Windy, wonderful Orkney

Editor Dominic Roskrow visits the Orkney Isles

For some reason lately there seems to have been a spate of television programmes or magazine articles featuring lists of things we ought to have done before we die.

The selections normally have three things in common: they are prohibitively expensive; they are prohibitively exclusive; and I haven't done any of them. Oh yes, and there's normally a bit of editorial saying that if you haven't done at least half of them then you haven't lived at all. Thanks.

There are few things more annoying than someone telling you that you really should go and see somewhere. Really? And like how, exactly?

Thankfully I'm in the sort of job where the person saying ‘you really ought to go and see somewhere' is a public relations person and often follows up with an offer to do exactly that. And that's how I ended up in Orkney.

Now I know you're not going to like this very much, but you ought to go to Orkney and see it for yourself. Everybody should. And not just see it – feel it.

Orkney is truly remarkable. Spiritual certainly, but not calming. Words such as disturbing, dramatic and animated come to mind more readily than peaceful and relaxing. It is mind blowing.

And Orkney is bleak. You suspect that if it had its own language – and in its own Nordic-Scots sing-song way, it does – it would have scores of words for ‘windy'. It's always windy on Orkney but if you talk to the locals they'll tell of the wildest gales you ever heard about. The trees pretty much gave up years ago.

But ...

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• By : Dominic Roskrow
• In : Editor's View
• Issue : 12
• Page : 3
• Words : 656