Orkney Postscript

I have written these entries 11 months afterwards, so could not remember a lot about the individuals I encountered in the various dorms I occupied. Kirkwall YH had a washing machine, and a reasonable kitchen plus common room. There were two guys in my room at one time, who appeared to be best of friends, but when one left, he left behind the piece of paper with contact details and called his sleeping mate a very rude word. I spent many a morning helping overseas hostellers, from Japan and China, to choose an itinerary for their foray around Orkney. Later in September, our attention was drawn to travelling minibuses which take backpackers around Scotland in 7 days. On Tuesday, a minibus would roll up in the courtyard to disgorge a load of young folk, being shepherded by an exasperated older person. It was advisable to vacate the kitchen, as they were liable to leave a colossal mess behind. They were also told to go to bed on time. The following morning, they'd leave at 3 a.m. to catch the early morning ferry from Stromness. In Kirkwall, any food left behind had to be labelled and bagged before placing in pigeonholes. In the 3 weeks at Kirkwall, a crew of construction workers were billeted in the hostel. They were out to work on the airport runways - at night. The lady I met on Shapinsay would cook a meal for them to leave it out. Kirkwall has quite a nice town centre, and has everything you need.