We are leaving Orkney Islands today. The ferry leaves at 9:00, but you are supposed to be there a hour before. We got up at 6:30 AM, packed up our stuff and left the hotel about 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. They started loading the cars on the ferry. After parking our car on the ferry, we went upstairs for the 1 hour 40-minute ferry ride. When it was time to get back in your car, we had trouble finding our car. Then we drove off the ferry and headed to the Castle Mey.
Castle Mey was bought by the Queen Mother in 1952. She renovated and restored the castle and its gardens. The Queen Mother opened the gardens on 3 days each year, a tradition the trustees have continued. The Queen Mother would spend 3 weeks in August and the 10 days in October every year. When the Queen Mother purchased the property, it was only about 30 acres. In 1958, a nearby farm was put on the market and the Queen Mother purchased it. 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 an see the remains of 16 buildings. Each family had a few acres of land for growing vegetables and keeping livestock. It was also known for illegal whisky stills and smuggling. The village was abandoned in 1911. There is a path from the car park 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 Suntherland since the 1300’s. There gardens were beautiful. After touring the castle, we headed for our hotel in Inverness.
