I noted in an earlier post that Scapa Flow was the main base for the Royal Navy’s Home Fleet through 2 World Wars and much of the 20th Century. It is not surprising therefore that there are a lot of brick and mortar reminders as well as artefacts and memories of those times . The main shore facilities were on the Island of Hoy within Scapa Flow and some surviving buildings on that island have been turned into a brilliant museum. Ida, Balfour and I drove to Houton Ferry Pier and caught the ferry that carries people and vehicles to the islands of Flotta and Hoy…..
For the first time in all of my trips to Orkney I have finally visited Flotta which now gives me more credibility when I rally to the classic bagpipe tune of ‘Flett from Flotta’! In today’s sunshine the ferry trip is a spectacular journey………
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and once we landed at Lyness on Hoy it was a very short walk to the museum which is based around one of historic pump houses that supported the base and fleet…….
The museum itself and the displays have recently just been fully revamped and it is definitely worth a visit if ever you are in this part of the World……
A lovely young lady guide asked if we would like to see the next stage of the museum which is not yet open to the public and the answer was obviously ………… YES PLEASE!
We were then taken to a very recently restored building that had been used through both World Wars to repair small boats and were allowed to wander freely through the exhibits stored there but not yet available to the public, we were very privileged.
The ferry ride home in the early evening light was even more spectacular than the journey there!
It was a truly special day finished off with G&T, wine and fish and chips in the World’s best B&B ……. Scapa House!
flettrek 