A final ferry and a castle on the rocks

Monday was another early morning, because we had a ferry to catch. But on the way, we went hunting for puffins! We had previously assumed we would see the cute little birds in our wandering on these northern islands, but we hadn’t. So, Brian looked up RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) sites on the way to the ferry and found one. It involved a walk, of course, but what a view!

Sign pointing the way to Marwick Head
The fences were made of rounded beach rocks.
Sign indicating the way to the birds of interest
Standing stones indicate that this was an important place in the distant past

We did not find puffins, but their cousins, guillemots, were abundant. They look different from the puffins we saw a few years ago in the Skellig Islands off the coast of Southern Ireland, but they are still incredibly cute, and they nest in the cliffs.

The ferry ride back to the Island of Great Britain was a bit rough at first, with big waves rocking the boat. We saw the Old Man of Hoy again, with the sun at a different angle.

When we got back to the main part of Scotland, we decided to take the longer, more picturesque route to Inverness for our last three nights. A great decision!

John O’Groats, at the far northeastern point on Great Britain, is a popular tourist attraction because many citizens of GB like to walk the over 800-mile trail from Lands End in Cornwall across the island to the northeast. We went just for fun.

Folks were queuing up to have their picture taken with this signpost.
The rock and arc sculpture behind the cure sheep is depicting the fact that large rocks have been found on the floor of this firth, rounded by the extreme currents. Sailors beware!

Nearby, we looked at Duncansby Head; we took a short walk to see the famous sea stacks.

Sea cliffs
White birds, not related to puffins
Lighthouse

A bit south, we visited the Castle Sinclair Girnigoe, which was quite difficult to get to, on tiny farm roads with few passing places. But the complex drive and short hike was worth it, because this castle’s structure mimicked the surrounding rocks beautifully.

Notice the thin rock layers of Devonian sandstone.

Lighthouse near the Castle Sinclair, site of a large radio antenna during WWII

We got to our hotel in Inverness near the town center in the early evening. After a light dinner, we found a bar that featured live music, again with two young men, one playing an ordinary accordion and the other a guitar. They also called their performance Folk Music, but the content surprised us! The musicians took songs that were familiar to us, by UB40 and other bands, including ballads that Joan Baez sang, and mixed and matched them into a lively medley that was enjoyed by all. One couple started dancing, we helped move the tables out of the way, and that gentleman invited others to join them. Soon the whole front of the bar was lively with dancers who also sang along with the familiar tunes. We gave the band a good tip. The main singer had a wonderful voice.

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