Sunday the 1st of July, sixty five men and women on board a Viking ship are setting sail towards The Orkney Islands. A couple of weeks later a small group of Danish tourist are doing the same in hope that they – there on the edge of the Atlantic sea - will meet the worlds biggest reconstruction of a Viking ship.
The trip is arranged by the travel agency “Historiske og Kulturelle Studieture” and Hanne Brandt Djubdræt, who is putting the tour together, says:
”We would like to be able to include the Sea Stallion as much as possible in our tour programme and it would be amazing to experience the ship in those surroundings. If the Sea Stallion is seeking harbour close to where we are, we would love to go and pay them a visit, says Hanne Brandt Djupdræt.
Viking remains
If everything turns out as planned the crew on board the Sea Stallion will also be given an opportunity to rest and explore the Islands. The plan is to use Orkney as a midway stop for a couple of days. Some crew members are going home and new are coming to join the ship on its sail to Dublin.
And there is a lot to see on the Orkney Islands. Henning Pedersen is a writer and teacher and this summer he is guiding the tourists going to Orkney and Shetland. Here are some of the main attractions he would recommend seeing:
The Viking Age and the Second World War
”If you only have too or three days I would go see St. Magnus Cathedral andTankerness House in Kirkwall, no matter what the weather’s like. Furthermore there is the ancient city and a Museum of ancient cultural remnants at Skara Brae on the west coast of the main island. Churchill Barriers with the Italian chapel – build by Italian war prisoners during the Second World War – is also worth a visit. By seeing these attractions you have covered three historical periods.”
”And we must not forget the incredible nature on the Islands. Marwick Head has an impressive nesting site for birds, on a vertical cliff. Now that is already four places, but a trip to one of the largest and nicest cities, Stromness, is also worth considering.”
” At Unst, the most Northern island of the Shetlands Islands, the fantastic “nesting cliffs” at Hermaness is an absolute must. And in the main city Lerwick the Museum of Shetland is worth checking out. You could also sail to the little island Noss and walk across to Scalloway, were there’s an interesting museum” says Henning Pedersen.
Viking graffiti
And when visiting the windy islands on the edge of the Atlantic sea, there is no denying the close relations to Scandinavia. That becomes evident when hearing the language and reading the local names.
”A visit to St. Magnus Cathedral in the main city of Kirkwall shows, that the lifestyle and the mind set of the Vikings aren’t forgotten even though Christianity took over. The church clearly shows that when some of the great men of Orkney went out on their pilgrimages, they couldn’t break their old habits of plundering. So in a way the church marks and end of the Viking Age” says Henning Pedersen.
”In Kirkwall you can also find one of the most important remains from the Viking Age – the castle ruins of the Norwegian earls. Also examples of runic graffiti can be found on the main island. When the Vikings plundered an ancient grave at Mae Howe, they left behind numerous runic writings. These attractions are considered the most important testimony to the Viking influence on the islands.
Read more about the Travel Agency and the trip to Orkney and the Shetland Islands: