An Orkney Adventure
An Orkney Adventure by Robert Con
Firstly, introductions, I’m Robert and I first met Ben whilst volunteering with the RSPB at Old Moor during the summer of 2010. I then returned to RSPB Old Moor just over a year later to commence an internship and quickly caught back up with Ben and reignited our friendship.
Over the years since then, I have worked for the RSPB at sites including St Aidan’s, Mersehead, Mull of Galloway and Lochwinnoch, were I am currently the Visitor Experience Manager. The site that I always remember the fondest though is by far the Mull of Galloway, nestled down at Scotland’s most southerly point and home to many seabirds in the summer, with stunning coastal views, rugged cliffs and miles and miles of open sea all around.
Scotland’s coasts and wildlife have always been special to me, and whenever I can, I love to explore the many islands that lie offshore. One that I had never visited though and always dreamt of is Orkney. So when catching up with Ben earlier this year and he invited me to join him and Andrew for a week’s holiday on the Orkney mainland, with potential chances of visiting some of the smaller surrounding isles that make up the archipelago, it took me all of 0.1% of a second to say yes!
The following months until we departed seemed to fly by and before I knew it, I was catching a bus to Inverness where I would stay overnight before meeting up with Ben and Andrew the following morning. The River Ness and associated Ness Islands, a small group of islets within the river and adjoined by walkways, made for a pleasant stroll and a chance to take in views of Inverness Castle and parts of the city before I returned to my digs, full of anticipation for the week ahead.
In recent years I have developed an interest in wildlife photography, and although very much an amateur, I relish the challenge of photographing birds and other wildlife (plus it always helps with ID’ing those trickier ones later if you can snap a rough image, which on this trip turned out to be very helpful indeed). So with camera packed and batteries fully charged I eagerly awaited what was to come.
Friday morning and I checked out of the digs, headed out for a coffee and awaited Ben and Andrew, before we all three set off to catch the ferry from Gill’s Bay with a few stops on route. The first of these being The Storehouse Restaurant, with views looking out over the Cromarty Firth, made even better with delicious slice of cake and a cup of Earl Grey (Warning, mention of hot beverages and cakes may occur frequently throughout this blog!). We then continued on our way with a brief stop at Loch Fleet National Nature Reserve, managed by Nature Scot.
As is so typical with birding, while scanning the mud flats and shallow waters to the far east of the reserve and admiring large numbers of curlew, various ducks and some mute swans, other more eagle eyed visitors just to our left and unbeknown to us were watching an osprey circle overhead before it moved off in to the nearby trees and disappeared from view. Ah, well, win some, lose some. The large numbers of curlew were a delight in their own. Other than a quick comfort stop, we then cruised on up the coastal road till we reached Gill’s bay where we embarked the Pentalina ferry that would carry us across to St Margaret’s Hope and the start of our Orkney adventure! The crossing was smooth; the sky was blue and the breeze warm. The occasional gannet, eider duck, fulmar, black guillemot and herring gull were seen from the boat, and a red-throated diver awaited us on arrival at St Margaret’s Hope.
For our first night, we stayed in an Air B&B in Kirkwall before moving on to Andrew and Ben’s cottage the following day. The reason for this being that friends of Andrews were staying in the cottage until the Saturday and this provided an opportunity to meet for a meal at the Kirkwall Hotel where I had the finest fish and chips I have ever experienced!
Saturday was a relaxed start which involved stocking up on supplies for the week and pottering around the shops in Kirkwall before heading off early afternoon to Findlay’s Cottage, our home for the next seven nights. Once we’d unloaded the car and got settled in, I decided to go for a stroll along the edge of Skapa Flow, a mere hundred or so yards from the cottage. As I was later informed Skapa Flow is the largest natural harbour in the UK and often home to a number of oil tankers and fishing boats, but on this occasion was empty of vessels as far as I could see. As I strolled along the coast I was immediately at ease and with peace of mind, the world of work and urban life was another world away. I had the sea to my left, rough grassland and arable fields to my right with rolling hills in the background and rugged coast stretching out in front of me.
