Orkney, Scotland. Day 26, 24th July.
I had a plane to catch to Shetland that afternoon but I still had a few hours to spare so I decided to go to Stromness and see whether I could find a cafe.
Stromness is the second largest town in Orkney with about 3,000 people.
It is the terminal for the vehicular ferry from Scrabster on the Scottish mainland and there is also a ferry from here to the island of Hoy.
Stromness is essentially a Napoleonic War boom town. During that period the Channel became dangerous for shipping so many ships went all the way round past the north of Scotland instead. Stromness was developed as a convenient stopping place along the way. Consequently, though there would have been a small port here before then, most of the houses are from that period.
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Murray Foote 
Dare I ask whether a cafe existed? From the photo of the town, it seems you only found a dress store.
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No, I didn’t find a cafe. Perhaps if I’d walked far enough down that street. But I had a plane to catch and I’d seen a sign for a chambered cairn just outside Stromness that I wanted to catch on the way (next post)/
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Cafe on far left, white building under spire. Also behind camera,several very good cafes and pubs. Further up main street many exceptionaly good restaurants. They don’t look like they do on the mainland, due to hunkering down for winter winds etc. Most of life takes place behind the facades!
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Ah, OK, thank you Sandra. I’ll bear that in mind should I ever go back (which I would like to do but it’s a long way). I should have taken more time or asked a local. Mind you, if I had found one, I may not have had enough time for the Unstan Neolithic Chambered Cairn.
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