Orkney - A Special Place

Spending seven months in Orkney during 2015 and 2016 in order to delve into the secrets of the islands, Richard Clubley was keen to get as many local views as possible. He gathered interviews with lighthouse keepers, farmers, archaeologists and climbers - and many others! On dreich afternoons during the short days of winter, Richard ate home bakes with locals and recorded their memories. It was at one such hearth that someone said, 'You know about so-and-so of course, you come to Orkney all the time, so how could you not know?'. Richard didn't know. While there are still a lot of unearthed stories hidden in Orkney, Richard has collected a fair few in this beautifully illustrated book. Richard Clubley loves Scotland's islands, but it is Orkney that has stolen his heart. In this book, he portrays the northern Scottish islands fairly and honestly, with stories that even Orkney locals may not have heard before. Travellers from elsewhere will be charmed by Richard's descriptions of the Orkney landscape and way of life.

Richard Clubley lives in Derbyshire, which is not the most convenient place to stay if you love Scottish islands, so this year - 2017 - he is moving with his wife Beverly to Orkney. They are building a house in Orphir on Mainland with views over Scapa Flow. Although the phrase is a cliché it will be 'a dream come true'. Richard has found Scottish islands endlessly fascinating since his very first one - Arran - at the age of eight. He has visited around 70 of them to date and they form the content of his first book Scotland's Islands - A Special Kind of Freedom, published by Luath Press in 2014. As a schoolteacher Richard took several parties of children to uninhabited islands to share the unique experiences with a new generation. He knows of one or two from those early trips in the 1980s that are still hooked on island hopping. Richard is a regular contributor to Scottish Islands Explorer magazine and the online magazine Orkney.com. Writing this book and moving to Orkney do not presage an end to the infatuation but rather less flirting and a deeper love.