HORSE POWER FOR
KIRKWALL TOURISTS 1 July 03
Visitors to Kirkwall are 'chomping at the bit' to experience the town's
newest tourist attraction.
Horse power will help visitors view the sights of Kirkwall from the
comfort of a luxury carriage driven by South Ronaldsay farmer, Geoff
Linnitt.
Geoff - a member of the
Orkney Carriage Driving Association - decided to offer the tours as a way
of diversifying his farm business. Funding support from Orkney Enterprise
worth �2,000 has helped with the purchase a new carriage and other
necessary equipment.
Geoff and a pair of ponies
will take visitors from Hatston Pier, around the town with a stop at the
St Magnus Cathedral. The service is predominantly aimed at the large
numbers of people visiting Orkney on cruise liners, and it could be a busy
summer for Geoff and his four legged friends with over 60 cruises ships
expected to dock in Kirkwall in the coming months.
Commenting on his new
venture, Geoff said: "My wife and I have been involved in carriage driving
for many years and it just seemed like a good idea to turn our hobby into
a commercial venture and provide tourists with a slightly different way of
seeing Kirkwall.
"We are also offering our
services to locals for weddings and other special occasions as well as
drives, children's' sessions and lessons on our farm."
Harvey Stevenson, business
development manager at Orkney Enterprise said: "We think that Mr Linnitt's
horse drawn carriage rides will be very popular with visitors to Kirkwall,
providing them with a unique and novel way of seeing the town." |