Day 57: Sail from Scrabster, Caithness to Holm of Grimbister, Orkney Mainland

Virtual Walk: Scotland 2021

2nd March 2021: 76.86km walked today taking the total to 5882.24/8868km. 8.5% of 102 entries submitting 904.20km.

We sail the Pentland Firth passing Hoy to make landfall on Mainland Orkney where we follow the West Coast Walk, with breath-taking views, history and ancient archaeology, on our way to Kirkwall.

Route 18: Orkney

We board the MV Hamnavoe for our one-and-a-half-hour sail to Stromness, Orkney Mainland. The first island we pass in the Orkney Archipelago is Hoy, one of Orkney’s 70 islands of which 20 are inhabited. Hoy is the second largest of the islands, whose name in Norse means ‘high island’, as it has some of the highest sea cliffs in the UK at St John’s Head (350 metres). From the ferry, we get the best view of its famous landmark, the Old Man of Hoy, a red sandstone sea stack towering 137 metres, again one of the tallest in the UK. The stack came into existence in 1750 due to coastal erosion; for the same reason, it will one day collapse into the sea. It was first scaled in 1966 and is usually climbed 50 times a year.

As we won't be visiting Hoy this visit there are a few other interesting things to share as we sail past. Hoy is home to Orkney’s only woodland in the valley of Berriedale. In fact, the native woodland is thought to be 10,000 years old with species including hazel, birch, and rowan. The northern part of the island is also an RSPB Nature Reserve. The Dwarfie Stane is a megalithic chambered tomb sited between 2 settlements. It is the only one in Orkney and is unique to northern Europe. A legend gives it the name; a dwarf named Trollid is said to have lived there, but he also has competition, as it is also claimed the tomb was the work of giants. Walter Scott wrote of it in ‘The Pirate’ in 1821.

Given the Islands’ strategic position, they have always been frequented by the military. Hoy is no different, with the construction of the Martello Towers in the 19th century at Hackness and Crockness; 2 defensive forts built during the French Revolutionary Wars and used until the arrival of more powerful artillery made them obsolete. You can visit the tower at Hackness, now a museum run by Historic Environment Scotland. During both World Wars, the main naval base was sited at Lyness with the British fleet anchored at Scapa Flow. During World War 2 there were over 12,000 personnel based here; in comparison, at the 2011 Census, the Hoy population was 419!

We continue to sail through Hoy Sound, into Clestrain Sound and on into Stromness Harbour, where we disembark.

Welcome to Orkney, where locals are called Orcadians! The main island is famous for The Heart of Neolithic Orkney, a famous World Heritage UNESCO Site comprising Skara Brae, Ring of Brodgar, Stones of Stenness and Maeshowe. We’ll be visiting all of these plus a few others on our visit here. The largest landowner is the RSPB with 113 nature reserves. It's a beautiful place, low-lying, where you are never far from water. We arrive just after the summer solstice, so it gets dark just after 10pm: we have nearly 18 hours of sunlight before it sets below the horizon. The summer solstice is observed as the ‘simmer dim’ on Orkney and Shetland, as there is no true darkness, simply a period of twilight. If we were to arrive in the winter months, as it is in the far north with very little light pollution, we would be in the ideal place to witness the aurora borealis or ‘northern lights’.

Stromness comes from Norse meaning ‘Headland protruding into the tidal stream’. Its original name was Hamnavoe, ‘safe haven’, after which the ferry is named. Orkney belonged to Norway until in 1468 when Christian I, King of Norway, pledged the islands as security for his daughter’s dowry, on her marriage to James III. The money was never paid so in 1471 Orkney became part of Scotland. There will be more Norse stories as we progress!

Stromness is a long-established seaport, full of characterful winding streets and alleys lined with houses of varying age built from local stone. In the 1600s, its importance was elevated during the wars with France when ships avoided sailing the English Channel. Orkney menfolk were often traders, explorers, or seamen, and quite often a mix of all 3. In 1780, Captain Cook’s ships, ‘Discovery’ and ‘Resolution’, called into the harbour on their return from Hawaii where Cook had been killed. This was their first landing on British soil, and they traded with the locals using Cook’s possessions. As a result, there are a number of his voyage artefacts on the island: at Stromness Museum and Skaill House.

