
Hen Harriers at The Loons
I’m going to London for the weekend. That means getting the ferry from Westray to the Mainland first. No, not the mainland …
I’m going to London for the weekend. That means getting the ferry from Westray to the Mainland first. No, not the mainland …
Orkney Museum has an assortment of stone balls in its cabinets. They’re from the Neolithic and our ancestors kept them and prized …
10 ways you know you’re in Orkney Orkney is a very special place. What makes it so special? Here are ten ways …
On Mainland Orkney stands the Kitchener Memorial. Have you noticed the three sheep making use of its shadow? Horatio Herbert Kitchener died …
There are two beautifully contrasting colours of Devonian sandstone in St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall in Orkney. Both are 380 million years …
It’s from the 6th or 7th Century. It’s carved in sandstone and was excavated by amateurs in 1936 from the ruins of …
In 2020 I managed two trips to Orkney. I did it by self-isolating for two weeks before travelling and then taking all …
A noust is a boat-shaped hollow. It’s an ancient word from Scandinavia. There are nousts made from stone laid by Vikings on …
We’re at the Standing Stones of Stenness when a sheep stares at me. There are only four of the twelve ancient stones …
It’s time for me to catch the ferry away from Orkney for a short while. I have an evening to spare and …
The turning of the year is always a great time for reflection. Celebrating the darkest day with the thought that longer days, …
The weather in Orkney may be grey but it’s never dull. I’m waiting at Kirkwall harbour for the Westray ferry when I …
My house is called Einar, just like the Viking Earl of Orkney mentioned in the Orkneyinga Saga. That’s because of a spelling …
I’m on a day trip to the Mainland. That’s the mainland of Orkney. In the harbour at Scapa there’s a bird paddling …
There’s a Redshank on the rocks. I don’t think it wants to fly away. That would mean getting its leg out and …
Ringed Plover are meant to breed on the coast. Human destruction of the environment means they now breed in gravel pits and …
Turnstones have a lovely mottled plumage. They always look as if they are in transition to me. Have they decided how their …
Changing a road system is always a problem. There’s the planning, the time it takes to do the work and then there’s …
It’s only a few minutes after dawn and there’s a Redshank on the Peedie Sea. I can’t quite believe it’s being quiet. …
Arriving off the Aberdeen ferry at nearly midnight gives me a quandary. Is it worth paying a small fortune for a few …
Meadow Pipits are very common birds of farmland. It’s the most common songbird in upland Britain. They thrive in Orkney. They fly …
There’s a bumble bee on this thistle. At least I think it’s a bee. Then I see its eyes. Its eyes are …
The UK is full of butterflies at the moment. It’s a once in a decade phenomenon. Have you seen one? They are …
Arriving in Orkney by ferry is a great experience. We’ve got a day on the Mainland before heading to Westray on yet …
I’m hoping to see a Hen Harrier today. I’m going to visit the Eddie Balfour hide on the mainland of Orkney. The …
There are Starlings in the sky. Their plumage sparkles like stars that twinkle in the daytime. Their green and purple iridescence is …
At Stenness stands a stone circle over 4,000 years old. The stones are surrounded by a ditch cut into the bedrock. The …
I’m wandering the shore at Kirkwall Harbour for an hour before the ferry takes me to Westray. I’m loving the complex singing …
I’ve just woken up in a Viking city. A city which is only part of the UK, and not Norway, because King …
When I first arrived in Orkney 11 years ago I hated it. I had high expectations of an interesting and historic place …