Scrutable

Following on from the Full English thread.

The Hebrides feel a bit left out.

I've been to a Peat and Diesel gig which counts for at least 5 islands.

Martin Y wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 02, 2021 6:37 pm

The Hebrides feel a bit left out.

Yes, I could have added them to my tally.

7/10 missing Ireland, Isle of Man and Orkneys, which were all on the to-do list till slight travel problems set in...

There’s a few of the islands I haven’t got to yet, Hebrides, orkneys, shetlands, wight or man. I have family in Northern Ireland so I’m rather more familiar with it than most English people.

I can heartily recommend visiting the Orkney Islands.

Gfamily wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 02, 2021 7:16 pm

I can heartily recommend visiting the Orkney Islands.

Definitely on my list. Really want to do some Neolithic stuff there.

Grumble wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 02, 2021 7:18 pm

Gfamily wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 02, 2021 7:16 pm

I can heartily recommend visiting the Orkney Islands.

Definitely on my list. Really want to do some Neolithic stuff there.

After visiting there, I found myself looking at a museum gallery called something like "Ancient History: the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans", and couldn't help thinking "But the Romans weren't really ancient history"

St. Kilda is one place I would really love to visit, don't know if I will ever make it there.

Top poll idea btw.

The Isle of Man is a weird place. Used to go to the TT every year, no speed limits. pubs open all day and a 24/7 party for a week or so. Went again a couple of years ago outside the TT and it's a beautiful little island steeped in history, pretty quiet and the food was excellent.

veravista wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 02, 2021 10:02 pm

The Isle of Man is a weird place. Used to go to the TT every year, no speed limits. pubs open all day and a 24/7 party for a week or so. Went again a couple of years ago outside the TT and it's a beautiful little island steeped in history, pretty quiet and the food was excellent.

Proper little tax haven it is.

7 out of 10.

But then all my recent trips to the British Isles have been to find out about the places my ancestors came from and they came from numerous parts.

The Orkneys not only have neolithic relics, but also modern tired sheep.

Gfamily wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 02, 2021 7:16 pm

I can heartily recommend visiting the Orkney Islands.

I definitely can, as my cousins husband's family run a hotel there

Never actually been, mind.

dyqik wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 02, 2021 11:42 pm

Gfamily wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 02, 2021 7:16 pm

I can heartily recommend visiting the Orkney Islands.

I definitely can, as my cousins husband's family run a hotel there

Never actually been, mind.

It was on our to do list last year, if we go we'd probably prefer self catering if possible but if not...

dyqik wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 02, 2021 11:42 pm

Gfamily wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 02, 2021 7:16 pm

I can heartily recommend visiting the Orkney Islands.

I definitely can, as my cousins husband's family run a hotel there

Never actually been, mind.

You ought to - it's the depth of history that feels unique - from pre-pyramid Neolithic, through the Bronze Age and the Age of the Broch to the time of
the Vikings.

It's when you begin to think of Viking remains as 'recent history' that you realise your timescales have stretched. At the Maeshowe burial chamber, you can be shown Viking graffiti on stones that had already been in place for 4,000 years.
So there's an inevitable compression that occurs to the period between Medieval and WWI (or rather slightly post WWI - Scapa Flow scuttling of the German fleet).

And that's just the History.

Geology and Biology and the Arts are another story.

(Personal history - on our second trip we visited Hoy, where our infant daughter was dandled on the knee of someone who'd had a Lullaby written for her by the poet George Mackay Brown and for whom a Wedding Anthem was composed by Peter Maxwell Davies)

Martin Y wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 02, 2021 6:37 pm

The Hebrides feel a bit left out.

Sadly restricted to ten options, didn’t even have space for a Cockend option. I’ll leave it as an exercise for the reader to figure out which part of our septic* isle I would have used for that.

Some interesting results so far, under the assumption that we’ve had 38 participants and all have been to England (a possibly unsound assumption) then everyone’s been to Wales but not everyone’s been to Scotland, which reflects the initial comment on the other thread regarding the Southern English being more willing or able to get to Wales than Scotland.

Ironically I myself only just scraped into the Welsh camp; I once spent a week in Ellesmere in Shropshire which occasionally necessitated briefly crossing the border while driving around without ever actually stopping in Wales and I once had to travel from Hereford to London by train where maintenance work meant having to change at Newport, Wales (funnily enough my end destination was actually Newport, Essex which lead to an odd conversation with a ticket inspector who was convinced I was going to the “wrong” Newport by mistake ) other than that I’ve never been.

Beyond that Ireland has been more visited than N. Ireland which you might suspect, but the Channel Islands being almost as visited as N. Ireland is revealing.

Ah, you see we have (had) family in Wales and Scotland and I have a good mate who lives in Spain but whose partner is NI ish so did that. My brother was also a motorcycle racer so despite being from Essex we got around the country a bit. And I play golf so Scotland, Wales and Ireland are all easy destinations. We stayed in the Channel Islands for a bit of R & R when Mrs V was recovering from Legionnaires because it was warmer and easy to get to from E Mids. Haven't visited the Scottish outer isles yet but on the list.

Grumble wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 02, 2021 7:18 pm

Gfamily wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 02, 2021 7:16 pm

I can heartily recommend visiting the Orkney Islands.

Definitely on my list. Really want to do some Neolithic stuff there.

Well worth it. And don't just go for the famous three. Some of the other chambered tombs are pretty impressive, and with open access - one (I can't remember which) had a wind up torch in a honesty box for visitors to use

Surprised by the number of Channel Islands visitors, but they're nice to visit if you like activity holidays and manage to avoid the exceptionalism

Surprised by the number of you who have bothered the Pile of Shite.

I make my British island list Wight, Portsea, Anglesey, Skye, Seil, and Easdale, of which only Wight and Easdale can’t be reached by bridge. Somehow surprised it’s so short.

and if you've been to Holyhead, Anglesey, you can add Holy Island (Anglesey) to your list.

insignificant wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 03, 2021 3:21 pm

Surprised by the number of Channel Islands visitors, but they're nice to visit if you like activity holidays and manage to avoid the exceptionalism

Our reasons for visiting the Channel Islands = Jersey had parkrun (beginning with J, for alphabet hunters) - Guernsey had an Easter running festival, and parkrun, though the parkrun got cancelled due to wind/rain. Both seemed like good venues for a holiday though. Sea/hotels/not too crowded/interesting history stuff.

Visit to Isle of Wight was also parkrun related.

Lew Dolby wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 03, 2021 5:07 pm

and if you've been to Holyhead, Anglesey, you can add Holy Island (Anglesey) to your list.

When we went to Holyhead, my phone sent me a 'welcome to Ireland' message!

If talking Islands, then it'll be
Great Britain
Ireland
Mull
Iona
Staffa
Skye
Lewis and Harris
Pomona (mainland Orkney)
Westray
Papa Westray
Hoy
Brough of Birsay
Lamb Holm
Glimps Holm
Burray
South Ronaldsay
Holy Island (Lindisfarne)
Farne Islands
St Michael's Mount
Anglesey
Holy island (Holyhead)
Hilbre

are the ones I can think of.