Another historical acquaintance was Hugh Miller, remember the geologist from Cromarty? He visited the islands to search for fossils, regularly giving donations of what he found to the Museum. He wrote a book about his experience in 1850, ‘Footprints of the Creator: Or the Asterolepis of Stromness’ which went on to have an influence in Darwin’s ‘The Origin of the Species’

During World War 2, as with Hoy, the numbers in Stromness swelled and Stromness Hotel became the Orkney and Shetland Defence Forces headquarters. The locals benefitted from the latest films, drinking parlours and dances plus celebrity visits, all to entertain the troops, including George Formby and Gracie Fields. After the war these activities were greatly missed by the residents, so Stromness Shopping Week was created in 1948; an annual gala with parades, competitions, fairground rides, acts and shows. It is still held every July and is a showcase of community spirit with lots of fun and games. Claims to fame? Robert Shaw, the actor of ‘Jaws’ fame, lived here for a number of years as a boy; his father was the town doctor and he cut his acting teeth in plays at Stromness Town Hall.

As the second-largest town on the Islands, the harbour mainly handles crab and lobster exports through the Orkney Fishermen's Society. White fish is not permitted to be landed commercially in Orkney as it isn’t a designated European landing port. A lot of ex-fishing boats take divers out to the wrecks at Scapa Flow and the harbour has also, in recent years, become one of the top international centres for marine renewable energy.

We wander through the narrow streets heading south and, as we leave the houses behind, looking back there is a great view of Stromness. We follow the path through the campsite, alongside the golf course to the Point of Ness. Here we have views down the Clestrain Sound, across to the Bay of Ireland on the mainland shore opposite, and to Graemsay, known as ‘Orkney’s green isle’ because of its flourishing plant life. There is a small population on the island, and much of the land is given over to wildlife. Given its position, the island has two lighthouses built by Alan Stevenson in 1851, to direct ships around the island into Hoy Sound.

We will walk the West Coast Walk Stage 1 now which takes us up to Skara Brae. Continuing around the Point we reach Ness Battery, the headquarters of Orkney’s Fixed Defences which also housed a Fire Command. It was a critical point of defence during both World Wars for the western entrance of Scapa Flow where the Royal Navy fleet was anchored. The structures have been stabilised in recent years and guided tours are done by appointment only. The Mess Hall walls are adorned with skilled murals which are interesting to view.

Keeping to the shore trail we arrive at Warbeth (Warebeth) Cemetery. It is still the active burial place for the Stromness people, but also contains war graves as well as the graves of 2 of its notable residents: George MacKay Brown, poet and author, and local artist, Ian McInnes, who illustrated a number of Brown’s books. The beach nearby was once a popular area for gathering kelp stalks, which were dried then burnt to extract soda ash (sodium carbonate). It was used in a number of industries and is also the substance from which baking soda is produced. Kelp is still sourced today for alginates, used as a thickener in food items and toothpaste. We explore the 2 areas before moving along the coast a short distance to cut inland, following roads for just over 2 kilometres until the road ends. Following a track across the fields, we pass a ruin to reach the coast once more at the cliffs of Black Craig. We see an old coast guard observation point, which contains a camera monitoring wave energy for research at Billia Croo by the European Marine Energy Centre based south of here.

We continue along the cliff path with care as this route is one of the most dangerous in Orkney. The coast is rich with geological features and stunning views; inlets, sea stacks and caves, including the sea stack North Gaulton Castle at Neban Point. We negotiate a number of stiles, kissing gates and bridges as we progress towards Yesnaby area, spotting Yesnaby Castle on our approach; both ‘castles’ are popular with climbers.