Terns screeched as they flew over the water, occasionally diving in pursuit of small fish, fulmar cruised along the foreshore with their stiff wings and effortless flight, grey seal bobbed and watched me with shared interest, an occasional gannet would appear and briefly dominated the skyline beyond with their impressive six feet wingspan, whilst great skuas, or bonxies to give them their Orkadian name, would emerge into view, often announced by the increased screeching of the terns, and so a long standing battle would commence, with terns either harrying the skua and attempting to drive it off or a skua selecting an individual tern carrying a fish back to feed its young and harassing it to drop the catch which it would then grab. The aerial antics were a delight to watch albeit tinged with a slight feeling of sorrow for the hard working terns that then had to evade the bullying bonxies or submit their prize.
As I discovered was often the case on Orkney, the weather never stayed the same for long that evening, frequently swapping from light rain and cloud to open skies and sunshine, the result on this occasion was the most radiant double rainbow I have ever seen in my life and one the photograph just doesn’t do justice.
Sunday began similar to how Saturday finished, with a stroll along the edge of Skapa Flow, but this time at a much slower pace, stopping frequently to admire the many bees and butterflies feeding on the abundant wildflowers that bloomed along the track or simply sitting on a bench and gazing dreamily out to sea. I also decided to turn left rather than right when reaching the shore, exploring the many twists and turns of the land and observing terns, gannets, seals, shags, red-throated divers great skuas, an Arctic skua and even a sparrowhawk which appeared to be half heartedly pursuing some rock doves. With curlew often being heard but keeping out of sight I decided that this was a stretch of coastline I would need to explore further at a later date but for now lunch was calling and I returned to the cottage.
We were joined for lunch by Jenny, a local friend of Ben and Andrews who later joined Andrew and I for a walk along the shore from the cottage to the ruins of a historic round kirk (one of only two in Scotland) and the remains of the Earl’s Bu, a 12th Century Viking great hall, before returning via road, track and the only area of woodland that I had the opportunity to explore on Orkney, albeit a non-native sycamore plantation.
The first section of our walk that afternoon took us along the stretch of coast I had explored on arrival on the Saturday evening, where once again the water was calm. After a short distance, Jenny, a marine biologist, had her attention drawn to some activity on the water. A quick look through the binoculars and she delightfully announced the presence of a pod of common dolphins feeding on a shoal of fish. For around 20 minutes or more we were able to watch them leap from the water or spot their dorsal fins emerge time after time as we sat and watched them or continued on our way while regularly checking to see if they were still there and delight once more as one would leap clean out the water. Slightly further than I had first explored we came upon a small bay by the edge of a graveyard and the site of the old ruined round kirk at Orphir.
Turnstone were easily spotted as they moved between the rounded stones and seaweed that filled the bay only to immediately blend in and become completely camouflaged when they came to a standstill, while nearby a small gang of swallows hunted up and down a small stream that fed into the bay. It was at this stream we changed direction and crossed through the graveyard, passing the round kirk and the site of the Earl’s Bu before joining a single track road and looping back towards the cottage via the sycamore trees.
Monday was a day for exploring a few of the historical sites on Orkney, of which there are of course many and varied options. My interest lay more with the ancient, Neolithic history and especially Maeshowe, Skara Brae and the standing stones around Brodgar and Stennes.
A quick look online showed that tickets to Maeshowe were booked out weeks in advance but Skara Brae did have a few slots available, the earliest of which was 12 noon on the Monday. Booking my ticket for then, I then looked at options for getting there by bus and discovered the only option was to arrive there at 9:30am going via Kirkwall so at around 7:30am Monday morning I departed the cottage and walked the quiet single track roads that led to Orphir village where I would catch the bus to Kirkwall then change for Skara Brae.
The early morning stroll provided me with several views of brown hare running around in fields, the sound of even more but yet still unseen curlew and raven cronking as they flew overhead. Both bus journeys were pleasant, easy-going rides providing views over the Orkney landscape, passing moorland, rough grassland, lochs, hills, coast and views out to sea. It was on the second of these buses as I neared my destination I spied a large, dark coloured bird gliding low over some rough grassland. As it banked and turned, the white rump became clear, marking this bird as a female or possibly juvenile hen harrier, a bird that I was informed was fairly common on Orkney despite its critically low numbers in the majority of the UK mainland.
Arriving at Skara Brae and faced with just over 2 hours until my booking time I was faced with two options, go for a walk and explore the surrounding area returning for 12 noon or chance my arm and see if I could gain entry there and then. I opted for the second option and proceeded to the visitor centre and entry point with my Historic Environment Scotland membership card proudly in hand. A quick chat with a lovely member of staff at the main desk and I was permitted access and was soon exploring the site.
