[Journal entry for August 4-24, 2022; Scotland, including Edinburgh, the Orkney Islands, Inverness, Loch Ness and Nairn]

August 4, 2022 (Friday), Dallas and I leave Tappan, New York in the late afternoon and drive to Newark Liberty Airport. After dropping off our car at ABC Parking, we took a United flight to Edinburgh, Scotland that leaves in the late evening.

August 5, 2022 (Saturday). We arrive in the Edinburgh Airport in the late morning and take the 100 Bus to Andrew Square in Edinburgh. The three-week-long Edinburg International Festival is in progress and many musicians and other entertainers are performing along the streets. After dropping off our bags at the Backpackers Hostel (Cockburn St, pronounced “co-burn”), we enjoy a late breakfast of bangers and mash (sausage and mashed potatoes) the at Malt Shovel Inn. (Cockburn St.) It’s too early to check into the hostel, so we take a walk around Edinburgh, visiting the Princess St Gardens, admiring the tall Walter Scott Monument, and listening to groups of musicians playing along High St, which has been closed to automobile traffic. We return to the hostel and are assigned to Room 6 at 34A Cockburn St, across the street from the main part of the hostel (review below). After resting for a while, we have d inner at Gurkha Cafe & Restaurant (Cockburn St).

August 6, 2002 (Saturday). We arose very early, left the hostel keys in the key-drop, walked to the Princess St. Tram Station, and took the tram to the airport. Our flight to Kirkwall, on Mainland (largest island) of the Orkneys Islands, was delayed a bit, but the flight itself was a short and comfortable one. Misty rain was falling and was driven by strong wind into the little bus shelter outside the airport, causing us to retreat into a corner. We took the bus to Kirkwall, the largest of the Orkney Islands’ several towns and stocked up on food at the Tesco Superstore (Pickaquoy Rd). We then took a taxi to our rental apartment in St Margaret’s Hope. The drive of about fifteen miles takes a half hour and crosses a series of causeways between small islands on the east side of Scapa Flow, a large bay inside a rough ring of islands. The land is mostly flat, with large fields in which are grazing sheep and cows. Despite the breeze, the bay is relatively calm. We pass several sandy beaches, several shipwrecks and an oil-drilling platform. We checked into the Murray Arms Hotel – Seafood Restaurant (Thorshaven Back Road, on South Ronaldsay Island) (review below). Our apartment is located on the northeast corner a building that is across a courtyard from the restaurant, on the second floor (review below), and haul our bags and groceries up the stairs into it.

A little while later, our daughter Hannah Menke arrived by car, together with Katie Hood and Hannah’s dog Estel. Katie is a structural engineer with David Narro Associates (Edinburgh) and has recently been awarded a Fellowship with the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. I take Estel on a short walk, heading first down to the sea and then up the steep hill on Back Street., past old and sturdy houses made of sandstone, stone walls beside which wildflowers are blooming, and pastures with sheep and cows. We have dinner at the apartment. Later, Dallas, Hannah, Katie, Estel and I walk along Pier Rd, to the ferry terminal. Many sea birds are about, including gulls and ducks. None of them look particularly exotic.

August 7, 2022 (Sunday). Dallas, Hannah, Katie, Estel and I visit the Ring of Brodgar, an archeological site on Mainland (largest island). The Ring is a Neolithic stone circle located on a flat part of an isthmus that divide Loch Stenness from Loch Harray (“lakes”, but in this case, really bays). The ring is composed of about thirty standing stones arranged in a wide circle and surrounded by a ditch. The stones are tabular slabs of sandstone, up to ten feet high and five feet wide and a foot or less thick. The site also had several burial mounds, grass-covered earthen mounds perhaps ten feet high. We took a tour, slowly walking along a series of pedestrian paths through the ruin, while the tour guide explained it to us.

We then drove to Kirkwall and had lunch at Helgi’s Restaurant, which is near the port. I had fish chowder, which I thought excellent. However, our experience was marred by the server bringing the wrong beverages, and the manager requiring us to pay for them after we exchanged them for the ones we had ordered.

