SANDAY AND NORTH RONALDSAY

One recurring feature of the coast that I have noticed while writing this blog is that ferocious storms, while scary at the time, can throw up hitherto unknown treasures. This was the case on Sanday in 1985 when a local farmer was walking along the beach at Scar on the northwest coast after a particularly bad storm and noticed some bones sticking out of a sandbank which had been partially stripped away by the storm. The bones turned out to be part of a Viking boat burial, and the find was hailed as one of Orkney's most significant archaeological finds of the 20th century. The burial has been dated at around 875 to 950 AD. Other ancient remains on the island include a burial chamber at Quoyness, a Neolithic settlement at Pool and the Styes of Brough, where a 29" Viking sword was found. For nature lovers, there are plenty of opportunities to view birds and seals, while walkers can enjoy long stretches of sandy beach.

North Ronaldsay, 4 Km north of Sanday, is the most northerly of the Orkney islands. The island featured heavily in the Orkneyinga Saga with much warring and bloodshed. There are a number of ancient sites on the island, but from the more recent past there is Holland House, built in the 1700s; the gardens next to the house attract large numbers of migrating birds. There is a bird observatory on North Ronaldsay where bird migrations are monitored. An old stone lighthouse stands in the northeast of the island known as the Old Beacon, or Dennis Head Beacon, which was built in 1789 by Thomas Smith. The lighthouse, which is in a state of ruin, achieved third place in the BBC Restoration Village series in 2006. It has since been replaced by a newer lighthouse which stands nearby.

Map of the area.

North Ronaldsay - geograph.org.uk - 67138. Photo by Peter Ward, via Wikimedia Commons.

ROUSAY, EGILSAY AND WYRE

This group of islands to the northeast of Orkney Mainland have dozens of ancient sites between them. The hilly island of Rousay is peppered with Neolithic cairns such as Blackhammer with its 47ft long burial chamber, compartmented into seven stalls by means of standing slabs. Even bigger than Blackhammer is Mid Howe, dubbed the "Great Ship of Death", with a 76ft long main chamber, divided into twelve stalls. Taversoe Tuick is a split-level burial mound, the upper entrance at ground level and the lower one reached through a 19ft sunken passage. Visitors are free to wander round the sites, and there is a visitors centre, the Trumland Orientation Centre, which provides detailed information on the sites and on the island in general. For nature-lovers, the geology of the island is characterised by glacial terracing, and the northwest coast boasts impressive cliff formations and extravagant displays of wild flowers.

Egilsay is home to a 12th century Viking church, St Magnus, whose 15m high round tower rises up above a roofless nave. The church is one of only two remaining examples of this type of church. According to the Viking Sagas, Earl Magnus met his cousin Earl Haakon on Egilsay in 1117. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss peace terms, but peace was the last thing on Haakon's mind and he had Magnus murdered. A cenotaph marks the spot where the evil deed took place. At the Onziebust RSPB reserve on Egilsay, if you are lucky, you may see as well as hear the increasingly rare Corncrake. Waders and seals can be seen at Loch of the Graand.

The main point of historical interest on the tiny island of Wyre is Cubbie Roo's Castle. The name Cubbie Roo is a version of Kolbein Hruga, the Norse chief who built the castle in 1150. The castle, which is mentioned in the Orkneyinga Saga, is one of the oldest castles of its type in Scotland. Next to the castle is the Romanesque St Mary's Chapel, also built in the 12th century by Cubbie Roo or his son. The Wyre Heritage Centre welcomes visitors, providing information on the island's more recent past as well as on Cubbie Roo's legacy. As well as a variety of birds, both common and grey seals can be observed on the island, the best viewpoint being the Taing, the pointy bit at the western extreme of Wyre.

Map of the area.

St. Magnus Church, Egilsay - geograph.org.uk - 1434978. Photo by Helen Baker, via Wikimedia Commons.

STRONSAY AND EDAY

Stronsay and Eday are two of the scattering of smaller islands to the northeast of the Orkneys. Stronsay's only real settlement of note, Whitehall, was caught up in the herring boom in the early 19th century until it ended in 1930. Now the only fishing that takes place here is for lobsters. Earlier, in the 18th century, it was kelp which provided the economic mainstay, with 3,000 people employed in collecting and exporting kelp for use in making iodine, soap and glass. The topography of the island is characterised by gentle bays with lovely sandy beaches, while the main geological point of interest is the Vat of Kirbuster, a large natural arch. The tiny island of Papa Stronsay, visible from Whitehall, is populated by monks. Stronsay can be reached from Kirkwall by ferry or air.

Fans of antiquities should head for the island of Eday, which counts among its ancient treasures a large standing stone called the Stone of Setter and the Vinquoy Chambered Cairn. The antiquities can be viewed by keen walkers on the Eday Heritage Walk, which also takes in Mill Loch, which has a hide for viewing the red-throated divers that breed there, and Red Head, with its dramatic red sandstone cliffs used by nesting seabirds in the summer. The terrain on Eday is mostly moorland rather than farmland, and there used to be a thriving trade in peat from here, which was used as fuel on some of the other islands, and was also exported to distilleries on the mainland. On the east coast of the island is Carrick House, built in 1633 by the Laird of Eday, which is open to visitors during the summer months on Sundays by appointment. The pirate John Gow, on whom Sir Walter Scott's book The Pirate is based, was taken prisoner here after his ship Revenge ran aground. There are more chambered cairns and bird colonies on Eday's little brother, the nearby Calf of Eday.  Eday's small airport is visited by the Scottish airline Loganair.

Map of the area.

Stronsay trig - geograph.org.uk - 1371235. Photo by Iain Macaulay, via Wikimedia Commons.

