SCOTLAND. DAY 4 Inverness to Orkney (Kirkwall).
As the party was due to meet the ferry in the early afternoon a prompt departure from Drumnadrochit was required. The drive to Gills Bay took between three and three and half hours.
At John O' Groats we turned left to the ferry terminal. The journey afforded views of abundant but elusive marine life with Common seals basking on rocks or paddling near the shoreline. A pod of what may have been Hebridean bottle-nosed dolphins, about 20 - 30 of them were emerging and disappearing off to the port side. We passed picturesque, uninhabited islands save for the herds of well-fed sheep.
Driving from St Margaret's Hope to Kirkwall we discovered that Bellavista may well have had a good view if it had been swivelled around by about 90 degrees. Checked in and went for a short drive to get a sense of the place.
Twilight afforded the most inspiring views of the Standing stones of Stenness and the Ring of Brodgar.