Skara Brae is a place I have often seen on archaeological or anthropological documentaries studying ancient Britain so didn’t learn much detail that I had not already, but standing there looking at this Neolithic settlement, looking down in to once ancient homes, imagining the lives of the people that lived there and how they went about their daily lives, I was struck by how undifferent from us they would have been. Take away our modern technology and science and we would be no different from these skilled hunters, fishermen, farmers and craftsfolk. Sure, they had honed their skills, developed their crafts and held their own beliefs but at the heart of it, these people were no different from me and you, just 5,000 years earlier.
From Skara Brae I walked the road passing Loch of Skaill where common terns worked the edge of the loch with the wind at their backs and keeping an eye for any small fish close to the surface, before diving head first and if lucky, surfacing with a fish. Thankfully on this occasion, there were no bonxies in sight to challenge them for their catch. After a walk of nearly six miles through farmland and open countryside, I came to the Ring of Brodgar, a stone circle dating back 5,000 years and originally comprising of 60 standing stones, 36 of which are still standing today, with a stone cut ditch surrounding it and several Neolithic burial mounds.
The size and scale of this site is awe inspiring and must have held some important ceremonial or cultural significance long lost to time. A mile further on, passing the Ness of Brodgar, another Neolithic settlement dating back to the same time period, and I arrived at the Stones of Stennes and the nearby Barnhouse Settlement, yet another Neolithic settlement. With such close proximity to these impressive stone circles that dominated the landscape and whose importance must have loomed over anyone that lived within these settlements, a bit like living in the shadow of a grand cathedral today, I could not but wonder what meaning these stone circles must have held.
Just a half mile further along the road I then caught a bus back to Kirkwall and paid a visit to St Magnus’s Cathedral, founded in 1137 by the Viking, Earl Rognvald, in honour of his uncle St Magnus who was martyred here in Orkney. This impressive red and yellow sandstone building is open to the public to visit and has many elaborately decorated and inscribed tombstones that you can admire inside as well as the stained glass windows and other impressive features.
A further stroll around the Orkney Museum, the many gift shops and craft shops, down towards the harbour and back to the bus station seen me arrive there in ample time for my bus back to Orphir and one more stroll back down through single track roads and green fields to Findlay’s Cottage
Tuesday was another early start with Andrew and I setting off in the car to Stromness to catch the 7:42am bus that would then take us part of the way to Yesnaby. Although the Journey was less than 15 minutes and it was early in the day, we were surprised that other than the driver, we were the only people on the bus. Getting off at the top end of Loch of Stenness, we set off on our walk. The first 2 mile of which was a gentle stroll along another single track road with green fields on either side with large numbers of curlew clearly visible off to the left.
As we approached Yesnaby, we started to keep our eyes open for the rare but very pretty Primula Scotica, or Scottish primrose to give it its common name. This distinctive little flower grows only on Orkney and a few parts of the northern Scottish Mainland and nowhere else in the world. After an initial search, Andrew found and identified plenty of evidence for this plant but sadly they had all finished flowering. Fearing we had missed out, we continued to search, with Andrew eventually discovering one solitary plant that was still in flower. Shortly after this, I then discovered a second growing nearby and very prostrate, almost flat to the ground. Delighted to have found even just two in flower, we continued our walk towards the cliffs at Yesnaby while flocks of linnet fed on the short maritime grassland all around us.
Once at Yesnaby, we spent a bit of time exploring the red sandstone cliffs and admiring the fossilised patterns in the rock that appeared to be from ancient sandy beaches with soft ripples formed by gentle waves as well as possible plant like structures and root systems now turned to stone. From here you could view northwards to Marwick Head, and to The Old Man of Hoy in the south. It was in the southerly direction passing Brough of Bigging and Yesnaby Castle, then onwards to Black Craig we set off, admiring the many cliffs, geos (natural inlets in the cliffs, carved out by the sea), stacks and natural arches as we went. Wheatear were very noticeable on the initial stretch of this walk while fulmar seemed to be around every twist and turn along the cliffs, resting on precarious ledges or simply gliding around in their effortless fashion.