SHAPINSAY

The small island of Shapinsay can be seen from Orkney's capital Kirkwall, and consists mainly of rolling farmland. The main point of interest on the island is Balfour Castle, built by the Balfour family of Westray in 1848 using the proceeds of their adventures in India. The castle is now a private house, and therefore not open to visitors - the link provided gives some information about the property dating from before this time. The village of Balfour was built to house the workers from the castle's estate. The ferry crossing to Shapinsay from Kirkwall takes less than thirty minutes and used to include entrance to the castle, but now visitors are limited to wandering the island, which apart from the castle has an Iron Age broch (drystone tower) called the Burroughston Broch. There are some rocks nearby where seals can be seen lazing around. Birdwatchers should head to the Mill Dam RSPB reserve, where the hide can be used to spy on the teal, shovelers, wigeon and occasionally pintails which use the wetlands here for breeding. There are sea caves and cliffs on the east coast, while the best sandy bay is at Sandgarth Bay in the southeast.

Map of the area.

Shapinsay Pier. Photo by Catherine Morgan, via Wikimedia Commons.

STROMNESS AND SKARA BRAE

The small harbour town of Stromness sits on the west shore of the nordic-sounding Hamnavoe, with the town's Golf Club at its mouth. The town had strong links with the Hudson's Bay Trading Company, formed in the 17th century, which used to recruit local men from the town, and in 1791 appointed a local agent in Stromness, in fact by this time at least three-quarters of the Company's workforce were Orcadians. The Company was said to have preferred the good men of Orkney because they were cheaper than the English and more sober than the Irish. Login's Well, in the main street, has a stone next to it with an inscription claiming that the well supplied water for Captain Cook's Discovery, Sir John Franklin's arctic exploration vessels and for the Hudson Bay ships. Stromness Museum has displays telling the story of those times. The Pier Arts Centre has a collection of 20th-century British art.

One of the oldest events in the Orkney calendar is the Stromness Shopping Week, which dates back to 1949 and takes place each July. Its creation was a post-war attempt to attract traders and shoppers to the area to counteract the austerity of the times. However, contrary to what the name suggests, there is far more to the week than just shopping: the jollities on offer include the Yard of Ale, a Beer Race and sporting events for all ages.


The ancient village of Skara Brae, which is administered by Historic Scotland, was buried underneath dunes for 4,000 years, but came to light during a storm in 1850. The sand in the dunes had done a good job of preserving the walls of the houses, and even some of the domestic furniture, which included clay-lined food boxes used for refrigeration. There was even a sophisticated drainage system and possibly toilets, making these Neolithic homes more civilized than some of the 19th-century crofts!

Webcam view of Stromness Harbour.

Map of the area.

Skara Brae-habitations. Photo by Daniel Bordeleau, via Wikimedia Commons.

BIRSAY

Kirkwall, the capital of Orkney, evidently stole Birsay's thunder at some point in history. St Magnus Church in Birsay dates from long before Kirkwall's St Magnus Cathedral, having been in continuous use as a place of worship for over 900 years, and is thought to have been Orkney's first cathedral. But the church is by no means Birsay's only point of historical interest: the whole of this part of the Orkney Mainland is redolent with historical remains from way back through the ages. Earl's Palace, built in 1574, was the main residence of Robert Stewart, the illegitimate son of James V. Relics of rural life in the 18th and 19th centuries include Click Mill and Kirbuster Farm Museum.  Barony Mills, which unusually were used to mill barley, are free to visit and include one dating from 1873 alongside older mills awaiting restoration.

The Brough of Birsay, reachable by a causeway at low tide, is a paradise for nature lovers, carpeted with sea pinks during the spring and with several bird reserves to choose from: Birsay Moors, Marwick Head and The Loons wetland reserve. Brough Head, graced with a lighthouse built in 1925, is colonised by sea birds. Many of Birsay's oldest remains are to be found at the Brough of Birsay, including Pictish and Viking farmsteads and a 12th-century Romanesque church.

Map of the area.

Brough of Birsay. Photo by John Comloquoy, via Wikimedia Commons.

KIRKWALL

Kirkwall is the main town on the largest island in Orkney, and as such is the "capital" of the archipelago. It is both a city and a Royal Burgh, and has an impressive cathedral, the Cathedral of St Magnus, dedicated to an 11th century earl who was murdered and subsequently canonised. In fact a skeleton discovered during rebuilding work may have been that of the earl, since he is believed to have died from a blow to his skull from an axe, and the skeleton in question had an injury apparently caused by an axe. The neighbouring Bishop's Palace and Earl's Palace are administered by Historic Scotland. Life in the Orkneys is displayed in the Tankerness House museum. For whisky enthusiasts, there is the Highland Park Distillery.

The Orkneys saw plenty of action during both World Wars, and there is a wireless museum in Kirkwall which covers military communications from 1930. Scapa Flow, the body of water to the south of the Orkney Mainland, was used as a naval base during both wars, and there are still sunken German warships in the area, which are a popular draw for divers, with the M.V. Invincible offering expeditions to the sunken ships. During World War II a German U-boat torpedoed HMS Royal Oak in Scapa Flow, and a buoy placed at the point where the vessel sank marks a war grave in memory of the tragedy. It was this incident which prompted the building of the Churchill Barriers (see South Ronaldsay post). In 1940 a Norwegian steamer called the Cometa was torpedoed near the British contraband control base at Kirkwall. The 42 survivors were taken to a port in the northeast of the Scottish mainland.


Map of the area.

St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall - geograph.org.uk - 953091. Photo by Nicholas Mutton, via Wikimedia Commons.