What to do on arrival

What do you do first when you arrive in a place you know well. It could be home, or your good friend’s place, or maybe at your parents’ house. Do you have a routine? Something you do to recognise your arrival? A ritual? A place you put your keys, Putting on your slippers? Getting a cold drink from the fridge?

Arriving on Westray for me always used to involve a quick trip to the Skello shop for bread and milk essentials together with a small tub of Raspberry Orkney ice cream. There’s a bench overlooking the bay now, but I still preferred sitting on the rocks to eat it and mark my arrival.

However, the shop isn’t open until 3pm and Orkney Ice Cream no longer make raspberry flavour. I know, scandalous, isn’t it? Strawberry just doesn’t cut it. And unless chocolate flavour ice cream is made with expensive chocolate, it always tastes of gravy granules to me.

I’ll just have to go and say hello to the birds instead. At the Bay of Swartmill, the Sand Martins are feeding. It’s a blustery day with a strong wind along the beach. That helps me a great deal because they are slow moving against the wind.

I love how textured their feathers are:

And how streamlined their bodies.

It’s the perfect welcome to Westray. I look forward to sharing my adventures here with you. Sadly, without the raspberry ice cream.