©2010-12 Candy Verney, Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire

Designed by eberlin

Home | About | Singing Holidays | Choirs | Singing Workshops and events | Past events

Blog | Singing Books and Song Arrangements | Past Singing Events | Links | Contact

The Orkney Odyssey

3rd – 10th April 2012 (Easter)

Following on from our wonderful singing weeks on Skye and Bardsey, for Easter 2012 I have found a remote, atmospheric and lovely place on Orkney, with a wonderful garden reaching down to its own loch overlooking other islands.

Our intention is to build together a community that connects us, through the singing, to each other and to the natural vibrant beauty surrounding us. So if you like singing, wilderness, a sense of adventure, meeting other interesting folk and returning home feeling refreshed, invigorated and connected, then join me there!

This beautiful archipelago is a landscape covered in ancient prehistoric sites, many unexcavated. It is also characterized by wide open skies, breathtaking seascapes, with whales, basking sharks, dolphins, seals galore (25,000 at the last count), lochs, plentiful bird life, and a rich culture.

The Neolithic remains on Orkney’s mainland are very special indeed: nowhere else in northern Europe can you visit a combination of Neolithic villages alongside the spectacular ritual and burial monuments created by their inhabitants. They became a World Heritage Site in 1999. Skara Brae village, the spectacular Ring of Brodgar and Maes Howe chambered tomb are all a bus ride away from our accommodation.

We plan to sing in the magnificent St Magnus cathedral, an exceptional building, both architecturally and acoustically, that has towered above the skyline of Orkney’s main town, Kirkwall, for 900 years.

Accommodation:

We will stay in Woodwick House and Woodwick Mill, situated in the northeast corner of Mainland, 15 miles from Kirkwall and Stromness, on a bus route. Woodwick House is set in an extraordinarily peaceful location with a bluebell wood, a cascading burn and lawns stretching down to a secluded bay overlooking the island of Gairsay. Woodwick Mill next door, has been recently renovated to holiday flats of a high standard. The closest village with Post Office and shop is Evie, 2 miles away, and the ancient Broch of Gurness is within walking distance.

Food:

Every evening we will eat together at Woodwick House. We are bringing our own very talented cook- Meg- with us, who will source food locally as far as possible. She will be treating us to a 3 course meal every evening, and provide food for us to make our own breakfast and picnic lunch.

Pattern of the day:

We will sing every morning, building a repertoire of songs that reflect our week together. Sometimes we will sing in special places nearby. The middle of each day will be free time to explore the island’s riches. After our evening meal, and communal clear up, we will create our own entertainment by sharing songs and making space for those who wish to share their talents, be they musical, storytelling or playful games. I have already made contact with a local community choir, whom we hope to sing with too.

Download Orkney 2012 Booking Form

Download Orkney 2012 Essential Information