Italian Chapel, Tombs, and Standing Stones: Day 26 – Scotland 2017

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1 May 2017

What’s better than waking up in a warm pod in the islands of Scotland, looking out to sea? Doing it on your birthday! It was my 29th birthday, and we had a packed day in store. I thought about breaking this post into two parts, but some of the stops for the day were rather short, so I’m gonna wing it and make one big post. Buckle up!

Tomb of the Eagles

15 minutes down the road from Wheems Organic Farm (where we spent the night) is the Tomb of the Eagles. I’m so glad we got to visit because I’ve just looked at their website to brush up on the history, and unfortunately, they’ve permanently closed. That’s such a bummer because it was a really neat place with tons of artifacts to view. Perhaps they’ll reopen in the future. Until then, here’s the history and our visit there.

We arrived bright and early and, yet again, were the only people in the parking lot. We went in, met one of the women who ran the site, bought tickets, had a great chat, and explored the displays and artifacts. In 1958, a man named Ronnie Simison made a discovery of a lifetime. While out on his farm one day, he noticed some interesting exposed stones near the edge of his farmland. He dug down next to them and found a cache of artifacts, including axe heads, a mace head, and a knife.

A few days later, he returned to do some more digging. He found a stone chamber that held quite a surprise. Inside were roughly 30 human skulls. It turns out that this site was not a dwelling place, as he originally thought, but a burial ground dating back 5,000 years. Among the human remains, bones and talons from approximately fourteen sea eagles were also found, and thus the tomb was named The Tomb of the Eagles. When it was open for our visit, the site was operated by his two daughters, and we were lucky enough to meet one of them when we were there.

Our Tomb of the Eagles Experience

After leaving the visitor center, we began the gorgeous walk to the tomb. On the way, we passed the Bronze Age site that Ronnie also found on the property. It included the footprint of a building with a stone trough, hearth, and water system. From there, the path leads you along the cliffside. It’s a stunning walk, and the morning sunshine made it all the better.

At the end of our stroll, we found the Tomb of the Eagles, perched near the cliff’s edge. The entrance is small, so a rolling trolley was added to make entry easier. One simply lies on the trolley and pulls themselves along by using the overhead rope. It was great fun. Once inside, the area opens up considerably and you can easily stand. The top of the tomb is not original but was added to help preserve the site. Inside the tomb, you can observe the original walls and compartments. For added effect, replica skulls of those that were found are placed throughout.

Again, I’m glad we got to visit while it was open. It was a fascinating place will killer views. The walk out to the tomb is about a mile, but it’s a mile we’d happily walk every day if it meant I got to see those views each time!

The Tomb of the Otters

One minute down the street from the Tomb of the Eagles sits the Banks Chambered Tomb, also known as the Tomb of the Otters. As I’m sure you can guess, it gets its name from otter evidence inside, such as bones and spraint (poo). Unlike the Tomb of the Eagles, the otters weren’t buried alongside the remains found in this tomb. Instead, the tomb was left open, and the otters came and went, living in the tomb for many, many years.

We’ve seen a fair share of tombs in our travels, but this one is different from all the rest we’ve been in. Unlike Carrowkeel, the Grey Cairns of Camster, and the Tomb of the Eagles, the Tomb of the Otters hasn’t been fully excavated yet. It is the only tomb we’ve ever been in that still has human remains inside. It is also quarried into the actual bedrock, the only tomb of its kind.

The only way to see the inside of the tomb is through a guided tour. This is understandable, as they want to make sure you don’t disturb the unexcavated areas. We had a very long chat with our guide before going in, and he answered tons of questions for us. When we were finished with that part of the tour, we headed out to the tomb. Our guide unlocked the gate to the entrance, and we went in. It’s a small space, but the two of us and our guide went in all together. He pointed out things to us while in the tomb and shared even more knowledge with us about what we were seeing, what had been excavated, and what lay untouched. It was truly incredible to know that just inches away, remains of our ancient ancestors were still there.

Birthday Lunch

There is a little cafe next to the Tomb of the Otters, so we decided to stop there for an early lunch. Brunch? Either way, I only bring it up because I got sticky toffee pudding for dessert, and the sweet lady running the cafe put a candle in it for my birthday. She wanted to help me celebrate while I was far from home, and that memory has stayed with me. She was so excited to add that extra touch, and it absolutely made my day. Thank you, sweet cafe lady! You’re the best!!

The Italian Chapel

Smack in the middle of our ancient locations of the day, we jumped to one that is a little closer to our own time. After seeing the Tomb of the Eagles and the Tomb of the Otters, we stopped at the Italian Chapel, 20 minutes to the north. On our drive there, we passed over something called the Churchill Barriers. In October 1939, a German U-boat snuck its way into Scapa Flow, fired a torpedo, and sunk the HMS Royal Oak. The battleship was sunk, and 834 lives were lost. Winston Churchill took action and ordered that barriers be built so that this could never happen again. While the barriers were being built, blockships were used to close the gaps. You can still see the wrecks of some of these ships out in the water.