Just short of Black Craig we stopped for lunch and were entertained by several cronking and tumbling ravens, another bird that there seemed to be no shortage of around Orkneys coasts and cliffs. Reaching Black Craig we then turned inland and joined a quite, narrow road leading to Stromness before diverting south again to rejoin the coast. From here we followed some stunning, sandy, rocky coastline with the sunlight glimmering off the water as sanderling, ringed plover and turnstone fed along the edge and redshank flew from rock to rock. Before we knew it, we had reached our destination of Stromness and decided to reward ourselves with a well deserved hot drink and slice of cake from Julia’s Café. The cherry flapjack was to die for!
Later that evening, Ben, Andrew and I joined the Kirkwall kayaking club for an evening’s paddle around Finstown, a sheltered harbour just north of Kirkwall. Not having kayaked in over 30 years, I was very much looking forward to the opportunity, albeit a bit nervous, nerves that got suddenly worse when as just about to enter the water on the kayak I had been loaned for the evening, the instructor informed that my kayak was “a good boat, albeit a little tippy”. Fortunately for me, of the two of us that remained dry and didn’t capsize, I was one. I won’t mention who the other was so as not to embarrass Ben about his unexpected dip…….. Thankfully though, the water was warm and shallow and the evening pleasant and mild.
On Wednesday we set off for Westray, an island to the north of the Orkney archipelago. Catching the ferry at 10:35am and passing many other islands on the way, we landed to the south of the island at 12 noon. Just south of the ferry terminal lies the Sands of Helzie, a beautiful white sandy inlet with gently lapping waves and high sides that would provide shelter from the breeze if there was one. It was there we decided to stop and have a bite of lunch, and while doing so, as if the view itself was not enough, a storm petrel glided past as the ferry we arrived on sailed from view on its return leg. Westray is one of the larger Orkney islands, made up of farmland, rocky coast and some very impressive cliffs. It was while exploring some of these cliffs around Castle O’ Burrian that I got distant views of two puffins but sadly we were about two weeks too late to see them up close as they breed in good numbers around the cliffs there. Once more though, fulmars stole the show and I was again impressed to see the good numbers of them as they went about their business, even coming within a few feet of me as I stood gazing seaward.
Further along the island, having stopped off at a local merchant’s store where I purchased some very tasty biscuits from the Westray Bakehouse, we drove alongside Loch of Swartmill, where we were just dumbfounded by the vast numbers of waders feeding among the expansive muddy banks and shallow waters of the loch. Bar-tailed godwit, knot, dunlin and more ringed plover than I could have ever counted, fed, flew, foraged and roamed. An absolute delight to behold and a vision that I will cherish for a long time to come!
Leaving this oasis for wildlife behind us, we then headed for Pierowall where we would be staying for the night, but continued onwards to Noup Head, the most westerly point of the island with sheer cliffs reaching more than 76 metres above sea level and almost vertical faces, with just enough ledge for the large number of gannets, fulmar, shag and kittiwake that breed there each year. Sadly, although we could see evidence of where their nests had been, I never seen a single kittiwake there or even anywhere around the islands during our whole trip. A very concerning situation, as they should still have been raising young at this point and I would have expected to see them in plenty of locations where they were clearly absent. I can only suspect this is partly down to bird flu which has devastated some seabird and inland gull colonies lately. Gannets seemed to be doing well though, with plenty of young from that season evident on the cliffs, as were the fulmar with their extremely downy chicks, perched on nothing but a narrow slab of flat rock, hardly wider than themselves and tens of metres above the roaring sea far below.
Having then made our way to the pleasant and comfortable Pierowall Hotel, we had dinner and settled in for the night. Ben and Andrew managed to negotiate a later check out time the following morning but as my room need to be vacated by 10am, I thought I would explore the coast around the village while Ben and Andrew had some additional rest. Arising the next morning, the clear skies of the previous day had however been replaced with endless cloud which leaked incessantly. Not to be despondent, I had breakfast, packed my gear and headed out to visit the nearby Westray gallery, just a door away, where I chatted with local artist Peter Brown and even purchased a very well priced oil painting from him of a view of Noup Head, where we had been just the day before, which for a small additional fee, he had posted to me on my return home to save me the worry of transporting it. From there I paid a brief visit to the quaint Westray Heritage Museum, with displays ranging from newspaper cuttings of royal visits to ancient Neolithic artefacts uncovered on the island.