Progressing along the cliffs on the seaward side of a fence, we pass the Brough of Bigging, a coastal promontory on which a fort once stood. Over the back of the Brough we head down the steps, cross a bridge around the Noust of Bigging inlet, to arrive at Yesnaby parking area and the World War 2 gunnery buildings. The tiny purple ‘primula scotia’ flower is found in this area between April and June. We search about for the last remaining blooms of the season before continuing on our way along the cliffs, around the inlet of Noust of Borwick, then over a stile to reach Broch of Borwick on a small headland. The Broch’s remains blend with its beautiful surroundings, but it was once a defensive home. It was excavated in 1881 and, after research, it was concluded that given its position, it was a wealthy Iron Age farmstead. The area is suffering from erosion so, with care we move on, reaching boggier ground for a time to pass the Ness of Ramnageo (an inlet), after which we make a gradual climb across the headland to pick up another trail taking us into Skaill. We catch a glimpse of our next destination as we walk, passing Skaill House Farm and skirting the rear of impressive Skaill House, before passing Loch of Skaill to arrive at the Skara Brae Visitor Centre on the Bay of Skaill.

Skara Brae was discovered after a severe storm in 1850, the storm surge having stripped back the earth on a knoll, known to locals as ‘Skerrabra’. The local laird from Skaill House began excavations which revealed 4 houses at that time. Then the site lay undisturbed until 1913 when it was plundered of artefacts, to be followed by further storm damage in 1924. It was at this point it was decided the site needed to be investigated further and secured. Numerous excavations and studies have followed. What was uncovered is Europe’s best-preserved Neolithic Age village and, as a result, Skara Brae was declared a World Heritage UNESCO site in 1999, part of The Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site. It is cared for by Historic Environment Scotland.

The village would have been inhabited around 3100-2500 BC when, at that point, it would have been further inland. There is a cosiness to the layout and the houses were all of similar construction; they contained hearths, dressers, cupboards, seats and bed areas, drainage, and even indoor toilets. They used Grooved Ware pottery, which is unique to Orkney and found at other sites; this gave archaeologists the understanding that they farmed, hunted, and fished for food, raised animals and crafted everyday and decorative items from rock, stones and bone. It isn’t really known why the residents left, but it was abandoned at some point and the village became buried over time. Even today, there is concern that parts of the village could be reclaimed by the sea, as coastal erosion is a problem here, and although sea defences have been added it remains a constant battle.

We make our way over the mounds on purpose-built walkways, built to protect the site from the large number of visitors it now receives. There is a replica home constructed, which we enter and wander to appreciate how all the stone structures within would have worked together as a comfortable home. We then head over to visit Skaill House, on whose land the village was discovered; the ticket to visit the village also includes a visit here. The house overlooks the Bay of Skaill and the Neolithic site and is the most complete 17th-century country mansion in Orkney. The name Skaill is an old Norse word meaning ‘hall’ and part of the house is built on a pre-Viking burial ground. A simple manor house was built in 1620 by Bishop George Graham and was added to and upgraded over time. The house remains in the family but has been open to the public since 1997, exhibiting as a 1950s family home. It contains a number of interesting artefacts from the collections of its 12 lairds, including Captain Cook’s dinner service!

We leave this fascinating area with a walk along the Bay of Skaill Beach, then follow a loop road to climb over a stile at a stone dyke to continue the trail along the coast. We are now on West Coast Walk Stage 2 and are back to negotiating more geos and stiles for 3 kilometres, but the path is a good one. We reach The Spord, another sea stack, and head around Outshore Point. After a few more geos we come upon fisherman’s huts embedded in the cliffside at Sand Geo as we head towards Marwick Bay. The Marwick fishermen built these huts between 1898-1913 after their usual fishing ground was disturbed by the beaching of a steamer. We can still see the winch used to haul the boats up onto the beach which is believed to have come from that vessel. The area is within the Marwick Head RSPB Nature Reserve.

