Orkney: a choice of islands
It would be easy to think, as an outsider, that Orkney is a single place. It isn’t. It’s a whole series of …
Deadwood
There’s a beautiful piece of driftwood on the beach at Sidmouth. It’s the sort of thing which would become an essential structural …
North Ronaldsay and ‘the invention that saved a million ships’
It’s my only chance this year to go to North Ronaldsay from Westray. There’s an inter-island excursion, with a ferry which goes …
Sanday Sunday and a 5,000 year old tomb
I hesitate to tell you about my trip to Sanday. It was awful. I don’t want to paint the island in a …
A day trip to Stronsay
Stronsay is one of the ‘other’ Orkney islands. I’ve not been there before because there’s no way of getting there from Westray …
Island life and using your loaf
I’m on North Ronaldsay for the day. My aim is to cycle and see some wildlife but I’m distracted. There’s a choice …
A voice as soothing as North Ronaldsay sheep’s wool
I’ve been to North Ronaldsay before. It’s an Orkney island which is further north than the south of Norway. Today is one …
Flying shadows
A trip on a light aircraft gives a wonderful perspective of Orkney. Here there are cattle, sheep and our shadow.
View from the ferry
The higher the sun, the lower the rainbow. The lower the sun, the higher the rainbow. This photograph must have been taken …
Peace to you
Orkney’s Italian Chapel is a jewel, a relic, a prayer and a tiny beacon of hope. It’s also a spectacular work of …
2018 highlights of a wilder Orkney life
My trips to Orkney in 2018 were full of wildlife surprises. I spent some time in the summer with the Black Guillemots …
The Bird by Edwin Muir
Here’s another of my favourite poems by Orcadian poet Edwin Muir. The Bird Adventurous bird walking upon the air,Like a schoolboy running …
The Secret Purple Sandpiper
Back in July I saw a wader on the rocky coast. I didn’t recognise it so I knew I had to get …
Arctic Terns on North Ronaldsay
If you’re on Westray in Orkney you have a once a year chance to get a ferry direct to the neighbouring island, …
The Ringed Plover and the broken wing act
There’s a Ringed Plover on the shoreline of North Ronaldsay, one of the most northerly islands of Orkney: I creep closer to …
Sea Pies
Oystercatchers are known as Skeldro, Chaldro, or Shaalder in Orkney. If you think those names are difficult, internationally they are known as …
Barquentine Thalassa
The Northlink Ferry from Scrabster on the Scotland mainland to Stromness on the Orkney Mainland is always entertaining, thankfully in a good …
Taking a selfie with the Old Man
There’s a crowd on the deck of the Northlink Ferry from Scrabster to Stromness. We’re passing the Old Man of Hoy, scene …
The North Sea
The North Sea is magnificent. It’s been the victim of overfishing, suffered from industrial and agricultural runoff, dredging, and dumping of waste. …
Special Sunday Excursion to a living island
I’ve been in and around Orkney for ten years and never been to some of the outer islands. Being in Westray means …
Orkney Ferries to Westray
I’m heading to one of the North Isles of Orkney, which are North Isles themselves. I took this photograph of the North …
Scrabster to Stromness by Northlink Ferry
The Scrabster to Stromness ferry across the Pentland Firth takes about 90 minutes. As we leave mainland Scotland for the Mainland of Orkney there’s a classic Stevenson’s lighthouse.
10 Things I Wish I Had Known Before Visiting Orkney for the First Time
Nothing can fully prepare you for coming to Orkney for the first time but I’m going to try. You probably already know …
The Italian Chapel has twins
Orkney’s Italian Chapel was once part of a large complex of Nissen huts with tracks and gardens. For many years it has …
The Castle – a poem by Edwin Muir
I’ve always felt a close connection to the poetry of Edwin Muir. His themes include loss and betrayal, life and death, and …
The Horses – a poem by Edwin Muir
One of the first times I heard of Orkney was when I read Edwin Muir’s poetry. It was so strong, so vivid …
Round the back of The Italian Chapel
I love the view around the back of the Italian Chapel.
There used to be a floating bank which visited the outer Orkney islands. Now the banker gets the plane and a tour of the Northern Isles is more likely to be a rare example of a ‘stag-do’ pub crawl by motor launch. How cool is that? One pub per island and miles of water in between. That’s one occasion you definitely need a designated driver. → 5 July, 2016
45 degrees. No, that’s not the temperature in Fahrenheit. It’s the angle at which people have to walk in this wind just to keep upright in Orkney. If there’s ever a still day, there must be people falling over all over the Islands, with nothing to keep them upright. → 3 July, 2016
Orkney Ferries
On board.