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Castle of Mey, built in the late 1500s, is located in Caithness in northeast Scotland. The castle was home to the queen's mother, and she spent a lot of her time at the castle. Gardens and a petting zoo can be seen at the castle. There are also daily guided tours, and the guide that we had told us a lot of interesting information and insight into the royal family and the queen's mother.

The castle lay in ruin for many years before it was discovered by the queen's mother and purchased, and she regularly visited until her death in 2002. 

Castle of Mey

Castle of Mey daffodils in the wooded area in front of the castle

Castle of Mey garden daffodils

Castle of Mey, view of the front of the castle

My previous post about the Orkney Islands focused on Kirkwall and the Italian Chapel. In this entry, I've posted photographs of the Broch of Birsay, the Stone Circle of Brodgar, Gurness Broch and Cuween Hill cairn.

In the winter months, the Broch of Birsay can be visited without paying an admission fee. Visitors must wait until low tide in order to walk across the causeway to see the broch. When I visited, low tide was from 8:00am until mid-day. I arrived at 8:00am to walk across the causeway. The sea was rough on the northern side of the causeway, and we saw several massive waves crashing against the stones. The causeway was a little slippery with the seaweed, so we walked carefully. In places, the causeway had been washed away, but visitors could walk onto the larger stones or the sand. 

Views from the causeway at Birsay

Views of pools of water on the side of the raised causeway at Birsay

Birsay beach on Orkney

I enjoyed seeing the causeway after the tide had just gone out and looking for shells, creatures, and the small pools of water left behind.

Once we arrived on the other side of the causeway, we walked up a small slope that led to the broch. This was originally a tunnel that led up from the beach to the village, and it was wide enough to bring boats up. However, part of the village has collapsed into the sea as the slopes have eroded, but it's not clear how much of the village has been lost. The origins of the village are Celtic and Norse. 

This land was probably first settled in the 5th century by missionaries. In the 7th century, it was a Pictish fortress before being taken over by the Norse in the 9th century. A carved Pictish stone (replica) can be seen here, and some of the Norse buildings have drainage and under-floor heating. One of the Norse buildings is a sauna. In the 12th century, a church and monastary was built here, and the ruins can still be seen. 

Broch of Birsay settlement with ruins of walls and under-floor heating.

After visiting the Broch of Birsay, we drove to the Neolithic stone circle, the Ring of Brodgar. The stone circle is built between two lakes and is in a picturesque location. The stone circle is stunning. While walking around the Ring of Brodgar, we felt like we were entering four seasons (sun to rain to hail); the weather can change so quickly.

Ring of Brodgar

Ring of Brodgar

Another ancient site on Orkney is the Broch of Gurness, an Iron Age settlement. The broch is surrounded by houses and is separated by a dug trench. Part of the settlement has collapsed into the sea due to the erosion. While I was waiting for the broch to open, I saw a tern sea bird flying above the broch.

Pieces of a Roman amphora was also discovered in the broch, which shows significance to the Roman empire at this time.

The sea next to the Broch of Gurness.

The entrance to the broch would have been grand in its day as a status symbol, and it would have been guarded. The door was made of stone and rested on a pivot stone, and this can still be seen just inside the broch. For access to the village outside, the visitors would simply use one of the side 'streets' before the door to the broch.

The entrance to the broch

The settlement located just outside the broch

The settlement outside the broch, with the broch to the left in the photograph. A circular pivot stone for a doorway can be seen in the photograph

A 'street' with houses on either side.

One of the houses has storage areas built inside the walls.

The entrance to the broch. It's possible that guard dogs were in this area, in the alcove on the other side of the large stone slabs which formed a small waiting area before the door.

The entrance to the broch

Another place to visit, close to Kirkwall, is Cuween Hill cairn. A cairn is a chambered tomb, built inside a hill or covered with earth. Thousands of these exist, but only a few have been escavated, and many more are probably waiting to be discovered. These cairns include a few human bones, such as skulls and larger bones as well as possibly the remains of a particular type of animal. It is possible that different communities had their own cairns and affiliated themselves with a particular animal. In this cairn, the animal was the dog. Human and dog bones were found here. Cuween Hill has beautiful views as it's on the side of a mountain. The tomb itself is free to access, but it is a tight fit as the passage is very narrow and muddy. Visitors must crawl through it, and unless you're very small, you need to crouch/crawl very low. This is one of the most difficult cairns to access.

