June 1st - yet another blustery day - it really isn't much use bringing a hair brush here!!! Today our aim was to see some of the North side of Orkney 's West Mainland and this turned out to be a much quieter area with narrow, almost traffic free roads and very few people. However there was miles of lush green fields with grazing animals and also many miles of rugged sea cliffs along with several RSPB sites to explore.
Our first stop was at the RSPB's Cotterscarth bird hide to see if we could spot any of the Hen Harriers who fly over the moors there but we weren't in luck - all we managed to spot were a couple of curlews in flight. Apparently in this area the female Harriers outnumber the males - it seems that there are about 100 territorial females on Orkney but as the males are in short supply they can be polygamous and these randy birds are likely to mate with more than one female but that means lots of work as they hunt to support more than one nest.
Next we moved on to the Broch of Gurness but at that time we didn't really know what a Broch was! The info board soon reminded that by informing us that a Broch is a circular tower that were often built and occupied around 400 - 100 BC and that about 50 such Broch have been found on Orkney. Its thought that they would have been 6 - 13 metres tall and that they would have had a single entrance but no windows. They would have had a vertical inner wall and an outer wall that sloped inwards and between the two slabs would have been laid to form a staircase to the upper floors.
The seascape here was beautiful so we paused for lunch (which had to be partaken of in the car because of the nippy wind) while we gazed at the fine sand beaches with white capped wavelets washing up onto them. It was from here that we could also see the islands of Eynhallow and Rousay, and also Loch Swannay.
We then continued on our way to Birsey where there are more magnificent cliffs and also a small island called the Brough of Birsey with a lighthouse on top of its steep land facing side. The island can only be accessed by a causeway at low tide so we didn't go across because the tide was on it's way in. Instead we took a gentle walk along the lower sea cliffs which provided some very special views of rock formations that were testament as to why the lighthouse was needed. This whole area has a very strong Viking history and as we drove back towards the village we paused to admire The Earls Palace were Earl Thorfinn the mighty lived when he ruled in 1014 - 1064.
Our next stop was at The Kitchener Memorial and to see that we needed to climb upon onto Marwick Head were there is another RSPB reserve with huge colonies of gillimots, razorbills and fulmers were nesting. The huge Kitchener Memorial was erected after the First World War to commemorate Lord Kitchener and the crew of HMS Hampshire which was sunk off the coast here in 1916 with the loss of all but 12 of her crew.
We followed this up with a to the RSPBs Loons hide but there wasn't much to see there so then soon headed for 'The Col D'Orkney ' 😉 which was a moor clad summit on Hill Side Road that looks out towards The Broch of Gurness which we had visited earlier in the day. Our day concluded with a quick visit to Tesco to collect our dinner and then home to cook it🍳.
June 2nd - which happens to be a blustery Sunday! Today we decided on a housework/rest day cos with a 10 week 'holiday' jobs still have to be done! I did the washing and John set about trying to sort out our malfunctioning water system but at the time of writing that task is ongoing so I can't comment on it's level of success! What I will say is we've only had a small leak so far, and up to now the air has only been a very pale shade of blue!!!
June 3rd - the saga goes on with our plumbing - still not fixed but we're fairly sure it's the pump that's at fault and we'll probably have to manage with it till we get back onto the mainland in a couple of weeks.
Anyway, back to today's story and that is one of 2 long walks in very strong winds and a dam good soaking! We headed out towards Deerness which is joined to The Mainland by a narrow isthmus which has a sandy beach and dunes on one side and St Peter's Pool on the North side. Our first stop was at The Gloup and Mull Head Nature Reserve and right at the beginning of our walk we were greeted by The Gloup itself. The Gloup is a collapsed sea cave that derives its name from the old Norse word 'gluppa' meaning a chasm. It is separated from the sea by a land bridge and it drops down around 80 feet with the sea still crashing in through a blow hole.
From there we proceeded towards Mull Head in howling wind 😳 which wasn't to bad until the rain started. At first it was just mizzle so we decided to push on but it soon became more vicious and the wind driven drops felt like little pinpricks as they hit our skin. By now we'd really gone too far to turn back so we just made the most of the dramatic coastal views, and the spotting of a few seals and some eider ducks with chick's as we went. However we didn't see the Mermaid who its said has been sighted there since the 1890s! Luckily, about 20 mins before our 5 mile walk ended the rain stopped and the wind quickly dried our clothes so we didn't have to put up with wet pants for the rest of the day!
Our next visit was to be to Roseness for what we thought would be another 4 miler out to the Roseness lighthouse and a stone tower with a wooden cross on top which dates back to 1867. For this walk the rain had cleared but the winds persisted. We parked near the ancient St Nicholas's Church with its huge cemetery that held a mixture of very old and some much newer graves and from there we proceeded along the road for about a mile before entering onto some moor land that led us onto the coastal path. As we walked we passed another deep gloup and several burial cairns and we also had views out to the island of Copinsay. We were also suprised by our sighting of on owl that flew low over the grasslands probably looking for his dinner. Then as we continued our view became more dominated by the stone tower that is thought to have been put there as a navigation aid for herring drifters looking for the Kirk Sound. More recently there is a squat lighthouse to guide shipping on its way.
