• Today’s mileage: 1.8 miles
• Total mileage:     96.75 miles
• Desasters:   none – because we got a shower in the end ?

The rain from 4pm to about 9:30 was biblical. Then it stopped allowing us to get some food and a good nights sleep. Luckly the tent stayed dry.

We woke with the plan of a long shower and a lazy start. Then we had all day to look round Kirkwall before the night ferry to Shetland.

As with all our plans things didn’t go quite to plan… We were told that the drains were blocked and the shower block could not be used ! We could however use the toilets in the nearby leisure centre with the promise of a shower later (drains permitting). So feeling lighter but still smelling we set off to explore Kirkwall for the day…

Our first stop was the “Beiting and Brew” street food van for breakfast. This was a great recommendation from Pat. The locations not great – an industrial estate near the vets but well worth a visit if you’re in the area.

Well fuelled we set off for Kirkwall. Our first mission was to find the local bike shop to buy me some cycling gloves – I’d left mine on the washing line back in Cockers.

After the bike shop we walked round the rest of Kirkwall. This didn’t take long because its really not that big !

We just wandered round the shops in lovely sunshine. But you know when you start looking for something…

…but when you zoom in on the top shirt ?

So that gave purpose to our wander round Kirkwall – we were now on a Twatt hunt ! We now searched all the souvenir (tat) shops for Twatt.

We did find Judith Glue’s shop sold all sorts of Twatt gifts…

Now sorted for Twatt we headed back to the campsite for showers an a chill before food at the Kirkwall Hotel.

Nice food at the Kirkwall though a little pricey. Then off to the ferry terminal…