After lunch, we walked around the town of Kirkwall. We spent quite a long time viewing St. Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall, which dates to the Twelfth Century. The church building is made of the local sandstone, and has an impressively tall steeple decorated with gargoyles. The interior contains enormous stone columns, beautiful stained glass windows, and a many bass relief grave markers, now affixed to the walls, but originally part of the floor. The sandstone on the exterior has not endured the elements very well. All the surfaces are very weathered and many of the stone carvings are partially eroded away.

We also toured the graveyard around the church, reading the old grave markers. I was surprised that only a very few had quotations from the Bible or literature. The text was mostly limited to names, dates and familial relationships. An exception was the 1915 grave of John Smith, which included the phrase, “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord”, a quotation from Revelation 14:13. I also walked around the exterior of the neighboring Bishop’s and Earl's Palaces, which are mostly ruins.

On the way back to our apartment, we stopped at Weddell Bay, a sand beach near one of the causeways. Dallas, Hannah and Katie swam while I walked with Estel along the beach. Dallas reported the water to be cold, like Maine.

August 8, 2022 (Monday). Dallas, Hannah, Katie, Estel and I visit the Ness of Brodgar, and active archeological excavation located just south of, and on the same isthmus as, the Ring of Brodgar. The site consisted of several rectangular excavations, each about six feet deep, where solid had been removed, revealing the remains of stone houses. We took a tour, slowly walking along a series of pedestrian paths through the ruin, while the tour guide explained the various features to us.

We then drove to Skara Brae, located on the Bay of Skaill on Mainland (largest island). Dated at 3180 BCE, it said to be oldest habitation in Europe. The site, overlooking the bay, is very picturesque. The ruin consists of a group of mound-shaped huts with thick earthen walls and turf roof – though most of them were missing their roofs. We could only walk around the exterior of the ruined houses, but we could explore a nearby reproduction. It was entered via a narrow hallway that led to large central room and several smaller adjacent rooms, all of which were lined with slabs of rock. The central room had two “beds” (rectangles of rock in which was placed bedding), some shelving along the walls and a central fireplace. Plastic reproductions of fish and lobster were set out near the fireplace, waiting to be cooked for dinner. We could see the basic features (but not the fish and lobsters) in the actual ruin, too. I thought this ruin was the most interesting of those that we visited in the Orkneys, because it was well-enough preserved for me to have some sense of what living in the village might have been like.

We drove by the Ness of Brodgar on the way back. We stopped for a few minutes to view two very fat seals that were sitting on rock in nearby Loch Stenness (“lake”, though actually a bay). We had dinner back in our apartment.

We stopped by Skarpa beach on Mainland (largest island) so Dallas could do some swimming.

August 9, 2022 (Tuesday) This morning Hannah and Katie scuba dived and Dallas and I snorkeled in Weddell Bay, adjacent to the A961 causeway, under the supervision of Kraken Diving. The weather was overcast. We spent a long time donning thick drysuits, gloves and hood that would enable us to swim in the cold water. Only the part of my face not protected by my hood was the part of my face not covered by my mask. My group swam a loop in the water of the bay, first along the rocks at the base of the causeway, then out to a wreck, and then amongst columns of rockweed. The water depth varied from about six feet along the causeway and by the rockweed to perhaps twenty by the wreck. The water contained many small bits of material, but was fairly clear, nonetheless. I saw many marine animals, including crabs, sponges, schools of small fish, and barnacles. The barnacles were all waving their fronds, filtering the seawater. The area had three main types of seaweed: long, thin “soda straws”, anchored to the seafloor and often doubled-over near their top well short of the water’s surface; foot-wide leaves growing flush with the seafloor, and tower of rockweed, anchored to rocks but buoyed up by their flotation bladders. I say at least two types of schooling fish, one brown in color, the other silver. I also saw a solitary larger fish, perhaps a foot long. I was still warm when we came ashore, but the saltwater was causing my sinuses to drip unpleasantly.