By this time the rain had eased off to light but constant showers, briefly interrupted by heavy downpours, so with hood up and jacket tightly drawn, I ventured off to explore while awaiting Ben and Andrew to arise. Fortunately it didn’t take them too long to appear and we were quickly on our way to another gallery, this time the Wheeling Steen, where I purchased another piece of art to be shipped home and some hot tea and cake that was consumed there and then with vigour! With Ben and Andrew also having also bought some art for the cottage, including one of a natural sea arch located nearby and the weather vastly improving, Andrew set off on a mission to locate the arch and view it for himself. This lead us to a section of coast lined with impressive geos, the natural arch depicted in the artwork and some rough maritime heathland pocketed by small lochans, where a turnstone busily foraging and flipping small stones and moss wandered within a few feet of us, completely oblivious to our presence. Wheatear also graced the rocky heathland and chased each other around before choosing a small promontory to rest upon and observe their landscape with up-stretched necks as if kings or queens, briefly beholding their realm.
Just outside of Pierowall lies Notland Castle, dating mainly to the late 16th century, although never fully completed. This provided an interesting additional stop with the opportunity to explore within the ruin, its various rooms, many gunloops and impressive views from the top, providing commanding views over large parts of the island and out to sea.
Leaving Westray behind us, we then caught the ferry back to Kirkwall where the crossing was once again calm but stare and hope as I wished; there was not a whale, dolphin or even a porpoise to be seen.
Our last full day on the island, Friday was by far the wettest of all. The morning seemed to be just one endless, unceasing torrent of rain, interspersed with spells of gustier wind, designed to blow the rain right through you regardless of where you stood or which direction you faced. Having initially planned to climb Ward Hill, the highest peak around, I quickly re-evaluated my plans due to the fact that you could not even see the hill due to the encompassing rain and decided instead to head for RSPB Hobbister in search of short eared owls and hen harriers with Ben kindly giving me a lift and dropping me there.
On a clear day, the purple heather moorland, which was in full bloom at the time, I’m sure would have been a delight to behold and buzzing with insects, meadow pipits and stonechats flitting about and the occasional hen harrier or short-eared owl quartering low over the heath. As it was however, no insect, bird, or any other creature for that matter was dumb enough to be out there that morning other than me (insert photo from Ben’s camera?). The rutted tracks that ran through the heather had turned to small, fast flowing rivers, forcing me to march through the springy heather as I explored in vain. Giving up any hope after an hour or so, I made my way towards Waulkmill bay where I briefly glimpsed a bird resembling a male hen harrier moving low over the ground before disappearing beyond a rise. As my binoculars and camera had not even made it out my bag by this point, I had to write it off as a possible sighting consisting of 90% certainty and 40% wishful thinking.
Waulkmill Bay was another feature that on a good day would have been a lovely spot to stop off and explore but I kept walking with a determined stride to make it back to the comfort and warmth of the cottage. (insert photo of Waulkmill bay from Ben’s camera?). Making my way to the main road I then detoured down to Swanbister Bay and worked my way around Toy Ness, the area where I heard but didn’t see the curlew way back at the start of the week. Alas, there were no curlew to be seen or heard this time, but in a shallow muddy pool just of the track, a ruff and four knot foraged together, six grey heron flew off from a small lochan nearby, closely followed by a small group of mallard and a bonxie flew along the shore line, settling on a nearby rock. From here it was a relatively straight march back to the cottage where I was happy to get out of my wet clothes, pull on some comfy jammie bottoms and dry t-tshirt, sit with a hot brew, biscuits and contemplate all the wonderful wildlife and scenery I had experienced that week, while gazing dreamily out the window as the weather finally started to clear outside.
Saturday morning we packed the car and prepared to leave, paying a visit to Andrews relatives nearby for coffee beforehand and a few stops to check out some bays and stretches of water in search of new birds to add to our growing list as we headed to the ferry. Wren, cormorant, wigeon and gadwall all made it on to the list that morning, bringing my personal list for birds seen on the islands up to 60! The crossing this time was a bit of a damp occasion so I elected to remain inside. However, once reaching the mainland, a brief detour and pit stop at Dunnett Head provided a last opportunity to gaze across to the islands and wish them au revoir!
Despite the occasional spell of poor weather, the open skies, fresh air, stunning views and rich wildlife that I had enjoyed so much, whetted my appetite for a return visit and it is with great hope that I plan to return again next year to experience once more the delights that Orkney holds and explore its treasures further.
