The Winter Solstice That Never Was

Notes from a North Sea Island

Approach to Maes Howe The Entrance

Maes Howe is probably the finest example of architecture in prehistoric Europe. It is the largest of this type of chambered cairn. It has a low, narrow entrance, 9m in length, leading into a chamber 4.5m square. During the 12th Century Viking raiders broke into the tomb, leaving the largest known collection of runes, and carvings of a dragon, a serpent and a walrus. They entered via a small opening in the roof. For most of the year the cairn lies in complete darkness except for the period of about a week during both the summer and the winter solstice, when the sun is directly above the opening, lighting up the central chamber with a tiny shaft of golden light. Visitors arrive from all the corners of the earth to witness this fascinating spectacle. Being so small the tomb can comfortably only accommodate about five or six people at a time and often a long line of folk can be seen braving the cold, waiting to get inside.

This year however, the winter solstice has been a washout. At this time of year daylight lasts only for about six hours, but these are often filled with beautiful winter sunshine and clear blue skies. This December has been an exception. For the last four weeks it has been grey and overcast with low cloud shrouding these Islands as though trying to hide them from the rest of the world. Generally speaking it had been quite mild until last week when wind and rain swept across fields and through villages and towns reminding the Orkney people that the mild conditions of late were just a brief reprieve from what is no doubt still to come in the New Year. On December 21 itself there was even a light covering of snow and not just on the hills either. It reached right down to the lowest lying land.

The Central Chamber The Passage

The lack of sunshine this month has been bad news for tourism. Besides agriculture it is the Islands’ main industry. It depends on the relatively small yet hardened core of winter visitors to give the local economy a much needed fillip during the low season. This year they stayed away. A bitter blow when the British economy in general is in a bad way and the local one in particular is in difficulty. I heard in a report last week that Orkney's economy is the only one in the country which has increased by zero percent this year. Not good.