Today, we are leaving the Orkney Islands. The ferry leaves at 9:00, but you are supposed to arrive an hour early. We got up at 6:30 AM, packed our things, and left the hotel around 7:15. It was about a 30-minute drive to the ferry terminal in Stromness.
We checked in and got in line with our car. Soon, they started loading the cars onto the ferry. After parking our car on the ferry, we went upstairs for the 1-hour and 40-minute ferry ride. When it was time to return to our car, we had trouble finding it. Then we drove off the ferry and headed to Castle of Mey.
The castle was purchased by the Queen Mother in 1952. She renovated and restored both the castle and its gardens. The Queen Mother opened the gardens to the public three days each year, a tradition the trustees have continued. She would spend three weeks there every August and ten days every October. When the Queen Mother purchased the property, it was only about 30 acres. In 1958, a nearby farm was put on the market, and she purchased that as well.
We toured the castle and then walked through the gardens.
Our next stop was Badbea Historical Village. The small village was built along a hillside beside steep cliffs. You can still see the remains of 16 buildings. Each family had a few acres of land for growing vegetables and raising livestock. The village was also known for illegal whisky stills and smuggling. It was abandoned in 1911. There is a path from the car park leading down to the village.
Our next stop was Dunrobin Castle. This castle is the largest in the Northern Highlands, with 189 rooms. It has been continuously inhabited by the Earls, and later the Dukes, of Sutherland since the 1300s. The gardens were beautiful.
After touring the castle, we headed to our hotel in Inverness.