Afterward, Katie drove Dallas and me back to the apartment and then returned to Weddell Bay for more diving. After lunch, Dallas and I took the bus to Kirkwall and did some shopping on Albert St. Afterward, back in St. Margaret’s Hope, I took Estel down to the little beach on Back St, which is just a block or so away, and then for a short walk around town. The sun was shining a little. We had dinner at the apartment.

August 10, 2022 (Wednesday) Dallas, Estel and I walked to the Dam of Hoxa, a sand spit with a beach that is on South Ronaldsay Island, on a peninsula that extends west from St. Margaret’s Hope. We went via Back Road, which climbs a smooth and low hill, full of pastures with cows and sheep. Dallas swam in the sea, while I watched Estel wade in the shallow water near shore. After her swim, Dallas headed back the way we came, but Estel and I explored, first visiting a pond behind the beach and then the Sands of Wright, the each on the other side of the peninsula. We walked back along School Rd, through Quindry (hamlet). It is a longer route, but affords nice views of the rolling hills and of the bay on the south side of the peninsula.

August 11, 2022 (Thursday). In the morning, I took Estel down to the beach at the end of Front Street. It is a rocky beach, full of sandstone shingle, between a low bluff of the same rock and the sea. We all then headed to Mull Head, on Mainland (island), stopping at Polly Kettle Tearoom, Handcrafts for coffee and pastry. The nature trails at Mull Head are along the edge of high sandstone cliffs. The strata are sub-horizontal, but cut by fractures and normal faults, some of which have been eroded into deep ravine, fissures and sea caves. One, called the Gloup sea cave, is especially impressive. It consists of a deep fissure that cuts into the sandstone perpendicular to the cliff edge, and is arched-over near the cliff edge. It is connected to the sea and its bottom is filled with sea water. The land at the top of the cliff is moorland, full of purple-blooming Heather, and Cow Parsley, too, which gives way to bare sandstone ledges near the cliff edge. Fulmar gulls were nesting on ledges on the cliff face. We enjoyed watching the mother birds tend their large but still downy chicks when we could find vantages that afforded a view of the cliff face below us. We passed one side trail that led to the ruins of a church, but it was closed due to a landslide. We walked the entire loop, a distance of 3.7 mile.

We stopped at the sand beach at Newark Beach, one the southeastern side of Mainland (island). The tide was low and a wide expanse of sand flats were exposed. I played stick with Estel while Dallas swam and Hannah and Katie relaxed. Hannah and Katie dropped us off in Kirkwall and we took the bus back to the apartment.

August 12, 2022 (Friday). Estel, who at twelve is getting on in years, is tired from the walks of the last two days, so I take a solo (and long) morning walk to view the old coastal fortifications at Hoxa Head. I take School Rd. past the Sands of Wright, and then a country road to the entrance by the car park. Like the rest of Ronaldsay Island, the land is rolling hills, with open views across pastures and moorland. I pass a small pond, inhabited by Common Moorhen (bird). I also watched a mare with foal. Katie had told me about a “standing stone” that she had sighted near the Sands of Wright. My path took me close enough to it to determine that it was a relatively modern construction of fitted stone, perhaps the chimney of a now-vanished house. The fortifications were from both the First and Second World Wars. They are aging concrete structures that include observation towers, gun emplacements (but no guns), barracks, latrines and trenches that overlook the sea. Many of them are partially collapsed because their steel bracing rusted away. I entered a few of the safer-looking ones, including one of the towers, but only the ground floor, for the staircase was missing.

After returning to St. Margaret’s Hope, Dallas and I walk to beach at the end of Front Rd.

Dallas, Hannah, Katie, Estel and I visted the Cuween Hill Chambered Cairn, a Neolithic tomb on Mainland (island). The tomb is beneath and earthen mound on the flank of a larger hill. A small entrance allows one to crawl – guided by a flashlight - into the tomb. It consists of a central chamber and two small anterooms. All were lined with slabs of rock. I crawled into one of the anterooms and Estel walked into the other, while Dallas, Hannah and Katie checked out the central chamber. Everything had, of course, a cave-like (or tomb-like) ambiance. After exiting the tomb, we hike up to the summit of Cuween Hill to view the "Stone Men" (carins) a group of stone pillars with nearby trenches suggestive of excavations. They are modern in origin, having been built by tourists.

