Commuting with the ghosts of pirate Vikings

An archaeologist's trip to work comes with 1,000-year-old stories

To get to work, archaeologist Julie takes a ferry through an archipelago north of Scotland – taking her through 1,000 years of stories and history.

Archaeologist Julie Gibson is one of only 200 individuals who live on the small island of Rousay, part of a stunning archipelago of islands in the far north of Scotland.

She commutes to and from the Orkney mainland every day on a small ferry, driving a different car at each end of her trip to get to work.

The last boat back is at 6pm, and if she misses it, she has no way to get home.

To comment on this story or anything else you have seen on BBC Capital, please head over to our Facebook page or message us on Twitter.

If you liked this story, sign up for the weekly bbc.com features newsletter called "If You Only Read 6 Things This Week". A handpicked selection of stories from BBC Future, Culture, Capital and Travel, delivered to your inbox every Friday.

{"image":{"pid":""}}

My Commute