Reaching Marwick Bay, after the car park, we walk behind a wall built to protect farmland from winter storms. We descend to a stony beach before our path climbs once more on to the cliffs and the site of the Kitchener Memorial. The Memorial was erected in 1926 by the Orkney people to remember the Minister of War, Lord Kitchener, and the crew of the HMS Hampshire, who died in 1916 when their ship hit a mine 2.5 kilometres offshore here. She set sail with Lord Kitchener on a diplomatic mission to Russia but hit an enemy mine in stormy seas; of the 737 aboard only 12 survived.

We continue along the grassy clifftop path for a time before the path descends, the cliffs losing their height until we are walking a grassy trail alongside a beach. We climb over a stile to continue on grassland to the Point of Snusan, where we watch seals basking on the beach before heading through a gate that takes us along an uphill track to Birsay village. We pass St Magnus’s Church, standing on the site of a church from 1064, then some small cottages to arrive at the ruins of the Earl’s Palace, Birsay. This was once the residence of Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Orkney, the illegitimate son of James V, and Mary Queen of Scot’s half-brother. However, the castle did not have a long life, having been built by Robert between 1569-74 its life ended with the overthrow of the Stewart Earls in 1613. When Oliver Cromwell passed through in 1653, the building was already in a poor state, having been used by their successors until the mid-1600s; by 1700 it was roofless and deteriorating. The remains of the courtyard castle are actually in a good state of ‘completeness’ and are quite imposing given the rural coastal setting. They are in the care of Historic Environment Scotland.

We move on, following the coastal road around Birsay Bay to Point of Buckquoy. As it is low tide, we cross the Brough Sound on the zigzagging causeway, with interesting rock pools either side, onto the island of Brough of Birsay. The name, yet again, has Norse history, ‘Byrgisey’ meaning ‘the fort island’. It might be small, but it contains a huge amount of history and archaeology with Pictish, Norse and medieval remains here. On our right, as we reach the top of the steep ramp to reach the island’s plateau, there are a large number of stones forming walls and floors. This is part of a Norse building, built over the top of an earlier Pictish settlement. Straight ahead is the most intact remains on the island, an old church constructed in c1100 and dedicated to St Peter. Although St Magnus was built on the mainland this place still remained a place of pilgrimage in the Middle Ages. There is evidence in the stones of Pictish residents here c600-700 AD. Whether they were displaced or killed when the Norse arrived in 800 AD is not known. The settlement would have been bigger but, like Skara Brae, it has suffered from coastal erosion; what does remain is interesting though as there is evidence of a bathhouse, sauna and drainage.

We follow the grass cut path over to the other side of the island to visit the Brough of Birsay Lighthouse, constructed in 1925 by David A Stevenson. The steep cliffs offer great views out over the North Sea and we may even spot a puffin on the ledges below the lighthouse. We make our way back around the island cliff tops to cross the causeway before it disappears underwater once more.

Back on Mainland, we follow the signpost to Skipi Geo (also known as Skiba Geo). We see a 19th-century fishing hut nestled into the hillside beside the nousts, and steps cut into the cliffs down to the beach. This stony inlet has been used as a natural harbour for centuries and the boat-shaped hollows in the earth, called nousts, have been used since Viking times to store and protect boats from winter storms. Slightly further along, at the Point of Nether Queena, we see The Whale Bone, a ‘memorial’ to a Right Whale washed ashore at Doonagua Geo in the 1870s. The folk in the Northside area bought the whale from the receiver of wrecks, who usually sold them to a Leith company who boiled down the blubber for oil and ground down the bones to make bone meal fertilizer. The locals hoped to make some money by doing this themselves, which they managed fairly well, but they didn’t have the lifting gear to turn the whale over, so the remainder was left to decay on the beach. It is thought that the ‘sculpture’ appeared in c1880; the post is part of the jawbone and the top is the back of the skull. As to why? It is thought to mark a fishing spot the most likely explanation; some have suggested a landmark, or it was erected as a mark of respect to the dead whale. However, it was common practice to use or display whale bones on Orkney and, whatever the reason for it, it appears very ‘Viking’ in appearance.

