Ferry Fare
I’m on the Westray-bound ferry and suffering from heavy teas.
Long shadows
Orkney’s Neolithic past casts long shadows over its current landscape; literally and metaphorically. Here’s one of the Standing Stones of Stenness and …
Untouchable and Indomitable
Aberdeen. The oil capital of Europe. A place of granite and liquid black gold. A place of millionaires, the biggest heliport in …
Dog Years
Meg remembers me even though it’s been two years since she’s seen me. That’s even longer in dog years.
Breezy
My dad says “I think it’s going to be breezy in Orkney today.” I say “I think it’s going to be Orkney.” …
Westray Sky
The clouds are as insubstantial as gossamer and float in ethereal whisps above the rugged rocks.
Birds on The Scaun
Shags and gulls face the wind as huge turquoise waves break at The Scaun.
Muster Stations
It’s time to board the Westray Ferry and to hear the familiar Orcadian voice telling us about the ‘Emergency Procedure’ and ‘Muster …
Rust bucket
Rust peppers the sides of an abandoned ambulance at The Tomb of the Eagles.
The Tomb of the Eagles
It’s a stunning day on Mainland Orkney and there’s plenty of time for a trip to The Tomb of the Eagles. The …
Human hands
Human hands encircle the Totem Pole carved by the First Nations and Orcadian Totem Pole Carving Project in 2007.
First Nation
Orkney is alive with archaeology, with neolithic and bronze age sites scattered all around the Islands. It’s a fitting place for a …
“Where I, in leaving, leave a part of my heart”.
The Italian Chapel was made on Orkney from two Nissen huts and scraps by Italian prisoners of war: “All the materials for …
First glimpse of the Italian Chapel
The most visited attraction on Orkney is free to visit, was constructed from scrap and Nissen huts and built entirely by Italian …
Not Vanilla
There’s just time to nip to Rendall’s (one of the three shops on the Island) to get supplies. It’s yoghurt I’m after…
Whaup
Curlews are called Whaups in Orkney and there are thousands of them here all year round. They’re our biggest wading bird and …
The Chain-Links of Noltland
Today we visited the Links of Noltland. The chain-link fence has seen better days.
Rust at Rapness
The iron sheets holding the concrete protection for the Orkney Ferries terminal at Rapness are beautiful in this light.
400 million years of separation
Glad to be alive? Thank a plant today. The oxygen you breathe, the food you eat and the fuel you burn all …
I wish days like these would last,
And never fade into the past.
Putting the world to rights
Beer, football, conversation, soup, bread, cheese and putting the world to rights. A lovely evening, topped off with a gift of tatties …
Waxcaps
On Fitty Hill I’m surprised to find a wonderful collection of Waxcaps. These fungi are classic inhabitants of poor, unimproved grassland and …
Devil’s-Bit Scabious
The slopes of Fitty Hill are alive with flowers and the glorious lilac of Devil’s-Bit Scabious waves in the light breeze. There …
Primula scotica – tiny, delicate and beautiful
It’s a long climb up to the top of Fitty Hill. As we walk there are two fences where the ground changes …
Gone looking for the Scottish primrose. → 26 August, 2013
Pulling a Pollock
It’s a misty morning so our fishing trip gets delayed from its planned 7am start. By mid morning, though, it’s beautifully bright …
Fog
It’s foggy this morning. A grey blanket covers the fields around Einar.
Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.
If you want to know what cycling on Westray is like…
…then you really need to watch this hilarious video by some random stranger on YouTube: This is the road I cycle on …