Walking downhill and Skara Brae

Yesterday morning we woke up with a beautiful view over the hills surrounding Ben Hope. The sun was shining and we saw some clouds below us. Stunning!

Sunrise from Ben Hope

We started with some coffee and muesly bars for breakfast. Then it was time to break up our camp and start the walk back downhill. We took the same route, but it was a whole different feeling. The views seemed different as well, so it didn’t really matter to walk the same path twise. Going up was hard, but going down made me feel like my knies could collapse any moment. But we made it in one piece witout falling or slipping.

Coffee for breakfast

Views during the decent

An eagle searching for a prey


Liane almost down the hill (do you see her?)

When we reached Tos we really needed a little rest, but after half an hour or so we started the engine to follow the small road we were on. It took us further inland here there was literaly nothing for miles. Only hills, grass, some water and roadworks! Really, in the middle of nowhere they were digging out the ditch along the road, instead of fixing the road itself wich could use some work in my opinion. 

Narrow single track road


No other way then to wait

We took a loop back to the coast and the second half of the loop went trough a totally different scenery along the river Naver. Trees, lots of farms, sheep and quite busy. The road was a little better but still a single track, but this time with signs at the passing places.

The last part of the trip was along the coast, following the NC500 again. It wasn’t the nicest part, but it took us to Thurso were we will take the ferrie to Mainland Orkney.

We found a nice camping spot with a sea view, so it was okay.

Camping site in Thurso

When we woke up this morning we had some trouble getting out of our beds. Not because we were still tired, but because our legs we stiff and painfull from the walk downhill yesterday. The whole day we moved like to very old persons, hardly able to take a stair or other kind of obstacle. So after a slow and carefull start we drove to the ferrie in Scrabster, just a few miles from Thurso, to get onboard and sail to Stromness in Mainland Orkney.

The ferrie gave us a nice view on Dunnet Head, the real most northern point of Scotland. And it also sailed along the old man of Hoy, a standing rock in the sea at the coast of the isle of Hoy.




Dunnet Head


The “Old man of Hoy”

On Orkney we first wanted to visit a stone circle. But distances are so short here that we already past it before I had time to find it on the map. So we go there tomorrow, instead we visited Skara Brae.

Skara Brae is a settlement dating from 3100 years BC. It gives a great idea of how people lived in those times. Really stunning and mindblowing, they even had a cupboard to expose their belongings, not much changed since. And really unbelievable how well the houses are preserved all these 5000 years. 

Map of the village of Skara Brae


5000 year old settlement


Dresser, beds, fire place - all still in place

We also visited the house of the man who found Skara Brae in 1810. Not so impressive but the floormat was worth a picture. It was the skin af a tiger (in those days it was still normal to shoot them) with a rouge sowed aroung the edges. Too strange to imagine.

After Skara Brae we headed for a campsite a bit more up north on the Isle, but then we passed this perfect spot for a wild camp. So we parked Tos there immediatly and called it a day.

Stop! Camp spot




View from our camp spot


Our own Skara Brae-table

Highest camping spot ever

Today we hiked up the Munro Ben Hope. Starting at 42 meters above sealevel, is was a quite a climb to the top at 927 meters high. Especially with al the camping gear in our backpacks.

Starting point to Ben Hope - Full of energy 

But I work much like a 2CV going uphill, very slowly but I will get there in the end. It took us 4,5 hours to walk the 4 km uphill, a steady 23% climb.

I must admitt that I wasn’t to happy after about 3 hours. Each time it looked like we reached the summit, there was another one behind it. Very frustrating, but we made it, even though I did get some help from Tanguy with my backpack.

Tos is still visible

Steeper as we got higher

The views got better and better as we got higher


Very steep towards the top

But the rewards was this magnificent view at the top.

We made it to the top of Ben Hope 

The north side goes straight down 500m




View from our tent

And a beautiful but bit chilly (5 degrees C) place to put our little camp up for the night. Luckilly we have our thermo underware with us, and some rescue blankets, so we will be nicely warm.

Our camp site right next to the top

Coffee with single malt after our noodles

View from inside our tent

And on top of it all we were blessed with a beautiful sunset to close the day.

Sunset from Ben Hope


Good night

Smoo cave and a tiny road

Last night after diner we went to the local pub for a beer and to play some pool. It was a close call, but in the end Tanguy turned out to be the better player.

Yellow to side pocket

This morning we had a slow start after an ichy night. The midges found out that I had not put repellent on my thighs and buttocks, so they had a little party. Therefore I couldn’t get to sleep because of al the ichy bites. Nevertheless I did get some sleep. 

After a chocolate croissant from Cocoa Mountain for breakfast we left the campsite around 12.30. First stop was the supermarket and after that we drove the whole mile to Smoo Caves.

Exploring around the Smoo Caves

Entrance into the Smoo Caves


Main entrance to Smoo Caves

We did a small tour with a very funny guide trough the cave. This cave is special because it has two chambers above each other. The upper one is made by the river, the one below bij the sea. There have been living people in this caves some 7000 years ago. They found the remains of their meals inside the caves. We found some stonified bones as well. 

There are also a lot of stray boulders which were pushed by the ice during the Ice Age when the area was a huge glacier. The ice was 1,6 km high and these boulders were on the bottom of the ice pushed forward when the glacier moved. In that time Scotland was still part of the large continent consisting of what would become Africa, New Zealand, Australia an America. 

Of course I had to touch one of these boulders, the olthest thing I will ever touch, 3 billion years old 😳.

3 Billion year old boulders

Then we took the tour inside the cave by foot and by boat. They are still exploring new parts of it.

Peddling through the cave


Dripping stone


Natural bridge halfway the cave

These little plants were captured inside the caves’s stone for 5500 years. When the cave was discovered and lights were installed, they started to grow. 

After visiting the cave we did a litle hike up the cliff. The cave is at the end of a sea arm caved out of the rocks.

The shore line is split open towards the entrance of Smee Caves

We left the Smoo caves behind us to follow the Single trach road further east. The road went around Loch Eriboll and gave us beautiful views of the surroundings.

Many sheep aling and on the road

Just after the litle town of Hope (3 houses I think) we turned right, off the main road onto an even smaller road wich goes through Straight More valley and past Ben Hope, the highest Munro up north. We give it a try tomorrow, see if we can climb it. 

Ben Hope 927m

Beautifull little road

But first we stopped by this old Broch called Dun Dornaigil, a ruin of a round house build 2300 years ago in the iron age. Back then it must have been impressive, about five floors high. Now it is still 6,7 meters high, you can just see the upper stone of what used to be the entrance.

2300 year old Dun Dornaigil

After this litle sightseeing we turned back and found a really nice spot for a wild campsite tonight.

We settled down for some drinks and dinner before going to sleep. Hopefully we see some deer passing by. 

Our camp site