Brian Alexander

I offer Kirkwall Walking Tours along with tours of all archaeological sites on the Orkney Mainland, as a ‘step on guide’ in your own, or a third party vehicle.

[Brian Alexander @kirkwallwalking]

@JRM58506966 I have a photo of someone’s rifle after they fired a live round through one. He said it scared the bejazus out of the Gurkha that was acting as enemy on the exercise!

[Brian Alexander @kirkwallwalking]

Yeah last cow calved!

[Brian Alexander @kirkwallwalking]

@JonLerwick While you’re doon here you should visit St Olaf’s cemetery and the graves of some of the crew from SS Giralda, many of whom were Shetlanders

[Brian Alexander @kirkwallwalking]

Today I took this couple on my Harmony Coach Holiday tour up to the St Ola cemetery to find this lady's Grandfather Francis Gallagher Rodger. He was a merchant Seaman bombed and killed on the SS Giralda on the 30th Jan 1940.

[Kitchener Memorial @kitchenerorkney]

Thank you to everyone who came to pay their respects at the Kitchener Memorial and HMS Hampshire commemorative wall last night, on the 109th anniversary of the loss of 737 men when HMS Hampshire hit a mine close to #Orkney. We will remember them.

[Brian Alexander @kirkwallwalking]

A spot of early morning exercise at 6.30 am calving a large heifer calf. Thankfully the head and legs were in the correct position so we didn't need a vet. However it was all me and Jane could do to pull it out even using the calving jack. It stuck at the widest part of the calf.

[Brian Alexander @kirkwallwalking]

Today I had a Kirkwall Walking Tour with German guests from the Amera. Then this afternoon I had a Cliff Walking Tour in Deerness with mostly French guests from Le Bollet.

[Brian Alexander @kirkwallwalking]

@OrkneyLibrary I was excited until I noticed there was no “R” on the end!

[Brian Alexander @kirkwallwalking]

Today Norwegian Constitution Day I attended a service at St Olaf's Cemetery for the approx 20 Norwegian Servicemen buried there. I had the privilege to meet the grand niece of Martin Sylte a Norwegian soldier who died from wounds received during the German invasion of Norway.

[Brian Alexander @kirkwallwalking]

Last night on the 80th Anv. of VE day I took a war graves tour at St Olaf's Cemetery on the outskirts of Kirkwall. I told the stories of many of the 152 servicemen from the UK, Commonwealth and other countries buried there.

[Brian Alexander @kirkwallwalking]

It’s been a busy week with 3 cruise ships and our first calf a peedie (little) heifer.

[Brian Alexander @kirkwallwalking]

Today ANZAC Day we remember Sub Lt (A) Lloyd H Johnson RNZVR of Canterbury New Zealand killed 3/2/43 in a mid air collision near Woodwick bombing range in Evie Orkney. His Seafire crashed, into the sea and he is buried in St Olaf's Cemetery Kirkwall Orkney. Photo: NZ Weekly News

[Brian Alexander @kirkwallwalking]

@ecocars1 @ChargePlaceScot @PoletoPoleEV @TimsTravels01 @wire_brigade @106Euan That's a shame Skiach was a good place to charge between Inverness and the Gills Bay ferry. Usually both available and reliable, as well as a nice cafe. I think it's a community group that ran the cafe, so finance is probably a problem as you said.

[Brian Alexander @kirkwallwalking]

Today I had my first two German language Kirkwall Walking Tours of the the 2025 cruise season from AIDAsol.

[Brian Alexander @kirkwallwalking]

My grandfather's life was saved by his kilt during WW1. It was totally inappropriate for the winter conditions in the trenches. He caught pneumonia and was hospitalised and shortly afterwards his battalion of the Seaforth Highlanders went over the top and were almost wiped out.

[Brian Alexander @kirkwallwalking]

@JonLerwick Were these mooring points for anti torpedo nets?

[Brian Alexander @kirkwallwalking]

@_Stewart_Bain As I used to say to me peedie boy when he fell over, "No more beer for Stewart".

[Brian Alexander @kirkwallwalking]

@HoganSOG As mentioned already the picture shown is the Bishop's Palace. This is all that remains of Kirkwall Castle, uncovered briefly during roadworks in 2019

[Brian Alexander @kirkwallwalking]

@union4me @albertz33 @TankMuseum As you say LMG mag prone to stoppages when used on SLR. We quite often used it as a pretendy Kalashnikov when acting as Enemy on exercise back in the day.

[Brian Alexander @kirkwallwalking]

@JamesLucasIT My suggestion would be the 'Churchill Barriers'. A series of 4 causeways built during WW2 on the orders of Winston Churchill. Constructed to protect the Royal Navy base of Scapa Flow, after a German submarine entered and sank the battleship HMS Royal Oak in October 1939.

[Brian Alexander @kirkwallwalking]

@HARRYCHUNKK @CliveWardauthor The only person I saw drawing blood with a SMG bayonet was a RHF L/Cpl who managed to stab himself in the hand putting it back in the scabbard, on our SAA course.