Wide open vistas as far as the eye can roam. Breathtaking beauty at every turn, whatever the weather. A legacy of ancient archaeology and history, mapping these islands with a picture of how people lived through the centuries. It’s a heritage that carries weight along with the feeling of freedom that gifts creativity, innovation, imagination and talent to the folk who live here. In Orkney you will find the best food and whisky you will ever know. It is the place where the Merry Dancers paint the night sky, where happiness and the quality of life are high. It is the native land of writers, musicians and artists. Their inspiration is the Islands’ natural beauty of land and sea, the rhythm of the seasons, the magnificence of the sagas, the Standing Stones St. Magnus Cathedral and the Old Man of Hoy. People travel from all over the world to experience them. Sustainability and the development of renewable energy are the ethos of contemporary Orkney. Our climate and the waters off our shores are ideal for the testing of tidal devices that aim to deliver power from natural sources to regions near and far. Electric vehicles drive on our streets and solar panels heat our homes. In this archipelago of islands the past and the future are embraced with equal fervour. They are the birthplace of my literary idol, George Mackay Brown, a place he loved and rarely left. I feel immensely blessed to call Orkney my home.