Wideford Hill & Cairn from Kirkwall

Well to the casual reader of ‘Walking Orkney’, one might dismiss this walk without seeing the possibilities that this very much uphill saunter can offer.

The hike took you through various forms of fields, tracks, and a few houses. One artful lamb on the way back had found a way out of the field by kneeing and arching it’s back to get under the wire. Clearly an adventurous animal, however, when it saw me, it decided after much thought to go back the way it came: very wise... Walking on, I came to a Farmer repairing a wire fence. He pointed out his farm house, way down the hill, until his mobile went off. He made his apologies and went leaving this stranger to climb on up the hill that was getting somewhat steeper.

Having caught my breath and steadied the hand to take a couple of pictures, I followed the path to the 5000 year old Cairn. The Cairn dates back to 3000BC, so before the pyramids, to a burial tomb of a local farmer and his grave goods. By the time archeology became rooted in the right way of doing things and mapping the past, so much had been destroyed by well meaning people in the Victorian age. I got very close this afternoon to a dead-still hare that was crouching so low in field grass that I’m sure it thought it was invisible, I but knew it was there.

On the way back I meet up with the farmer and we talked for quiet awhile about farming on the Orkneys, and how the big supermarkets had ruin the bargaining power of the Milk Marketing Board and how the National Farmers Union, had not enough to protect the island producers. He himself was getting out of dairy and going into sheep, because he was making a lost each month producing milk.

The evening was spent in The Reel listening to Orcadian music, by various local musicians, but everyone was there to hear the Hazel and Jennifer Wringley play their violins, making our feet tap in tune with the beat of the music. A good night was had by all!