Not Boaring
A quick trip out this afternoon to visit Mr and Mrs Pig the neighbours, their boar Alfie and their heavily pregnant sow …
Filling Up
There’s now only one source of petrol and diesel on the Island – and this is it. We’re on bicycles for a …
Cattle at Inga Ness
This afternoon there was time to cycle to East Kirbest and walk to Inga Ness, skirting Skea Hill and to look out …
The deserted village
Cycling to the Westside of Westray I can see the Netherhouse in silhouette. A series of dwellings built up the hill, the …
Second place is nowhere
The most important archaeological find of last year was found on the remote Orkney island of Westray; or at least it was …
Sunset over Grobust
Grobust is one of my favourite beaches on Westray. Here it is at sunset.
Sunset over Grobust #2
Grobust is a place I could (and do) go back to again and again. Being up before dawn and going to bed …
Watching Westray fade into the distance
The Earl Thorfinn is a smooth ferry ride today and sails easily over the still waters between Westray and Mainland Orkney. I …
Bike. Beach. Breathtaking.
Let me never be immune to the spell this Island casts.
Moving to Orkney
It’s sunny this afternoon, so it’s out into the garden to catch a rare photograph of the back of Einar in the …
A useful range of outbuildings
Whenever you look at property details in Orkney there’s one phrase that keeps on being repeated. Yes, the word ‘ruinous’ is used …
Death to Drosophila #2
Isn’t technology wonderful? The advancement of science never ceases to amaze me. Instead of bashing fruit flies with my precious copy of …
Mobile Madness
Teenagers. A month away with no cooker, fridge or washing machine is fine for the three of them. But a month without …
Lady Kirk
In 1136, Earl Rognvald went to church at Pierowall in Westray at the start of his campaign to subjugate Orkney. Or at …
Wheeling Steen
A morning trip out on [[Westray]] leads me to the Wheeling Steen gallery and tea rooms. It’s hard to believe quite how …
Bulls
It seems that in every field of valuable cattle is a magnificent beast – the even more valuable bull. Strange fellows, with …
Orange Glow
The side of Fitty Hill is bathed in the orange glow of sunset as I reach the summit at 169m.
Climbing Fitty Hill
A miserable grey day of rain and more rain. The Met. Office say it will clear later. What do they know? I’d …
Cash Pointless
Westray is small and remote but not that small and remote. It has hotels, B&Bs, restaurants (in the hotels) a takeaway (twice …
The Sands of Woo
Worm casts at the Sands of Woo.
The Bay of Tafts
The Bay of Tafts
An afternoon with an Otter
A cycle ride to Mae Sands and a picnic of bread, cheese and water with a nice apple. Mae Sands is so …
Pitter patter on the window
It’s late at night and I’m sitting on the wide window ledge in the kitchen. The light is on and the curtains …
The Knowe o’ Skea
Looking out from the Knowe o’ Skea Iron age burial ground across the skerries towards Rousay in the distance.
Running away to the circus
No, not that kind of circus. I mean Circus cyaneus, the Hen Harrier. Sitting in the window seat looking over the fields …
Will you still love me when I’m grey?
The wind whistles on Westray today and clouds shroud the hills as I hear the wind saying “Will you still love me …
Making Hay
Yesterday was a wonderful sunny day so farmers were busy cutting the grass to make hay whilst flocks of gulls followed. The …
Noup Head Panorama
Noup Head is my destination by bicycle today, as it was yesterday. The crushed stone path is so rough that my bicycle …
Gannets
Gannets have started breeding on the Noup Head cliffs and are taking over many of the narrow ledges and expanding the number …