Castle of Mey

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18 June 2017

Our time in the Northern Isles came to an end today as we crossed back to the Scottish Mainland from St Margaret’s Hope. On the ferry, we had an interesting chat with a young doctor and his family from London. He had just finished a two month posting at Kirkwall Hospital and had obviously enjoyed his time there and in Orkney in general.

We landed at Gills Bay on the north coast. Not far from there is the Castle of Mey, the property the Queen Mother used for her holidays in August and October each year. She bought it soon after George VI died in 1952 and carried out a major refurbishment to make it suitable for her use. Shortly before her death she transferred the ownership to a charitable trust who run it now. We had a very enjoyable visit with an entertaining and knowledgeable guide who showed us round the house.

After a drive to Dunnet Head, the most northerly point on the mainland, where the views were not as they should be due to misty conditions, we stayed the night at the Caravan and Motorhome Club site adjacent to the extensive sands of Dunnet Bay.

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