Evening greetings, Can anyone throw any light on why so many (although not all) of Orkney's old graveyards are very close to the sea shore. Is this some old Orkney/Scottish tradition that the final resting place should be so close to the sea. I did toy with the idea that it may have connections with the Vikings when they used to place the dead on boats and set them on fire. And because the early Stromness settlers had nicked all the trees for their Ba games, that due to the lack of wood, the dead were then buried close to the sea. Or is this just one of Grumpy's flights of fantasy! Take care Grumpy