Excursion to the Orkney Islands

In Short

Mrs. Morelle and her young companions embark on an extended summer journey across the Atlantic to Great Britain while awaiting her husband’s return from Singapore. Equipped with a letter of credit and a spirit of adaptable patience, the group navigates bustling docks, railway cars, rugged Highland steamers, and remote northern waters before reaching the Orkney Islands. Along the way, the children learn practical lessons in geography, budgeting, and self-reliance. Blending travelogue with quiet moral instruction, the narrative captures the meticulous logistics and steady wonder of nineteenth-century tourism.

The Story

The journey begins in New York, where Mrs. Morelle, her children Florence and John, and her schoolboy nephew Grimkie prepare for a transatlantic voyage while Mr. Morelle is stationed in the East Indies. Before departing, they secure a letter of credit for five hundred pounds from August Belmont and Co. and gather a supply of English gold for initial expenses. After boarding a crowded ship and enduring a foggy, miserable passage that induces seasickness below deck and forces Grimkie out into the rain to witness their arrival at Halifax, they finally reach Liverpool. There, the boys eagerly explore the massive, water-filled stone docks and the famous floating landing-stage while Mrs. Morelle rests.

Once ashore, the group considers three routes to Inverness: eastern railways through green fields, central coach roads past grand estates, or western inland steam navigation through narrow lakes and mountain gaps. Choosing the western water route, they board a steamer and obtain flexible tickets that allow them to break their journey at will. They stop at Ben Nevis, where Grimkie collects delicate Alpine flowers and meticulously presses them between blotting paper using a heavy bedstead leg for weight, echoing instructions from his school professor.

Following their mountain excursion, Mrs. Morelle decides they need a quiet interlude and rents private apartments in an English lodging house, where an experienced landlady manages daily marketing and cooking. Refreshed, the party takes a night stagecoach ride by daylight through rural Scotland, marveling at stone bridges, turnpike gates, and passing peasant girls. They eventually board a steamer to the Orkney Islands, navigating northern waters past Caithness and Wick while livestock is hoisted aboard in small boats.

Upon reaching the Orkneys, they explore a landscape of green, fertile slopes, intersecting sea channels, and distant mountain ranges, discovering a region where grass grows lushly year-round despite the high latitude and lack of sledges. After inquiring about local routes and finding a land route across the firth impractical for their large party, they secure passage on the return steamer, the Prince Consort. Watching cattle loaded into boats at various stops, they cross the open bay to the Scottish mainland, take a morning train to Edinburgh, and conclude this leg of their travels with anticipation for their eventual reunion in London.

How It Unfolds

The letter arrives Mrs. Morelle receives word in New York that her husband has written from Singapore, prompting her to organize a family excursion. She gathers her children and nephew Grimkie to plan an extended European tour while managing travel practicalities.

Crossing the Atlantic The group boards a ship for a two-week voyage marked by heavy rain, closed staterooms, and inevitable seasickness. Grimkie braves the cold mist to witness their arrival at Halifax before they finally dock in Liverpool.

Exploring the docks Upon reaching England, the boys wander among massive stone basins and watch industrial machinery being loaded by iron cranes. Mrs. Morelle and the children establish a temporary base while outlining their route through Scotland.

Ascending Ben Nevis Choosing the western inland waterways, the travelers take a steamer into the Scottish mountains and stop at Ben Nevis. Grimkie collects delicate Alpine specimens, later pressing them carefully beneath a bedstead leg.

Settling in lodgings Feeling mentally fatigued from constant admiration of the scenery, Mrs. Morelle rents rooms in an English lodging house. This arrangement allows them to experience domestic housekeeping abroad with the assistance of a capable landlady.

Reaching the Orkneys The travelers take an open stagecoach ride by daylight and board a steamer bound for the remote Orkney Islands. They survey a striking landscape of green slopes, intersecting sea channels, and grazing cattle.

Returning south After reviewing local transport options, the group boards the return steamer Prince Consort to cross the open bay toward Wick. They complete their journey by train to Edinburgh, carrying rich memories of their northern adventure.

The People

Mrs. Morelle desires a peaceful, orderly journey that expands her children's education while she awaits her husband's return from the East Indies. Obstacles such as foul weather, seasickness, and full hotels test her patience, but she adapts gracefully, ultimately gaining mental refreshment and a deeper appreciation for domestic management abroad.

Grimkie, a schoolboy from the Chateau, wants to act as a competent courier, managing tickets, luggage, and guidebooks for the party. His eagerness occasionally bumps against his lack of practical experience, such as choosing hotels or calculating routes, but he grows in responsibility and practical competence through active problem-solving.

Florence, curious and eager, wants to experience the most scenic and romantic parts of the journey, instantly voting for the wild western mountains. She assists with practical tasks like sewing leaves together for botanical collections, and she remains enthusiastic despite the physical discomforts of travel.

John, younger and republican-minded, approaches the adventure with playful skepticism, questioning everything from European hotel names to the existence of million-tree forests. Though some of his ventures, like trying to shoot a rabbit, are thwarted by property laws, he broadens his understanding of geography and foreign customs.

In Its Own Voice

When discussing travel preparations with her children, Mrs. Morelle emphasizes the need to plan for unexpected mishaps on the road.

“In travelling, we have not only to make arrangements for the ordinary course of things, but we must also provide for accidents.”

While organizing their mountain route, Grimkie explains the romantic purpose behind gathering botanical souvenirs.

“Young gentlemen, when you have advanced a little farther along the verdant and flowery path of life, you will sometimes have occasion, in your various wanderings, to prepare plants and flowers as tokens of remembrance, or of other sentiments, or as souvenirs of travel.”

Reflecting on her mental exhaustion after days of breathtaking scenery, Mrs. Morelle expresses a desire for domestic quiet.

“I have been continually wondering and admiring for four or five days, and I am tired of wondering and admiring.”

What It's Really About

The book explores the intersection of education, middle-class privilege, and self-reliance in nineteenth-century tourism. Abbott uses the framing of a family excursion to examine how young people acquire practical competence through direct observation and structured responsibility. Beneath the scenic descriptions of Scottish lochs and northern islands lies an argument for methodical preparation—whether handling letters of credit, pressing botanical specimens, or navigating foreign lodging systems. Travel is presented not merely as leisure, but as a moral and intellectual exercise that develops character, adaptability, and an orderly understanding of the wider world.

Why Read It Today

Contemporary readers will appreciate this book as a charming historical artifact that offers a serene window into Victorian travel culture. It feels like stepping into a slower, deeply deliberate world where every railway connection, hotel bill, and steamer schedule is treated with educational gravity. Readers who love nineteenth-century literature, historical geography, and gentle domestic realism will find much to enjoy in the family's cheerful camaraderie.

However, modern audiences must be prepared for the book's specific limitations. The prose is deliberately didactic and moves at a leisurely, instructional pace that can feel repetitive or slow to readers accustomed to rapid modern storytelling. Furthermore, the period attitudes reflect a mid-nineteenth-century American and British bourgeois perspective, entirely untouched by modern pacing or diverse social commentary. Yet, for those willing to embrace its pedagogical style, the narrative offers a uniquely comforting immersion into a bygone era of exploration, rewarding patience with vivid, picturesque details of Scottish landscapes and northern island life.