Cuween Hill cairn entrance

A few Sundays ago, I invited a friend out and we headed over to 140 Park Lane to have afternoon tea and cocktails. This restaurant is located in the Marriott Hotel on Park Lane. (I previously visited a year ago, and you can read about that here: Afternoon Tea and Cocktails at Park Lane, London.)

After tea, we had a browse around London and went into some shops. We walked to Seven Dials and ended up having drinks (cocktails) there. It was a great day.

The Orkney Islands is a small group of islands located approximately ten miles off the north-eastern coast of mainland Scotland. These islands are rich in history and natural beauty, and those that lived here traditionally and settled here were from Scotland or Scandanavia. Visitors to the islands can arrive by ferry or by plane into Kirkwall on the main island.

In early May, I got the Pentland Ferry across from Giles Bay (not far from John O' Groats, the northeastern tip of Scotland) to St. Margaret's Hope on Orkney's mainland. I stayed for nearly a week, which was enough time to see what the main island had to offer and to spend a couple of days visiting two of the other islands.

On the way back to our bed and breakfast in Kirkwall one afternoon, we drove up Wideford Hill. This hill overlooks the town of Kirkwall, and there are excellent views from the top if you can brave the high winds. The summit also seems to be a hang-out place for locals. At the top of the hill is a trail about a mile long to walk down to Wideford Cairn, a chambered tomb. (There are hundreds, if not thousands, of these tombs on the islands.)

Local boys walking on the road on picturesque Wideford Hill

Large clouds and a steep view of one of the sides of Wideford Hill

A view of Kirkwall from Wideford Hill

There are a few interesting historical places to visit in Kirkwall. These include St. Magnus Cathedral, Earl's Palace, and Bishop's Palace. All three are next to each other. The Orkney Museum is also near all three monuments, but it was shut for refurbishment. 

Earl's Palace with St. Magnus Cathedral in the background

A view of Earl's Palace.

One of the rooms in Earl's Palace

Bishop's Palace, next to Earl's Palace, is in a worse state of ruin. The main hall is completely in ruins, but it's worth visiting the palace to climb the tower. The views over St. Magnus Cathedral are brilliant. 

A view of St. Magnus Cathedral from Bishop's Palace.

St. Magnus Cathedral exterior and interior stained glass windows

The interior of the cathedral contains the tombs of famous explorers, writers, and other important people in history. The cathedral's founder's bones are also inside the cathedral in ones of the pillars, marked by a plaque. A lot of the tombs in the cathedral use skull bone or skeleton imagery.

Skeleton figure in St. Magnus Cathedral

While driving around Orkney, and its many pastures of sheep, I came across adorable lambs in orange plastic jackets. These were cute, so I could not resist taking several photographs of them. Lambs are cute as they are, but they are even cuter when dressed up in little jackets.

I enjoyed seeing these lambs in orange jackets.

Two black-faced lambs wear cute jackets while their mother looks on.

One of the other interesting buildings on the Orkney mainland is the Italian Chapel. This chapel was built in the 1940s on an uninhabited island, which is now a part of the mainland. The chapel was built by Italian prisoners of war (World War II) while they were stationed here. The prisioners also constructed bridges to link two parts of the mainland, called the Churchill Barriers, which prevented ships from accessing the Scapa Flow and attacking the UK's defenses held here. The area is filled with shipwrecks, and you can see many of these. Some of the ships were deliberately sunk at the barriers. 

The Italian Chapel is a beautiful little chapel, and the paintings inside on the walls and ceiling and the woodwork is amazing.

Jesus wood carving above the main doorway

The Italian Chapel interior

The bed and breakfast I stayed at looked out over the Kirkwall harbour, which I photographed below.

Kirkwall harbour

Summer has been late to arrive this year. I took a trip to Weston-super-Mare (in southwest England) this spring, and it was unusually chilly this day. Despite the weather, the sun was out and others were braving a trip to relax on the beach, even if they were not swimming or sun-bathing. Of course, hot drinks could be purchased on the beach to take the edge off the cold weather.

I was happy to see that the new pier had been rebuilt along with a new gaming area and areas to get food inside.  

Victorian beach shelter with the aquarium in the distance.

Weston-super-Mare's new pier

Coffee and tea on the beach is a great idea when you're feeling chilly

Donkey rides on the beach

Fish and chips down by the new pier

Another view of the pier

Horse ride on the beach

Hotdogs on the pier

Walking down the new pier in Weston

A view of Weston's beach from the pier

A sign for donkey rides on the beach

Chester is a historical town on the Welsh-English border, and it has Roman connections. The city has many timber-framed buildings and an attractive clock; this clock was made for Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee and is located in the middle of the High Street and above the shops.