We then visted the Broch of Gurness (hill fort), an Iron Age villae on the north coast of Mainland (island) that is dominated by the remains of the broch (stone tower). A series of pedestrian paths allows one to walk among the ruins. One path leads through a doorway into the broken tower, itself – now more of a tall wall, as it lacks a roof.

We stopped at the nearby beach at Aikerness Bay. I played ball with Estel on the sand, while Dallas, Hannah, Katie swam. The tide was low, and several wide by shallow tidal pools had formed on the wide sand beach. Estel enjoyed jumping into them.

We drove to Stromness (town), on the southwest corner of Mainland (island) and had cake and a soda at the Pier Bistro and Takeaway. We then drove to the Orkney FolkLore and Storytelling Centre for a one-woman story-telling show. By this time, night was upon us. Our host told by firelight three stories associated with Orkney folklore. Once tale, concerning a man who marries a selkie (seal-woman), was very similar to “Peter Kagan and the Wind”. a ballad by Maine singer Gordon Bok. These stories get around!

August 13, 2022 (Saturday). Dallas, Hannah, Katie and I toured the Highland Park Whisky Distillery, which is on the southern edge of Kirkwall (town). We then drove to the main part of the town and had lunch at Old Library (a restaurant at 7-13 Laing St.). Afterward, Katie spent time in St. Magnus Church examining the construction techniques, Hannah and I sat on a churh pew doing mathematics, and Dallas took a bus to a beach to do some swimming. After picking Dallas up, we all had an excellent seafood dinner at the Murray Arms.

August 14, 2022 (Sunday). Hannah, Katie and Estel left early in the morning by car. Our taxi to Kirwall Airport was very late in coming, but after a series of phone calls – some by the Murray Arms staff – and after some anxious waiting, it did arrive and got us to Kirkwall Airport well before our flight. I had time enough to view the display cases near the cafe, and found one that contained fossil fish specimens from the Orkney Islands. They are of Devonian age. The largest was a foot or so in length.

Our plane flight was short and pleasant. Upon arriving in Edinburgh, we took the Route 100 bus to the St Andrew Square station, and checked in once again at the Backpackers Hostel. This time, our room was at 18B Fleshmarket Close (alleyway), around the corner from the main hostel (see review). After resting a bit, we listened to a band play on High St., for the festival is still ongoing. We had dinner at Gurkha Nepalese Cafe & Restaurant (27 Cockburn St.).

August 15, 2022 (Monday). After checking out of the hostel at around 7:30 AM, Dallas and I walked to Waverley Station. I had a bagel with peanut butter and a cup of coffee from a concession stand while we waited for the train to Inverness, the main town up north in the Scottish Highlands. The train was very late leaving, and very crowded too, for it had to accommodate riders from an earlier Perth train that was cancelled. The route through the countryside west of the Cairngorms (mountains) is very picturesque. We arrived in Inverness in the mid-afternoon and walked the mile to the Inverness Youth Hostel, on Victoria St. We checked in and were assigned to private Room 253 (see review). After resting for a while, we took a long walk around town. We stopped at the Eastgate Mall, where I purchased hiking maps from the bookstore, Waterstones, and cargo pants from the sporting goods store, Tresspass. We then walked to the River Ness, and walked across the Greig St. pedestrian suspension bridge for the view. The bridge reminded me of the Androscoggin Swing Bridge (Brunswick Maine). We then had dinner at a pizzeria, Black Isle Bar & Rooms (68 Church St.), which had been recommended to by the hostel staff. We found it to be excellent. On the way back to the hostel, we stopped at the big Morrison’s supermarket for groceries.

