Facts of the Day:
Date: 25/July/2002
From: Thurso
Via: Scrabster/Stromness
To: Kirkwall
Miles: 48 (land), 24 (nautical)
Midges: none (Probably too wet)
Weather: Cloudy, rain later (lots of it)
Mood: Slightly disappointed

Having visited the most westerly point of the British mainland in Ardnamurchan I now visited the most northerly point: Dunnet Head. John O'Groats, which is only about 10 miles further east, is probably more famous, nevertheless I decided to visit Dunnet Head. I was told John O'Groats is mainly a tourist trap without much to see, while Dunnet Head is the real most northerly point and has better views to offer. The weather was very cloudy and grey, so the views weren't like tourist brochure views. But I still think they were quite nice, just different. The cliffs were also quite impressive:

As I still had to pick up my ferry ticket at the ferry office I soon made my way over to Scrabster, from where the ferry to Stromness on Orkney was going to leave at noon. Picking up the tickets and boarding the ship went very smooth and soon we were on our way to Orkney. The clouds were still hanging low and rain also started to set in. Luckily there were many places on the ferry providing shelter from the rain while allowing you to stay outdoors. After a good hour we approached Hoy and something I had hoped to see in better weather and better visibility: The Old Man of Hoy. One of the best views of it is actually from the ferry, as it passes just below it on its way to Stromness. I still managed to take a few pictures, here are my best attempts:

Just as we approached Stromness it cleared up a little bit, allowing me to take a few nice pictures:

From Stromness I drove over to Kirkness, where I had a reservation in the Royal Oak House. And then the rain set in. Heavy rain. It was pouring it down. I still had a walk around Kirkwall, but soon gave up and returned to my room. No more pictures this day, just too wet to get the camera out. Dinner was at the Orkney Hotel, a very nice rump steak. Hopefully the weather will be better the next day...