The Isolated Islands

Here, on Orkney, you can drive 3 miles and experience hail and bright sunshine one after the other. The hills in the distance alternate between sun and shade. You never know what you're going to get on these islands. The weather always changes rapidly when you're near the coast. The sea and the flat land combine to make conditions change from one side of the island to the other. There aren't any tall buildings or hills to shelter you from the elements - you are isolated and open to the rugged world's wrath. You can't deny that it's beautiful though.

There's a sheltered area - ah, finally, some relief from the biting wind. You relax and take out some lunch. You are sheltering in a broch, an old settlement that is now ruined. You fear that the slabs of stone will fall on you, like the crumbled stones down in the centre of the broch.

You finish your lunch, stand back up. You exit the broch and immediately get hit by the onslaught that is the wind. It's okay though - you have a good coat. You look out to sea and breathe in the fresh air. It feels like the wind is taking all your problems away from you, carrying them, pulling them out of your body. You smile. The waves are crashing against the rocks below. There are fulmars - a bird that swoops in gorgeous silence and nests in the cliffs. They feel like friends. You turn from the cliff, hitch your rucksack higher on your back, and run, like a crazy person, across the soft grass.