percieved source of the problem. I find the chip comment quite harsh really, even if it's true, in light of the pain that kind of ignorance causes. I see it regularly. A friend of mine who is older said he got in trouble for speaking Gaelic as a child in Orkney, and for showing an interest in folklore and history. IT was beaten out of him by his minister. Now he has to admit to that ignorance when, for instance, I asked him to tell me about Orkney Selkies. He had to ask me if I was making it up, because the church stamped out folklore after the last war up there. Then he felt ashamed he didn't know his own history, I could tell, and made a comment about me being well versed on SCottish folklore - for an English. Lashing out. Yeah it's a chip, but it makes me sad, not contemptuous. Those that have never known the pain of their own ignorance wouldn't understand.

Then again - you have the just plain stupid.

No, I'm not joking, most ways into Orkney you will now need a photo ID [and to get out, so for the moment I'm a prisoner here ;-) ]

Brilliant, thanks for all the helpfull replies. i think we should just do Orkney and the surrounding bits, and Lewis another time.

we will drive up and stay over then get the ferry the next morning, and hopefully stay a week. i dont mind driving. its quite nice with the music on and the sights, and we can stop when ever we feel like it. no rush really.

now to find somewhere to stay while we are up there.

i think Late August/ Early september will do us.

oh and its ok, we dont really drink so wont be going in any of the wrong pubs and scaring the locals.

Can't help with the problems of expense. When Loie and I did Driving the Stone Age I; Spring 1999; we stayed in nice b&bs. Less expensive than hotels, perhaps, but not like sleeping in the caravan. We used the Scottish Tourist Board offices to book a place in the next town before we left the current one. Worked like a charm, except for one time when an office closed early. In that case, we just drove on and found a place to stay by looking for signs!

Our hostess at Kilmore gave us a tip. Book only one night at the B & B until you get there, then make it two nights. This saves the 10% commission taken by the Tourist Board on the second night. We did just that.

We flew to Glasgow, arrived Tues, 5/25/99, grabbed hire car and drove to Drumnadrochit. (Corrimony Cairn, Balnuaran of Clava (Clava Cairns), Learable Hill.)

Thurs. 5/27/99 we drove to Uig and ferried to Tarbert. (The McLeod Stone, Callanish I. Unnamed cairn viewed from car. Ceann Thulabhaig. Callanish II & III.)

Sat 5/29/99 we ferried from Stornoway to Ullapool and drove to Thurso. That's where we had to search out a b&b.

Sunday 5/30/99 departed Scrabster via ferry to Stromness. (Ring of Brodgar. Skara Brae. Marwick Head. Stones of Stenness. View of unnamed standing stone. Barnhouse. Salt Knowe. Unstan Tomb. Maes Howe. Isbister (Tomb of Eagles).)

Wednesday, 6/2/99 departed Stromness via ferry for Scrabster. Drove to Kennethmont via the Templestones. (Easter Aquhorthies. Castle Fraser stones. Sunhoney. Cullerlie. Archaeolink. Loanhead of Daviot. Nameless Stanes of Earlsfield Farm. Guise Farm. Midmar Kirk.)

After that we went on to Peebles for a couple days. (Rosslyn Chapel. Edinburgh: Royal Museum of Scotland, Grayfriars Bobby, Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Mile, Deacon Brody’s House, Advocate’s Close. The Borders. Bellingham, England. Goatstones. Hadrian’s Wall.)

Would have been nice to have more time in each place, but we saw the highlights and loved every minute. On Orkney, see if the Jollys are still making kippers. Yum.

Man, I can't believe we moved so many times that trip. Now, we go to one rental house or apartment and stay a week or 10 days. Hah! Must be getting old.

Just to add to the thread. I am planning to go to the Orkneys in early July this year. We are driving up the west coast of Scotland (via overnight stops at Helensburgh / Invergary / Ullapool and Thurso. Then 7 nights in Stromness before returning to South Wales down the east coast of Scotland (stopping off at Helmsdale / Inverness and again at Helensburgh). Needless to say my itinery is chock-a-block with a full 16 days of 'old stones ' and 'old castles' planned. I plan to have 1 day on Rousay and 1 day on Hoy - 5 days on Mainland Orkney. This is my 'once in a lifetime' holiday so I am enjoing reading all your experiences of previous visits to the Orkneys. I plan to give an updat on my return. It may take some time to write!! Best wishes to all who read this.