
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 …
The higher the sun, the lower the rainbow. The lower the sun, the higher the rainbow. This photograph must have been taken …
Orkney’s Italian Chapel is a jewel, a relic, a prayer and a tiny beacon of hope. It’s also a spectacular work of …
My trips to Orkney in 2018 were full of wildlife surprises. I spent some time in the summer with the Black Guillemots …
Here’s another of my favourite poems by Orcadian poet Edwin Muir. The Bird Adventurous bird walking upon the air,Like a schoolboy running …
Back in July I saw a wader on the rocky coast. I didn’t recognise it so I knew I had to get …
If you’re on Westray in Orkney you have a once a year chance to get a ferry direct to the neighbouring island, …
There’s a Ringed Plover on the shoreline of North Ronaldsay, one of the most northerly islands of Orkney: I creep closer to …
Oystercatchers are known as Skeldro, Chaldro, or Shaalder in Orkney. If you think those names are difficult, internationally they are known as …
The Northlink Ferry from Scrabster on the Scotland mainland to Stromness on the Orkney Mainland is always entertaining, thankfully in a good …
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 is magnificent. It’s been the victim of overfishing, suffered from industrial and agricultural runoff, dredging, and dumping of waste. …
I’ve been in and around Orkney for ten years and never been to some of the outer islands. Being in Westray means …
I’m heading to one of the North Isles of Orkney, which are North Isles themselves. I took this photograph of the North …
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.
Nothing can fully prepare you for coming to Orkney for the first time but I’m going to try. You probably already know …
Orkney’s Italian Chapel was once part of a large complex of Nissen huts with tracks and gardens. For many years it has …
I’ve always felt a close connection to the poetry of Edwin Muir. His themes include loss and betrayal, life and death, and …
One of the first times I heard of Orkney was when I read Edwin Muir’s poetry. It was so strong, so vivid …
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
On board.
The MV Varagen was built in Selby in 1989 and weighs 928 tonnes unladen. I’m currently thanking Archimedes that it floats.
Scapa flow is at the very heart of Orkney. It is a beautiful shallow harbour of 125 square miles surrounded by islands. …
An island three miles wide by six long with a population of 300 people which has a huge exclusive-use castle on a …
Scaffolding follows me wherever I go. I spent months with scaffolding on both the front and the back of my house. Every …
Imagine being born in the Italian Alps in a tiny town in the mountains. Imagine being an artist. Imagine a fascist government …
The Safe Zephyrus is a floating hotel in Orkney’s Scapa Flow. I wonder if i can find it on AirBnB? According to …
Is it just me or does the Orkney island of Flotta look quite barren from the air?
The island of North Ronaldsay is famous for its sheep who live on seaweed and are kept off the fields by dry …