August 16, 2022 (Tuesday). After breakfast of omelets in the hostel’s self-catered kitchen, Dallas and I walked to the Inverness Bus Station and took the Route 919 Bus to Urquhart Castle. This Thirteenth Century castle is now a craggy ruin. Most of the towers and rooms are broken, but what remains is impressive. Furthermore, the setting, on a promontory extending out into Lock Ness (lake) is very beautiful. We had coffee and pastry at the gift shop, and then spent a couple of hours walking around the ruins and chatting with and actor, in costume, who was portraying a Scottish soldier. We then had sandwiches we had brought with us, sitting on a picnic table on the lawn.

We then walked Highway A82 – the main road on the north bank of Lock Ness (lake), through the village if Lewiston to the village of Drumnadrochit. We turned onto East Lewiston Road and took it east to the Urquhart Bay Woods, a nature preserve at the confluence of River Coiltie and River Enrick, where their combined flow reaches Loch Ness (lake). We passed a pasture with Shetland ponies, some of which were barely thigh-high. We took a trail that led through Alder woods, following the bank of River Enrick, which is a modest stream with slowly-moving foot-deep water. We passed many different wildflowers blooming along the stream bank and under the canopy. We then took a well-traveled informal path that forded River Coiltie – which was but an inch of two deep – and led to the delta that extends out into Lock Ness (lake). Dallas, along with a few other bathers, swam from this little beach while I relaxed on the gravely beach. Later, she said that the water was rather cold, but warmer than the sea in the Orkneys. We then walked to the Post Office in Drumnadrochit (village) and caught the Route 17 bus back to Inverness. Once again we had pizza at Black Isle Bar & Rooms, before walking back to our hostel.

August 17, 2022 (Wednesday). It’s the first sunny day that we’ve had for while. After breakfast at hostel, Dallas and I walked to the Inverness Bus Station and took the Route 919 Bus to Drumnadrochit (village). We had lunch, sitting on a bench in the sun by the Great War Monument (Highway A82). We then visited the Loch Ness Center & Exhibition, a museum which features a series of short films about Loch Ness (lake) and the famous cryptozoological animal, Nessy. The films focused on the science and were only minimally sensationalized. I found them enjoyable. One point that they made was that the biological productivity of Loch Ness (lake) is very low, barely enough to sustain twenty ton of large fish, let alone a Nessy of the more fanciful speculations.

We then walked west along Highway A82 to where the Great Glen Way leaves the highway aand head up into the hills north of Loch Ness (lake). This hiking path crosses Scotland, following the Great Glen (valley). Once it turns off the highway, it follows a country lane, paralleling the River Coiltie, and passing the edge of pastures a fields. We only walked a half mile or so, to get a sense of what this hiking trail was like; we did not reach the point where it ascended into the hills. We then returned to the Urquhart Bay Woods, where Dallas again swam in Loch Ness (lake). We took the Route 17 Bus back to Inverness and had dinner at Black Isle Bar & Rooms, before walking back to our hostel.

August 18, 2022 (Thursday). After a breakfast of omelets at the hostel, Dallas and I took the Route 10 Bus to Nairn, a town northeasr of Inverness. The sky was full of dramatic grey clouds and although rain threatened, none fell. We got off at the Main Bus Station and walked to Nairn Beach, crossing a broad grassy field that was being used for amusement rides (the temporary, truck-mounted kind one often finds a carnival). We walked along the sandy beach and then out onto a pier where the River Nairn flows into the sea. The tide was low and sea lettuce was exposed on the ground. Gulls and sandpipers say upon it. We crossed the river to the East Beach via a pedestrian bridge just as the sun began to shine. We had lunch, sitting on the grass in a camping area, set in the little Pine wood that grows behind the sand dunes. After lunch, Dallas swam in the sea, though because the tide was low, she had trouble finding a spot deep enough that was nevertheless reasonably close to shore. We then poked around the beach and the dunes. The latter were mostly covered by dune grass, wildflowers such as Fireweed, and bushes, such as Sea Rose. We then had pastries and coffee at Sun Dancer Bar and Restaurant. At the end of the day we tool the Route 10 Bus back to Inverness and did a bit of shopping there. We had dinner at Ness Mahal (64-66 Academy St), an Indian restaurant before walking back to the hostel.

