Reading the Runes at KOI

It’s time for a day trip to the bright lights and the big city of Kirkwall. That means either an hour and a half on the ferry from Westray to Kirkwall or a quick island-hopping flight from Westray airfield to KOI – Kirkwall Orkney Islands – airport. It’s only £19 return (at least it is if you’re travelling out and back from Westray) and you get the added excitement of touching down on Papa Westray after a two minute flight from Westray on the world’s shortest scheduled air flight.

At Kirkwall there are runes to greet us. It says Krimsitir, or Grimsetter, the original name for the place where the airport was built by the RAF in 1940. We pay our respects to the people of the past through the names we bear.