By now you might be wondering, ‘Is that woman ever leaving Orkney?’ Well, actually after 5 1/2 weeks we have – but I haven’t finished showing you everything we’ve seen, so there will be just a few more blog posts.

We’d already been inside St Magnus Cathedral, then discovered there are tours to the upper levels. Unfortunately, as only six people can go at once, it’s not easy to book a couple of spaces. We did get one though, and Gary kindly said I could go.

There are five levels to visit, via increasing narrow and scary spiral stairs, through a museum about one transept, up through where the clock mechanism is located, into the belfry and out onto the parapet surrounding the spire. The photos are from the least alarming parts of the tour, as in other places I was holding onto ropes with both hands!

Random facts –

The cathedral was begun in 1137 and in use soon after, although it took a few hundred years to be completed.

There are now several streets of businesses in front of it, but at the time of construction the sea reached almost to the front steps.

From the top you can see the Bishop’s and Earl’s palaces, and at one time there was a castle very close by.

Very rich people could be paid to be buried inside this, and other cathedrals. Not so pleasant for the living who came to services soon after, and possibly the origin of the phrase ‘stinking rich’. When the church was extended the remains of these people were reburied outside. Their gravestones now line the inside walls.

In the churchyard is a grave of someone who died on 30th February – as far as is known, they’re the only person in the UK to have ever died on that date.