August 19, 2022 (Friday). After a breakfast of omelets at the hostel, Dallas and I took the Route 10 Bus to Brodie Castle, which is a few miles past Nairn (town). This Seventeenth Century structure is more of a fortified mansion than a castle. The weather today is pretty good, with intermittent sun. We had lunch outside castle café, eating sandwiches that we had brought with us, supplemented with coffee and pastries from the café. We walked around the grounds, enjoying the flower gardens, and woods in which Giant Sequoia and Monkey Puzzle Trees were growing. While Dallas rested, I hiked a loop past a pond, full of ducks, and through low woods.
We then took a tour of castle, which lasted for about an hour and a half. It took us through the interior, where we got to see paintings and antique furniture. Most interesting to me was a plaster sculpture of animal that completely covered the ceiling of a dining room. After the tour we walked back to the bus stop, hoping to make a short diversion to Nairn Beach before returning to Inverness. Unfortunately, the bus was so very late in coming that we scrubbed the beach stop and went straight back. Once again, we had pizza at Black Isle Bar & Rooms before walking back to the hostel.

August 20, 2022 (Saturday). We have decided to spend this sunny day in Inverness, rather than take a bus trip to another town. Having made reservations for a boat tour, we walked down Shore Tr. to the marina, past Cromwell's tower, the only remaining part of fort that was built during the English Civil War in the Seventeenth Century. We boarded the Dolphin Spirit tour boat, and took a seventy-five-minute cruise in the harbor. We first headed west to Beauly Firth, passing Seals lounging on a sandbar and Cormorants perched on buoys. The views of distant, western hills were very nice. We then turned about and passed beneath the big Kessock Bridge cable-stay bridge into Moray Firth (bay). The views of the nearby hills and farms on north shore of Firth (bay) are very nice, too, though not as dramatic as those of the taller and more distant western ones. After the tour, we walked along the River Ness to the Ness Isles, crossing several small pedestrian suspension bridges to get to and from these mid-river islands. Anglers stood mid-river, fly-fishing. The area has been planted with tall and beautiful trees, making it especially picturesque. Afterward, we had dinner at Aspendos Turkish Testaurant (26 Queensgate) before walking back to the hostel.

August 21, 2022 (Sunday). It’s a sunny day. Dallas and I take the Route 919 Bus to Drumnadrochit (town). We stop at the Ness Deli, off of Highway A82, for pastry and coffee. We then visit the Urquhart Woods again. Dallas swims, while I watch Cormorants and Magpies on the delta. We have lunch sitting on a bench at the Drumnadrochit Car Park. A map there describes a loop hike in the neighboring woods, so we set out, first south on the highway, and then west on Pitkerrold Rd., until we connect with a hiking trail that takes us up onto a hill to the Craigminie viewpoint. We pass a Douglas Fir and several Giant Sequoia Trees near the trailhead. We sit for a while on a big glacial erratic boulder of gneiss, overlooking the valley of the River Enrich. Dallas then returns to town, but I continue on, taking a trail into the Balmacaan Woods an up onto a hilltop composed of coarse conglomerate. Though a second viewpoint is said to be here, I can find no open views. Dallas and I meet back at the car park and take the Route 919 bus back to Inverness. We have pizza at Black Isle Bar & Rooms before walking back to hostel the hostel.

We have been walking seven-to-height miles each day during our stay in Inverness, two to get to and from the bus station and the five sightseeing. It’s more than we are used to, and we are feeling pretty weary.

August 22, 2022 (Monday). In the morning we check out of the hostel and walk to the Inverness Train Station (Academy St). We are a bit worried about the train being cancelled, for a strike occurred a few days before, and are relieved to learn that it is running, though a bit late. The train back to Edinburgh is not as crowed as the one that took us here, so we have a more comfortable ride back. We arrive at Waverley Station midday, and check in Backpackers Hostel, once again being assigned, Room 6 at 34A Cockburn St. The Festial is still ongoing. We walk loop around the base of the hill on which sits Edinburgh Castle, and then have dinner at Indian Lounge Edinburgh (129 Rose St) before walking back to the hostel. We pause to listen to several entertainers along the way.

