The Orkney Islands are at the northern edge of Scotland, meaning that we have finished working our way up the west side of the UK and will now start heading east and south along the eastern edge.
As the northernmost point of our trip, and famous for inclement weather, we expected a difficult sightseeing and picture-taking day. Surprise! It turned out to be fabulous. The town of Kirkwall was beautiful. There were three main attractions inside the town: the old Norse St. Magnus Cathedral, started in 1137 with its adjacent graveyard, castle ruins just across the street, and a lovely coastline and harbor. There are ancient archaeological ruins nearby, but we did not venture that far.
I think you will agree that it was a lovely day for photographs!
Lovely harbor, beautiful day. 
Castle ruins from the 14th century. 
Several views of St. Magnus Cathedral, which reportedly has its own dungeon. 
A crypt inside the cathedral. I loved the rifle. Those are also buried bodies in the walls. 
