Beware of Bull
Beware of Bull? That’s strange. I didn’t see any politicians on the way here.
Rock pool
Westray is full of wonderful rock pools. There are over 1,000 species of Sea Anemone on Earth. This looks like Actinia equina. …
Wheeling Steen
It’s a thrill to fly over Westray and see everything from a completely new perspective. I recognise the Wheeling Steen gallery below.
Trivia – where three roads meet
The scientific name of the beautiful Groatie Buckie is Trivia arctica. Its name comes from the Latin trivia, the plural of trivium …
Limpets on the edge
These three limpets are living on the edge. Their shells have been buffeted and battered so much by stones carried by the …
Pebbles, Cobbles and Boulders
I’ve always loved the Westray beach with “The really big pebbles.” I recently discovered that a pebble can’t be any bigger than 64 mm. I think this one must count as a cobble.
Majestic Fulmar
Fulmars historically bred on the isolated island of St. Kilda. They spread into northern Scotland in the 19th century, and to the …
Drip drip drip
If you ever feel as if what you do makes no difference, as if you’re up against overwhelming odds or pushing against …
Green hair
This limpet has the best hair colour – a green fringe of seaweed. Beautiful.
I can also see a ghostly space among the barnacles where a companion limpet used to be. Limpets live 10 to 20 years. That one has gone to its watery grave.
Jackson Pollock
The sea spray at Grobust has an abstract expressionist moment, frozen at 1/1,600th of a second.
Waves crash at Grobust
There’s just time to say goodbye to Grobust on our tour round the Island.
Using my loaf
The secret to a rich semi-wholemeal loaf? A duck egg.
A one egg policy
Fulmars have a strict one egg policy. There are 500,000 breeding pairs in the UK though, so perhaps that’s just as well.
The beauty of Thrift
The Sea Pink or Thrift as it’s also known is utterly stunning on Westray at this time of year.
Something’s been licking the rocks again
Something’s been travelling very slowly and licking the rocks from side to side. It must be the Limpets again.
Danger
You have to watch out for those vertical cliffs on Westray. They’re far more dangerous than horizontal cliffs.
Casting a shadow upon yourself
Evolution is a wonderful thing. Being grey above and white below is a classic countershading strategy used by many seabirds and often …
Thrift
Thrift on the cost of Westray.
Grassy Knoll
On Westray, if there’s a lump in a field, it’s either rubbish dumped by a farmer or an incredibly precious and very …
Sand-between-the-toes
When the sun shines on Grobust beach, it’s time to do what AA Milne described and get sand between the toes. When …
On the edge
Just how close are these two 5,600 year old houses to being lost to the sea? It was a thrill to fly …
Love’s Crashing Waves
The sea spray at the Scaun on the northernmost coast of Westray is like tiny glistening jewels today.
Some Enchanted Evening
In the musical South Pacific, Emile sings ‘Some Enchanted Evening’ where he describes seeing a stranger, knowing that you will see her …
Little Brothers
The scientific name for the Arctic Puffin is Fratercula arctica, or Little Brother of the Arctic. Classy.
“I know whose ducks they come from.”
Whenever I tell someone on Westray how excited I am that I’ve just bought some duck eggs the response is always the …
Fish and chips to diet for
“You have no idea how much I’ve been looking forward to this,” is my enthusiastic remark before ordering a Monk supper at …
Pulcinella di Mare
I love Puffins or, as the Italians have it Pulcinella di Mare; Punch of the Sea. We’re wandering along the cliffs at …