Monthly Archives: November 2015

Knitting Yarns & Weaving Tales

Posted on November 25, 2015 by Kate Cowie Riley

And so the long awaited evening at Lana’s arrived. After a little bit of confusion in finding her house, we were welcomed warmly by her husband, Billy. I immediately recognized him from my visit to their shop in Kirkwall nearly … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancestry, Eco-travel, Kirwall Ba', Orkney, Orkneyinga Saga, Scotland, Scottish ancestry, Self drive Scotland tours, Travel, Uncategorized, Women Writers | Leave a comment

The Mainland, Orkney

Posted on November 22, 2015 by Kate Cowie Riley

Orkney is a special place filled with ancient sites and the peacefulness that island life creates. Orkney gets its name from the Old Norse name Orkneyjar (Orc-nee-yahr), “Seal Islands”. When they arrived in the ninth century, the Norsemen heard the … Continue reading →

Posted in Eco-travel, Maes Howe, Orkney, Orkneyinga Saga, Scotland, Scottish ancestry, Self drive Scotland tours, Travel, Uncategorized, Winter Solstice, Women Writers | Leave a comment

At Bencorragh House

Posted on November 18, 2015 by Kate Cowie Riley

We arrived at the front door of Bencorragh House in Upper Gills, near John O’Groats, and it was opened by Sandy Barton with a cheerful welcome that was quickly followed by the news that our luggage had not been delivered … Continue reading →

Posted in Eco-travel, Orkney, Scotland, Scottish ancestry, Self drive Scotland tours, Uncategorized, Women Writers | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

From Oban to Upper Gills

Posted on November 12, 2015 by Kate Cowie Riley

I had been looking forward to another meal at Cuan Mor (Gàidhlig: “Big Ocean”)  in Oban (An t-Òban, “The Little Bay”) even though the new menu there no longer includes vegetarian haggis in Oban whisky cream sauce that I had enjoyed … Continue reading →

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