Belated trip report

Great trip report Jim! What a fantastic itinerary, which I will keep for my next trip to Shetland. Loved your Outer Hebs experiences too. Your laundry experiences are probably a reflection of the cultural differences between the US and Scotland. Many of my friends and neighbours here in Skye think I'm a bit 'odd' because I have a tumble dryer! They think it more normal to rely on the 'drying day weather' (i.e. a stiff breeze and less than normal rainfall), while I am more accustomed to being able to dry my laundry as required. However, I do also have a drying rack that raises and lowers on ropes from the ceiling in the utility room and an 'airing cupboard' upstairs where the hot water cylinder is situated. All bases covered!!! Joking apart I have stayed in many Scottish self catering holiday homes that don't have a dryer, while pretty much every one I've ever rented in England and Wales did have a dryer.

All the best
Jacqui

I finally got around to reading through it and really enjoyed the trip report! Wow, you made it to a lot of different places. I'm still working on my schedule and have lots of blanks to fill in. I had to laugh at the conversation between you and Jacqui about laundry, though. I guess because I've had so few apartments that had a dryer, I'm actually surprised and pleased when I find a dryer in an apartment or hotel. Most of the ones I've encountered have not had one, and most of those those were in Germany. I did have dryers in Romania.

Anyway, thanks for all the information, and hopefully I can utilize a lot of it!

I was traveling at home when you posted this and missed it! So I’m really glad Mardee replied and brought it back to the top!

Having been in Shetland and Orkney not long after you, I loved your descriptions. I wish I had gotten to many of the places you did, but since it was my first visit, I saw the “first time” stuff. I laughed at your sentences about the Scottish primrose search - because it was the same for the group I was with. We all wandered around with our heads to the ground and after the first one was found, then we saw lots of them. And you reminded me I was going to research more about Scapa Flow. Lots of new history for me! I looked at the Lounge Bar sign for their music but couldn’t persuade myself to get back out for a late night. I should have…..

You are giving me incentive to finish my trip report. So far I am only through Shetland.

The Lounge Bar is a seeming dive on the ground floor (though still full of good craic) but on Wednesday evening (for 28 years so far) the upstairs lounge fills with a dozen or more musicians led by a father/son duo that play the accordion and piano (interchangeably). There are usually several more accordions, flutes, fiddles, guitars, and concertinas, and the tune (and occasional song) selection rotates around the circle.

The Marlex (Douglas Arms side-room) used to have a regular music night, but the ownership changed hands and now there seems to be mostly pub quizzes and TV sports. In 2024, the Lounge troupe showed up at the Marlex the next night, but we struck out this year.

The Marlex apparently has a small session on Thursday nights only. It was fun and the audience filled the room, but there were only 2 musicians to begin with and 2 more wandered in later. It was still enjoyable.

Glad the Marlex has re-started even a simple session. We were there in May, I called during the day and they "didn't know if there was a session or not", so we walked over and the bar was totally deserted. Two other folks wandered in and back out. I think the new owner was slow to figure out that music is a big draw and that free drinks to players is a cheap promotion.