
ABOUT THIS BOOK
PUBLISHER: Luath Press
FORMAT: Paperback / softback
ISBN: 9781913025441
RRP: £9.99
PAGES: 256
PUBLICATION DATE:
June 14, 2021
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Orkney: A Special Way of Life
Richard Clubley
‘I don’t have to feel guilty about sitting in my chair as night falls over Scapa Flow at three in the afternoon. It feels north and other and special and I think about the Neolithic folk in their houses at Skara Brae, closing the flaps and gathering round the fire, safe and secure for the night. I think they will have loved it too.’
After moving permanently to the island he’s always dreamed of, Richard Clubley here sets out to capture the experience of life on Orkney, from the history of Neolithic sites to a future in renewable energy, telling the stories of countless Orcadians along the way. Determined to travel further afield than his home on Mainland, Richard takes to the Outer Islands to meet the people who live there and tell their stories. Orkney: A Special Way of Life is a delight for any lover of Scotland’s remote places, filled with rich descriptions of the islands.
Richard Clubley
Richard Clubley lived in Derbyshire, which is not the most convenient place to stay if you love Scottish islands so, in 2017, he moved to Orkney with his wife, Berverly. They built a house in Orphir on Mainland with views over Scapa Flow. Although the phrase is a cliché, it was ‘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.