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.