Beyond the northeast coast of Scotland are the Orkney Islands, then Shetland, then Norway. The Vikings controlled most of this land through the Middle Ages.
With a Norse father and Scottish mother, Earl Harald Maddadson likely built this castle in the 1100s. Only a few ruins are left of the tall castle that once stood high over these fingers of rock jutting into the North Sea.
Photos can only capture a thin slice of the experience and feel of a place. The sounds of the crashing waves and bird calls, and smell of the sea are intense. But my most vivid memory of this place was the fierce winds. I often shoot with a tripod, and often in low light it is a necessity. Here it was necessary to help keep my camera steady. The camera was mounted on the tripod, one hand and body weight pushed the tripod down into the tufts of grass to try to keep it steady, the timer was triggered, and the other head held the ballhead as firm as possible as the wind relentlessly battered us.
The path led over what was once a moat to protect the only landward access to the castle, and an illustration helps provide a sense of what the buildings may have looked like 900 years ago, when the winds blew just as strongly.
Seemingly unaffected by the winds, Kittiwakes, Shearwaters, Guilliemots, and Fulmars flew between the cliffs.
The sea relentlessly batters the rocks that calmly endure.
The short view for a human visitor is relentless attack by wind and water. The long view of the birds, rocks and lichens is quiet endurance.
