Guest Posted December 20, 2004 Report Share Posted December 20, 2004 Maes Howe is a 5000-odd year old stone age burial chamber on the Orkney mainland. Read about it here That's impressive enough but at sunset on the midwinter solstice (Dec 21st this year) the setting sunlight shines a beam of light in a perfect alignment over a single monolith several hundred yards away and right into the entrance tunnel and onto the back wall of the interior of the chamber. There is a webcam setup here although sadly the weather forecast for Tuesday is for scattered cloud but we'll have to wait and see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted December 20, 2004 Report Share Posted December 20, 2004 Seem to remember you posted about this last year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chingford Posted December 20, 2004 Report Share Posted December 20, 2004 Brilliant place - really enjoyed Maes Howe and ALL the associated sites nearby... The whole of Orkney and Shetland is bespattered with similar fascinating locations and wonderful land and sea-scapes. I would recommend you ALL take a trip up to the far North, whenever you can asap, to visit the likes of Maes Howe, I 'would' but... ...I'm not as into all that religious mumbo-jumbo stuff, as Tom obviously is... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom McB Posted December 21, 2004 Report Share Posted December 21, 2004 I did.the solstice happens every year A pedant writes-the solstice happens twice every year Anyway- happy solstice you old pagan. Of course it should be happy Samhain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom McB Posted December 21, 2004 Report Share Posted December 21, 2004 (edited) To embellish your pedantry, A solstice happens twice a year,THE (as in a definitive) solstice happens once a year...and I was talking about the midwinter one anyway Anyway, sunset in Kirkwall is sceduled for 3:14 today should you wish to view the Maes howe webcam The winter solstice is very pleasant- with the old pagan feelings of death and rebirth. The summer solstice is also most fine-at least once in your life be there for sunrise on the summer solstice. Cheers for the webcam link- will be online- along with third year and the multimedia projector. Edited December 21, 2004 by Tom McB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fleetwood Mac Posted December 21, 2004 Report Share Posted December 21, 2004 Wahey, the Knights are drawing oot at last ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chingford Posted December 21, 2004 Report Share Posted December 21, 2004 The webcam linksno workin! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reidy1987 Posted December 21, 2004 Report Share Posted December 21, 2004 Wahey, the Knights are drawing oot at last ! Aye, no be long tae the summer solstice. Then it's downhill all the way tae Christmas again... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chingford Posted December 21, 2004 Report Share Posted December 21, 2004 Maes Howe And The Winter Solstice, those clever Stone Age Orcadians Aye... mibbe... but... ...the present Orcadians cannae organise a videocam in a dark-room! As mah wummin asked when I was grumpin roon aboot 3.14 this afternoon, 'What did they do in the old days when there was no sun and loadsa mist and rain and stuff?' Fair question. I had no answer, then I had a ponder... It IS awfy faur up and awfy dreich on occasion. How do you motivate a squad of (no offence, FJ) simple stone-age Fermers to down tools and build a big.... 'thing', that'll do what exactly? "It'll show us where the sun would be setting if the bloody mist and rain would clear away - on midwinter's day - so we'll know exactly when that is. It'll be useful for planning crops n at!" 'But what if it's raining or misty?' "Trust me... I'm with DEFRA. It's a good and relatively inexpensive idea. By the way, can I interest you in Foot and Mouth?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom McB Posted December 22, 2004 Report Share Posted December 22, 2004 Probs to do wie the religious significance. You know the script- only heathens will stand in the way of the will of God. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud the Baker Posted December 22, 2004 Report Share Posted December 22, 2004 Tom, Is the new avatar you celebratin' the Winter Solstice before deflowering a few virgins? Also one of the other sites mentioned on Orkney was Skara Brae. Could this be an alternative spelling of Skaro? Is Orkney the homeland of the Daleks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chingford Posted December 22, 2004 Report Share Posted December 22, 2004 (edited) Also one of the other sites mentioned on Orkney was Skara Brae. Could this be an alternative spelling of Skaro? Is Orkney the homeland of the Daleks? I can give you a definitive 'NO' to Daleks EVER having visited Skara Brae. If they did, they'd still be stuck there. For Daleks, the Skara site makes a flight of stairs look like the vast sweeping pampas of the Argentine in comparison. And here's a wee picture of Skara Brae. It IS nice, though... Edited December 22, 2004 by chingford Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chingford Posted December 22, 2004 Report Share Posted December 22, 2004 Incidentally, click the webcam link...it's working right now!!! The webcam link IS working, Tom - but your foties are unviewable unless we 'log on ' with the right password.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chingford Posted December 22, 2004 Report Share Posted December 22, 2004 Aye, now. THAT works. Very pretty and very sunny, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny P Posted December 22, 2004 Report Share Posted December 22, 2004 Is Orkney the homeland of the Daleks? What does a randy Dalek say? EJACULATE......EJACULATE..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud the Baker Posted December 23, 2004 Report Share Posted December 23, 2004 Although early model Daleks were confined to level surfaces by The Remembrance of the Daleks this issue had been dealt with by developing Daleks who had the ability to hover! Chingford - be very afraid!!!!! Hovering or Havering? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FS Posted December 22, 2007 Report Share Posted December 22, 2007 This site has more old threads than the Anchor Mills... Hey mibbe it's a new season after all...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chingford Posted December 22, 2007 Report Share Posted December 22, 2007 (edited) Great, Tom. Ta. Like a couple of years ago, last night MsChing nagged asked if I was going to check out the Maes Howe vidcam... I'd forgotten! I said I would, cos it'll be a sign.... ...from solstice this afternoon, I suggested to her, the days will be getting longer and brighter AND StMirren will start to stick in the goals. I'm gaunie be a Druid or sic-like, when I grow up... ETA: Here's the link again, btw - for live vidcam coverage of the winter sun striking the back wa, o an ancient burial-type mound on Orkney! Edited December 22, 2007 by chingford Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Chinnery Posted December 19, 2008 Report Share Posted December 19, 2008 'Bump', as they say. Almost that time of year again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tennant's Lager Posted December 19, 2008 Report Share Posted December 19, 2008 'Bump', as they say.Almost that time of year again. Strange to think that if this was June, it'd still be broad daylight just now.............. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
North Sea Saint Posted December 19, 2008 Report Share Posted December 19, 2008 Strange to think that if this was June, it'd still be broad daylight just now.............. I've no seen daylight for 3 weeks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tennant's Lager Posted December 19, 2008 Report Share Posted December 19, 2008 I've no seen daylight for 3 weeks Get out of the sauna then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
North Sea Saint Posted December 20, 2008 Report Share Posted December 20, 2008 Get out of the sauna then. You jealous Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rothesay Saint Posted December 21, 2008 Report Share Posted December 21, 2008 You in NSS' sauna? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
North Sea Saint Posted December 22, 2008 Report Share Posted December 22, 2008 You in NSS' sauna? Theres nae cnut in it, its broken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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