How does this relate to the Italian Chapel?

The barriers took over three years to build, and most of the labor was carried out by Italian prisoners of war. In their downtime, what little of it they had, they transformed two Nissen huts into a small chapel, and it looks like it could be straight out of Italy. Domenico Chiocchetti, an artist, was among the prisoners, and they tasked him with transforming the huts into a place of peace and worship. With the help of Giuseppe Palumbi and Domenico Buttapasta, they made a place of refuge. When the barriers were finally completed and the camp disassembled, the chapel remained. It wasn’t quite completed when the men were shipped to another location, but Domenico stayed behind to finish it.

Today, it stands as a testament to the men who were held at Camp 60, the work they completed on the barriers, and their ability to create something beautiful in a time so dark. The craftsmanship is stunning. It is a place that touches the heart deeply. The other sites we saw during the day were incredible, but they paled in comparison to the Italian Chapel.

The Standing Stones of Stenness

25 minutes down the road, and we’re at our next stop, the Standing Stones of Stenness. As far as stone circles go, there’s generally not much to see and visits to these locations are always short, 15 minutes tops. After all, how much time does one need to take in the stones and their circle? With the Standing Stones of Stenness, there’s even less to see, but we’ll get to that in a bit.

The site of the stones is possibly the oldest henge monument in all of the British Isles. It dates back roughly 5,400 years. Like other stone circles, the purpose of the place is unknown, but it’s guessed that it was a ritualistic area used in ceremonies important to the people of the time. When the circle was complete, there were 12 standing stones in total. Today, there are only 4 left standing. What happened to the others, you might ask. Many were lost over the centuries, and we don’t know what became of them. However, we do know what happened to the 5th and 6th stones that were still standing up until 1814.

Disaster

In December 1841, a tenant farmer called Captain W. Mackay had had enough. He was tired of the people of Orkney coming to see the stones, and by way of doing so, walking through his land. He claimed this was ruining his farmland, and so he decided to do something about it. Mackay took it upon himself to remove the stones. Before he was stopped, he’d destroyed the 5th stone and had toppled the 6th. Unfortunately, he had also destroyed the Odin Stone, which was located nearby.

As you can imagine, there was quite an uproar from the local population. Mackay wasn’t from Orkney, and the locals already didn’t like him. This was the last nail in the coffin. The stones held long traditions for the local people, and rightfully so, they were incensed by the destruction. They tried to set Mackay’s house afire more than once, and if it hadn’t have been for local law enforcement, they would have succeeded.

Mackay later claimed that he didn’t know the stone’s significance and wanted to use the stone to build with on his farm. Whatever his motives, he destroyed two significant stones. Luckily, the stone that was only toppled was able to be erected and reseated.

On a side note, we saw our only seal in our entire Scotland trip just across the road from here. He was basking on a stone out in the water, and we watched for quite some time because we couldn’t tell if he was a statue or not. He finally moved and simultaneously checked off one of our boxes. We finally saw a seal up-close!

The Ring Of Brodgar

A short two-minute drive from the Standing Stones of Stenness brought us to the Ring of Brodgar, our final location of the day. If you choose to see both the Standing Stones of Stenness and the Ring of Brodgar in the same day, do Stenness first. You’ll be wowed by the size of the stones, even though there are few left. When you get to the Ring of Brodgar, you’ll be flat-out blown away.

The Ring of Brodgar is MASSIVE. Whereas Stenness’s circle had 12 stones total, Brodgar has 60. Thirty-six stones are still standing, and it’s an incredible monument to behold. In the area surrounding the Ring of Brodgar, there are also 13 known prehistoric burial mounds. A stone-cut ditch surrounds the circle, and the circle itself measures a staggering 136 meters across (446 feet).

Not much is known about the stone circle since it has yet to be excavated. What we do know is that it was built sometime between 2600 BC and 2400 BC and that it is quite the impressive site.

Headed Back to Stromness

Ten minutes later, we were back in Stromness to spend another night in the lounge at the Point of Ness Campsite. While it might seem like a long, drawn-out day, in all actuality it’s quite easy to fit the Tomb of the Eagles, the Tomb of the Otters, the Italian Chapel, the Standing Stones of Stenness, and the Ring of Brodgar all into one day trip. It’ll be even easier now, seeing as how the Tomb of the Eagles is no longer open (bummer). The total drive time between all of these locations, starting at the Tomb of the Eagles and ending in Stromness, is only an hour. I don’t think we stayed more than an hour at any location, except perhaps the Italian Chapel. That was our longest visit of the day.

We had a phenomenal day and worked up quite an appetite. Birthday fish and chips for dinner was the perfect way to end the day!
Cheers,
Lydia and Billy