Thurso and Orkney August 17th

We got into Thurso at about 4:00 in the afternoon, got settled into our hotel and then went in search of a pub and dinner.  First pub we found was a bit on the grotty side so finished our pints and wandered down the street where we found another little pub in a hotel.  We walked into the bar where it was spotlessly clean and cozy.  But there was no one there except the young female bartender leaning against the bar.  Ian said “are you open?”  And she said, quire emphatically, “No....... the lights are on, the door is open and I’m standing here.  But no I’m not open.....what do you think?”  We knew instantly that we had the right spot.  This girl was friendly and chatty, sarcastic and funny.  So we had our own stand up comic for a while.  Eventually more men came in and she had them laughing as well.  And to top it off....the food was good.  And then off to bed for an early start the next morning.  Woke to sunny skies and had a really good boat ride over to St. Margaret’s Hope.  Drove to Stromness and stopped by George and Jacque’s.  Had a quick visit with them and the boys, Geordie and Ian.  Went into Stromness for lunch at Julia’s and then caught the ferry for Hoy where Leslie picked us up.  Lovely sun when we boarded the ferry and blowing and raining sideways when we got off!  Awwwww Hoy,  how I’ve missed you!  By the time we got off the boat and up the ramp we were soaked through.  We drove directly to a small cafe just up the road from the ferry.  We waited for Bid who had gone for a walk and was going to meet us at the cafe.  I believe the walk was about four miles.  She looked like drowned rat by the time she arrived. Anyway, this is a lovely little cafe run by a woman with a great sense of humour. She must do very well here.  The place is usually quite full what with people coming and going from the ferry and also walkers and cyclists.  You know.....those crazy people who don’t mind being soaked to the skin at least once a day......all in search of a nice view or a bird.  Haven’t they heard of a car? So after we dried up a bit, had a drink and took a few pictures, we went o George’s cottage where we were to stay until Friday.  The last time we were at the cottage was nineteen years ago.  Couldn’t believe the changes that George has made.  Indoor plumbing, power supplied by means of a generator, solar panel. Kitchen has been totally updated.  A refrigerator complete with a freezer.  That meant ice! Anyway, the next four days were spent eating, drinking, and touring around the island.  Which is not very big so it was easy to do. Loads of history here.  Too much to mention here. One day Bid and I walked up to the Old Man which is a very famous rock formation just off the tip of the island.  It’s over four hundred feet tall.  Can’t believe some people actually climb it!  We were lucky enough to have beautiful sunshine for this hike.  The hike takes about three hours round trip so we got our exercise that day.
One sad thing that happened while we were there was an accident where a sixty three year old resident of Hoy was leaving the Royal Hotel pub after many hours of drinking.  Apparently he loves to drive his quad everywhere.  Standing up and no helmet.  Roads were wet and tires were bald.  So he was going too fast, skidded off the road and the quad flipped and landed on him.  He had lots of injuries but the worst was the head injury.  The last we heard was that he was in an induced coma in the hospital in Aberdeen.  They were going to attempt to wake him up on Thursday.  But they didn’t think his chances of survival were very good.  To make matters worse, when word of the accident reached the pub one of his pals went rushing to the scene.  He of course also had a snootful.  So he goes tearing off in his truck,  loses control, and winds up in the sea. By this time there were more people there so they were able to get him out before he drowned.  There is of course no ambulance, hospital or police on the island so the response is not very quick.
So poor Leslie is totally unaware of this accident that has taken place on the island.  He gets on the ferry and looks in his rear view mirror and sees nothing but police cars. He thinks “we’ll, there goes an evening at the Pub!”