A view of the clock in Chester.

Timber-framed buildings in Chester.

Chester's timber-framed buildings.

In addition to the many timber-framed buildings in Chester, another building to visit in Chester is the cathedral. It is a pleasant location just off of the hustle and bustle of the High Street. When visiting, be sure to look up at the roof area of the cathedral as there are many gargoyles to be seen.

Chester cathedral

A gargoyle on Chester Cathedral.

A view of the cathedral in the sunshine.

The city of Chester was a walled city, and many of the remains of the wall are still intact. Visitors can walk the city walls and see some of the old gates into the city. There are also Roman ruins, such as an ampitheatre and garden. The castle, a walled red-brick building on a small hill, is also on the edge of the city walls.

A view of the river and a church from the wall.

Timber-framed buildings from the city walls. 

A view down the High Street.

Have you visited Chester? Leave me a comment and let me know what you enjoyed about this nice city.

A few weeks ago, I visited Cheshire and found myself in a charming village of Nantwich. The village has many timber-framed buildings, pubs, and quaint shops. (In fact, there was a music festival happening in the village when I visited, and a lot of the local people were out and enjoying the festivities.) 

A church and timber-framed buildings in Nantwich 

Old buildings and the millennium clock in Nantwich's Cocoa Yard, including the surviving chimney of a blacksmith's shop

Church in Nantwich

A nuclear bunker museum is located outside the village in the middle of open country. This museum looked interesting.

The secret nuclear bunker in Nantwich

Before exploring Nantwich, we visited the Anderton boat lift. The boat lift uses hydraulics to raise and lower canal boats from a canal on a higher level of land to the river fifty feet below. The boat lift was built in the late 1800s and left to 'rust away' for many years before it was restored and opened to the public once again.

Visitors to the boat lift can enjoy a river boat ride in a canal boat and get a chance to see local wildlife, if they are lucky, and listen to commentary about the area and the history of the boat lift.

The Anderton Boat lift with a canal boat leaving the lift.

A view of the river from the canal boat after a ride on the Anderton Boat lift.

Frodsham is a market village (dating from medieval times) east of Chester. The village is rich in history and has many historic buildings, such as a row of thatched cottages. An attractive clock is located in the village's market square. I visited over Easter and took a few photographs of the village before continuing on my travels.

The attractive clock in Frodsham.

Chocolate Ducks made from marzipan and Cadbury Creme Egg in the bakery 

Doorways, windows, and brickwork

Thatched cottages in Frodsham

A window in a thatched cottage

Beeston Castle is located south of Chester (outside the village of Beeston), and it was destroyed in the Civil War. The castle was built in the 1220s, but the hill as inhabited in prehistoric times. The ruins of the castle, its walls, and a moat sit high on top of a hill; there are excellent views over Cheshire from the top. There are rumours that a treasure hidden by king Richard II is buried somewhere in the castle grounds.

Inside the walls of Beeston Castle and a well.

The main fortress of the castle sits on the highest point of the hill, and it is surrounded by a moat. A steep bridge has been constructed to take visitors across the moat to the ruins of this fortress. Once inside the walls, it is easy to see why the ruins and area was regarded as beautiful. 

A well is inside the walls on the top of the hill, and the ground inside the castle is very uneven and steep. 

After visiting the castle and admiring the views, I walked back through the wooded area to visit the caves. These caves are man-made from the soft sandstone in the hill, and they are at the bottom of the hill, outside the main castle grounds.

From top left: The outside ruined walls of Beeston Castle; a view outside the door of the castle; the bridge across the moat and the castle towers; the sandstone caves   

There are plenty of opportunities to walk around the castle grounds and admire the views over Cheshire and of the castle.

Beeston Castle

Have you visited Beeston Castle? Leave a message and let me know if you enjoyed it.

A walk away from the bustling City of London is Bethnal Green, and I took a walk through the area one morning. The walk followed the railway, and underneath the archways of these railways are businesses. Many of the businesses are car servicing, and many of these cater to London's taxis. I noticed black London taxis everywhere.

A cafe under the railway arches is between several car servicing companies.

Archways with black taxis.

As I walked further down, following the railway, I noticed several tunnels going underneath the railway. Many of these had taxis parked up in them. I think some of the taxis had been parked there for some time.

Parked taxis under the railway archway

Motorbike and archway near Bethnal Green station.

In some areas, there were graveyards of London taxis near the railway. I guess that they use these taxis as parts and just keep them there.

London taxi in Bethnal Green

The railway continues past Warren Green, with the tall skyscrapers of the City in the distance.