When I first went to Avebury, in 1990, I was in my early twenties and new to anything megalithic. I thought Avebury was wonderful and started raveling locally looking at sites, reading books (this was prior to TMA, and most I found were were dry, academic archeology things that often featured Roman remains). I went to Derbyshire, Rollrights, and Wales on day trips. . really getting into the stones.

My then girlfriend had picked up a brochure on 'Ortak' jewelry in Avebury. Pictured on the front was the most amazing stone circle I'd ever seen, at sunset. "Wow!" I thought, "I've gotta see that!" I remember, quite vividly, looking at the UK atlas - I didn't know where Orkney was see. . didn't even know it was near Scotland!

When I saw where it was I remember thinking "oh for fuck's sake, all up there! I'll never see them. Why would I ever find myself on Orkney?".
It never occurred to me that, the reason for visiting Orkney would be to see the stones themselves.
I guess I lacked a little imagination!

I finally got there a couple of years ago, I drove up from Wolverhampton. Caught the ferry from Scrabster and I'll never forget the ferry ride, choppy, but the sun shone through and we had a pint looking at the old Man of Hoy out on the deck, and coming into Stromness. . wow!

PLEASE (if you catch the Scrabster Ferry) make sure you're on deck as the ferry swings into Stromness. - seeing all those quaint houses scattered on the hill. It's something fantastic!

Orkney seems tucked away, like it's hiding from the UK mainland by the great black hills of Hoy. There's nowhere like it!

Unstan, Stenness, the Watchstone, Maes Howe, what a fantastic landscape!
It was wonderful. The second night there I was at Brodgar for the sunset. .
and the photo I took looked just like the one I remember in that jewelry catalogue.

http://www.suaveharv.com/brdgar2web.jpg

Cycling tips you say? oh, sorry. . . erm, it's quite flat!