August 23, 2022 (Tuesday). It’s a partly sunny day. We are taking it easy today. We take it easy in the morning, walking jut a distance down High St. to listen to a bagpiper and to view some owl being exhibited by a handler. Later, we have pastry and coffee at the Southern Cross Café (63A Cockburn St.) We then attend the performance, “Freedom” by the Soweto Gospel Choir performance at Assembly Hall (Mound Place). Finally, we have dinner with Hannah at Solti Nepalese restaurant (10 Drummond St).

August 24, 2022 (Wednesday). We arose very early, left the hostel keys in the key-drop, walked to the Andrew Square Bust Stop and took Route 100 Bus to the airport. Our flight to Newark was delayed a bit, but the flight itself was a comfortable one. The summer heat of New Jersey hit us as we left the terminal building, for the temperature was 92F, way above the 60’s and 70’s that we were experiencing in Scotland. We retrieved out car from ABC Parking and headed home, arriving at our house in Tappan in the mid-afternoon. Athough the region is experiencing a draught, the trees and under-canopy along the Palisades Interstate Parkway were still mostly green. We could see, however, that many of the trees on the summit of Clausland Mountain in Blauvelt, New York had turned brown.

Review, Room 6 at Backpacker’s Hostel, 34A Cockburn St. (pronounced “co-burn”), Edinburgh, Scotland. My party of two stayed four days in this room in Summer 2022. This hostel gives convenient access to the old part of the city and is only about a five-minute walk (but up a steep hill) from the Waverly Train Station, the St. Andrew Square Tram Station and the St. Andrew Square Route-100 airport bus stop. We stayed in 6 at 34A Cockburn St., across the street from the main part of the hostel. This private, two-person Room has a bunkbed and a small table. I liked the room but was a bit annoyed by the door, floor and bunkbed, all of which squeak loudly. The bathroom is shared with adjacent Room 5. The common kitchen for the building is located on the floor above. It’s nicely equipped. However, although cleaned immaculately by the staff every day, the other guests often left it a mess. The Wi-Fi works fine. We did not use the facilities of the main part of the hostel, so I can’t say anything about them. The hostel staff were pleasant and very helpful. All the rooms at 34A are accessed via a long, steep staircase that persons with disabilities might find difficult. Rating 4 out of 5.

Review, Room 1 at Backpacker’s Hostel, 18B, Fleshmarket Close (pedestrian alleyway), Edinburgh. My party of two stayed four days in this room in Summer 2022.This hostel gives convenient access to the old part of the city and is only about a five-minute walk (but up a steep hill) from the Waverly Train Station, the St. Andrew Square Tram Station and the St. Andrew Square Route-100 airport bus stop. We stayed in a two-person Room 1 at 18B Cockburn St., around the corner from the main part of the hostel, which is on Cockburn St. (pronounced “co-burn”). The small room, with two beds, is very cramped. However, it does have its own bathroom, which is a definite plus. The Wi-Fi works fine. The building has no common kitchen; one must use the one at the main hostel, instead. We did not use that kitchen, nor any of the other facilities of the main part of the hostel, so I can’t say anything about them. The hostel staff were pleasant and very helpful. Although the distance between 18B, on Fleshmarket Close, and the main hostel, on Cockburn, is short (about 50 yards), they are between a long and steep exterior staircase that persons with disabilities might find difficult. Rating 3 out of 5.

