Thirty Days Wild, a post each day throughout June, something that is grounded in our wild world. This year posts are from our travels around the north coast of Scotland on the North Coast 500 route and a visit to Orkney. Stand by, for lots of sky, sea, wildlife, history, Spud the dog and random musings.
Well as you can see I’m more than a little tardy, 21 days behind schedule. Oh dear.
Will it surprise you that it was a springer spaniel that was the ring leader of this little bit of mischief? Not our Spud the dog, you understand, but he’d have loved to join in.
It was at Skaill House on Orkney, which as well as being rather grand family estate, stuffed full of beautiful antiques and historic items,
and the odd exotic thing, that you can only wish had stayed wild
It also has a touch of the 20thC about its decor in some of the rooms, as it was a family home until the 1950’s
It just feels familiar, take this wallpaper, for example.
What Skaill House has, at the bottom of its garden, is altogether more unusual, and its survival is nothing short of miraculous is a prehistoric village was exposed in 1850, when a great storm tore away the sand dunes that had protected it. I could show you my photos, but I think you’ll be netter served by the Skara Brae website
They do say if you scratch the surface of Orkney, it bleeds archaeology. I’d not disagree.