From the Whale Bone, the path takes us back into the village where we join the A966. We now have a road walk of nearly 14 kilometres, around the head of Loch of Swannay to Evie, a small north coast village on the Eynhallow Sound. Here we have views of Rousay and the Burgar Hill wind turbine which overshadows the village. We bear left to return to the coast and walk the Sands of Evie on Aikerness Bay, where we pause for a time and take a well-earned dip! We continue around the Point of Helia to the road end and Broch of Gurness. From here, Rousay is just across the Sound; I’ll tell you more about that island after our visit to the Broch.

Broch of Gurness is a broch village which began at some point before 200 BC. A broch tower with ditches and ramparts was constructed, occupied by the chief family and, around which, a settlement grew. The broch was abandoned at some point around 100 AD but a single-family continued on with a farmstead, in what is called the ‘Shamrock House’, due to the shape of its floor plan sited next to the visitor centre; this too was abandoned by 600 AD. The remains are the best example of such a place, despite the fact that during Viking occupation these sites were sometimes used as burial chambers; the grave of a Viking woman was found at Gurness. We wander along the ditches, through the doorway into the broch itself then explore the passageways to this intriguing place before following our route back onto the A966.

We walk the A966 for a short time before turning left along a minor shore road to pass through Tingwell, where you can get the ferry to Rousay and Wyre. These are 2 islands which sit side by side across the Gairsay Sound, which is named after the third uninhabited island we can see. The sixth largest of the Orkney archipelago, over the centuries Rousay has had a few names, Rousay being the last name change in 1549. The ferry arrives at Trumland Pier, the only settlement of any size on the island, where Trumland Visitor Centre doubles as the ferry waiting room. A single road provides a circular route around the island for the c200 residents as well as tourists. It is often referred to as ‘The Egypt of the North’ because of the wealth of archaeology discovered here, having 166 sites including Midhowe Broch and Cairn, The Blackhammer, Knowe of Yarso and Taversoe Tuick Cairns.

Wyre is one of the smallest islands of the archipelago. It is low-lying and known for its common and grey seals, as well as birdlife. It contains its own little piece of Norse history with Cubbie Roo’s Castle and St Mary’s Chapel, both of which were built in the 12th century. Edwin Muir, Scottish Renaissance writer, had his childhood here at The Bu farm near the castle. There is a bit of history to the area; worth looking up when you have time.

Just past the Tingwall Harbour is the Fernvalley Wildlife Centre, the most northerly wildlife centre in the UK, who take in unwanted pets for rehoming or give a home to unwanted animals. We continue to follow the Gorseness Road out of Tingwall, around the coast of Gairsay Sound on to Wide Firth, where the settlements of Rendall and Gorseness are located. At Widefirth Bay we pass a solitary beehive doocot dating from the 17th century standing near the shore, called the doocot of the Hall of Rendall. The doocot was built to house pigeons to breed for the dinner table, and their dung was also used as fertilizer; pigeons still live in this one so watch your feet if you venture in!

We continue for another 10 kilometres with a view of the coast as we progress, passing through Gorseness and Isbister before re-joining the main A966 road at Norseman Village taking us to Finstown. The fourth-largest settlement in the islands, it was originally called Toon o’Firth but its name changed after an Irishman named David Phin settled here. He was a Napoleonic Wars veteran and opened the Toddy Hole Ale House in 1822. After a quarrel, he left for Aberdeen, but his name stayed on, though the Pomona Inn now stands where the alehouse stood. We keep to the coast through Finstown, then onto the A965 to walk along the Bay of Firth. We enjoy views along the northern coast of Mainland including the islands of Gairsay and Shapinsay as we walk past the Holm of Grimbister, a tidal islet at Holm Point, on our way to Kirkwall. We pass near a few hill cairns and earth houses as we do so; Cuween Hill Chambered Cairn, Wideford Hill Cairn and Rennibister Earth House. They are all fine examples of their structures dating back 5,000 years; all are in the care of Historic Environment Scotland. Once in Kirkwall, we will visit the Grain Earth House near the harbour.