Review, Second floor apartment facing the northeast corner of the courtyard of the Murray Arms Hotel – Seafood Restaurant (Thorshaven Back Road, South Ronaldsay Island, Orkey Islands, Scotland). Our party of four people and a dog stayed a week in this very nice apartment in Summer 2022. It’s in the village of St. Margaret’s Hope, in the Orkney Islands and is operated by the Murray Arms restaurant, the staff of which are very pleasant and helpful people. The village is a small but charming group of one-to-two story brownstone buildings, clustered on the edge of a bay. The apartment is accessed by an exterior staircase off of the courtyard of the Murray Arms restaurant. The courtyard is very attractive, with old stone walls, pots of flowers and vines and two ornamental cannons. Its main use is for restaurant guests, so it has picnic tables with umbrellas for that purpose. I never found noise from restaurant guests to be a problem. The apartment is accessed by an exterior stairway and consists of a kitchenette-dining room and two bedrooms, each with their own bath. The apartment is clean and well decorated and has modern furniture and appliances. The Wi-Fi works well. The bedrooms are spacious and the beds are large and comfortable. The kitchenette is well-equipped with refrigerator, induction stove, microwave, coffeemaker, pots, pans, cooking utensils, etc. We had no problem cooking breakfasts and dinners. However, the under-the-counter fridge is only a half-height and lacks a freezer. On occasion we supplemented it with our lunch cooler, filled with ice. The dining room has a main table of a modern glass design, but is very small - barely adequate for four people. The dining room also has a comfortable couch, which I regularly used for relaxing and reading. The big draw for us was that dogs are allowed. Ours, which is medium-sized, adjusted well to the apartment and neighborhood and got on well. Parking, on the street adjacent to the Murray Arms, is tight, but we always were able to find a spot. The neighborhood is quaint and quiet. Strolling around town is pleasant, for the buildings are picturesque and great views of the bay abound. However, the land on which the village is built is hilly, so some huffing is necessary. The village is mostly residential. I can’t say that there’s much to do in it, though it does have several restaurants (including the excellent Murray Arms), a little museum and a golf course. Although most of our outings were to other parts of the Orkneys, we did once attend a folk dance at the village hall, which was fun. A convenience store is located just a few houses away from the apartment. It sells snacks, liquor, ice and a limited selection of groceries. Another small store sells groceries a few blocks away. However, for a big grocery store with a wide selection of products, we traveled to the Tesco Superstore on Pickaquoy Rd. in Kirkwall, the big town with the airport that is a half-hour drive (and fifteen miles) away. We mostly drove, but on several occasions took the bus. The bus is very convenient because it has stops just a block away from the apartment and right in front of the Tesco. St Margaret’s Hope hosts the terminal for the Aberdeen, Scotland ferry. It’s a half mile walk from the Apartment, along Pier Road, which follows the edge of the bay. Overall, I really liked this apartment and highly recommend it, although I also warn persons with disabilities that they might find the steep exterior staircase difficult. Rating 5/5.

Review, Inverness Youth Hostel, 15A Victoria St., Inverness. Our party of two spent a week at the hostel in Summer 2022.This is a newer hostel with modern facilities and nicely designed rooms. It is located on the flank of a hill, about a mile from the Inverness Bus Stations (and a little less from the train station). The neighborhood around the hostel is suburban in character, quiet and peaceful. We rented Room 253, which can accommodate four people, although there were only two of us. The room looks a lot like a US university dorm room, with two single beds, a two-person bed, a small table with chairs and a sink. The Wi-Fi worked fine. The room has no bathroom; facilities are shared with other residents on the floor. The men’s room was right across the hall. I found it to be clean and tidy. The women’s room is further down the hall, beyond a fire door. The hostel has a self-catered kitchen that we used daily for breakfast, typically cooking omelets. It is spacious, clean and well-supplied with pots and pans, plates and silverware, etc. However, only one of the two refrigerators was working, and that one was rather overstuffed with our and others food. The hostel also has another dining room with a meal service, and a lounge with easy chairs, but we didn’t use them. We did use the water cooler in the lobby to refill our bottles; it worked very well. We found the staff to be pleasant and well-informed people who were able to give us sound advice about local restaurants and points of interest. We bought all our food at the big Morrison’s supermarket (Milburn Rd), about a half mile away and carried it to the hostel in shopping bags. We did a bit of shopping at the Eastgate Shopping Center (corner of Milburn Rd. and Academy St.), which has a wide variety of retailers. I liked the hostel and highly recommend it, at least to people who enjoy walking – and we were typically walking seven-to-eight miles each day. A person with disabilities might find the distance of the hostel from downtown (about a mile), the steepness of the Victoria Dr. hill and the two flights of stairs up to Room 253 to be very challenging. Rating 5/5.

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