The path then dropped down towards a large stoned shingle beach and it was here that we inadvertently scared 2 ducks off their nests! They were almost invisible huddled against a stone wall - they took off very suddenly and I'm not sure who was the most startled! There were 4 eggs in one of the nests 🪺 so I just hope they went back to them. We continued on our way but not for much further. At this point we should only have had about another mile to go but unfortunately we found our way was blocked by fencing and a privacy notice so in the end we had no choice other than to about turn and retrace our steps which turned a 4 mile walk into a 6 mile one. We were both a bit knackered by the time we'd done so it was a good job that we'd got flapjack, hot chocolate and a lovely view waiting for us when we got back to the car!
June 4th - today was our day to go to Yesnaby on the west coast of Orkney and after looking at the weather forecast we thought we'd be in for something similar to yesterday but in the end we were pleasantly surprised. There was one quick shower as we arrived and although the strong winds persisted the sun played hide and seek with the clouds ⛅️ which gave the sea a shimmering glow.
Our guide book told us that Yesnaby is one of the most attractive places on Orkney because the coast line here has been carved over millennia through exposure to strong winds and hostile seas that have eroded sea cliffs and allowed sea stacks and deep ravines to form and we were able to admire all of the above as we walked first one way and then the other from the car park.
Our first walk of the day to the right of the car park took us over rocky terrain to the remains of the Broch of Borwick which was part of an Iron Age Settlement and which is perched in a dramatic location right on the edge of the cliff.
From there we continued along the high contorted cliffs to Rammageo which is one of the longest geos in Orkney. The name originated from Raven Geo and the high steep walls and it's inaccessibility still provide a safe haunt for ravens today. We were there today when the tide was ebbing but the huge waves were still smashing up the cliffs with a mighty force.
We retraced our steps back to the car park for lunch and then we set off in the opposite direction to see Yesnaby Castle which is an amazing sea stack. Our way was another twisting wondering craggy path which mostly followed the contours of this rough coastline and on our way we passed by Qui Ayre. It seems this old quarry was the only place on Orkney were the stone was hard enough to make mill stones and apparently the stone from here was mined for hundreds of years and right up to the beginning of WW11.
The info boards also told us that in 1755 an earthquake near Lisbon (Portugal) created a giant tsunami that swept all the way to this site resulting in tools and millstones being washed away and if it hadn't been for a sharp eyed herdsman who spotted the giant incoming wave the quarry men may have got swept away as well.
From there we hadn't got much further to go before we came to Yesnaby Castle in the bay of Garthna Geo and as we walked further around the bay we were amazed to see the hole in the lower part of the structure - it really makes you wonder how much longer it will be able to withstand the rages of the sea. We continued on for a short while to The Point of Lyregeo from were we had views towards tall dark cliffs with names such as Black Braes, North Hill and Black Craig. Also in the distance the outline of Hoy loomed behind them. We paused for a rest here before retracing our steps back to the car but all the way back we had new views to admire.
June 5th - Today the port town of Stromness was our target - a place that was also known as Hamnavoe (Haven Bay) in Old Norse times. Our plan was to walk through the town and head out to The Point of Ness but the weather had other ideas. The strong winds were still persisting so we were well wrapped up and waterproofed but we'd only got about half way along the shore hugging path with views of the islands of Graemsay and Hoy when suddern driving rain made us decide to turn back!
However, by then I'd been lucky enough to spot a Great Skua which is a bird we haven't seen since our days touring Holland. The Orkney name for these birds is Bonxie and they are huge and one of the most aggressive seabirds in Europe 😳! One of there main food sources is stealing food from other birds through forceful airborne regurgitation 🤢 which they then devour whilst still in flight!
By this time our outer garments were dripping so we decided to head back into town to find something to eat which we did by nipping through the narrow paved and cobbled winding streets that were full of quaint stone cottages. We dined at The Peir Bistro but it took a while because the poor waitresses were absolutely run off there feet but that was maybe a good thing because by the time we left the sun had come out to play. Then as we headed back to our car we browsed in some of the gift shops and one had an amazing array of tat with the word 'TWATT' emblazoned on it, maybe you have to come to Orkney to know that there is a village here by that name 😀!
Our final stop for the day was at the spectacular beach of Waulkmill Bay. We parked high above it and by now the sun was shining causing the sea to shimmer and displaying the pale sand beach in all its glory. We scrambled down a long flight of steps and walked for a short while but the biting cold wind soon saw us turning back.
Apparently Waulkmill Bay is part of the RSPB Hobbister reserve and is owned by Highland Park Distillers who cut peat here for use in the production of Highland Park Whisky. As we've now been there this fact may encourage us to buy a bottle of said whisky so that we can sample a wee dram!
June 6th - Today is our last day on Orkney and we will be setting sail for Shetland at about midnight tonight. And it has to be said that the Orkney weather has given us a memorable send off - the day has been a tale of sunshine 🌞 and showers but mostly the latter which have been accompanied by yet more strong winds and a few rainbows 🌈 . Therefore, other than a quick walk into Kirkwall we have taken the day to rest and reminisce about our stay here.
The weather could have been better but other than that Orkney has suited us very well by offering fantastic coastal walks, along with both interesting ancient and modern history facts. During our time here we haven't strayed from the Mainland but we have admired many of the 70 odd islands and Skerries from afar and enjoyed the tranquillity of its quiet beauty spots that we have never found to be over populated.
So that's it from Orkney and we'll tell you more of our story when we get to Shetland xx
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