The Great Chicken Disaster of 1952
There’s a reason chickens are mostly kept inside in Westray. It’s because of the great chicken disaster of 1952. On 15 January …
Regatta Day
I love the Westray Regatta. I don’t understand which boats are which. I don’t know the rules. I don’t know where they …
The pattern of Tangle dykes at Grobust
Westray has traces of a formerly thriving seaweed industry scattered above many of its shores. These kelp-drying walls are called tangle dykes, …
Partan and the famed red leather from Persia
I find crabs endlessly fascinating. We’re out on a creel boat and I’m enjoying seeing crabs being hauled in. How marvellous is …
“O whare will I get a skeely skipper?”
We’re on another adventure today. We’re going out on a creel boat from Pierowall with skipper Stewart McNab. He’s a local, born …
Fattie cutties and Kevin the kayaKing
My friend sends me a message saying her son is on the island with his, “Ace wife”. “Do meet him”, her message …
The tortoise and the hare
We’re watching a kayaker paddle across Pierowall Bay with his fishing rod safely stowed when a motorboat comes past. Which one would …
The bottle in the wall
I’m looking for nests in my garden. I’ve found two occupied ones and an abandoned one with an egg still in it, …
When technology meets Westray
Westray; where technology goes to die. On Westray things that you don’t expect to rust, to rot and to weather, do. Just …
Colourful smile
Buoy oh buoy, what a colourful smile.
Coiled rope
It would be tempting to think that this coiled rope on Westray is a metaphor. It’s a call-back to the very first …
Parasiticus
Animal behaviour is happening all around us; curious acts, of ancient origin, repeated in ever-changing patterns. Living things are incredibly complex, but …
In salutem omnium
Noup Head lighthouse is a major feature of the coast of Westray. Planned in 1895, it was announced in Parliament because, “Her …
A trip on the Golden Mariana
Today’s the day we have a day trip to Papa Westray. We have two choices; a trip on a ferry called Golden …
Honey Bee
No, not that kind of Honey Bee. The metaphorical Honey Bee. Back in 2013 I popped down to the beach with my …
Location of injury
Walking in the garden at the back of Einar I can see a mess of rotten wood painted green, tangled with chicken …
Westray Coast 50 – Day Five
My adventures on the fifth of five days walking the entire coast of Westray.
The Battle of Bere Bannock
The Battle of Bannockburn is a famous Scottish victory in the first Scottish War of Independence. Equally as momentous is the Battle …
Westray Coast 50 – Day Four and a Half
My adventures on the four-and-a-half-th of five days walking the entire coast of Westray.
Westray Coast 50 – Day Four
My adventures on the fourth of five days walking the entire coast of Westray.
Westray Coast 50 – Day Three
My adventures on the third of five days walking the entire coast of Westray.
Westray Coast 50 – Day Two
My adventures on the second of five days walking the entire coast of Westray.
Westray Coast 50 – Day One
My adventures on the first of five days walking the entire coast of Westray.
Groatie Buckies
On the table in the Groatie Buckies cafe on Westray, run by Stewart and Marian Groat, is a jar of Groatie Buckies. …
Edwin and the shipwreck cabin
Westray is a small island and has some really interesting characters; Edwin Rendall is one of them. My theory is that everyone …
Udal Law
The law on who owns what land isn’t as simple as you might think. Living in a country with a name like …
Driftwood
There are precious few trees on Westray. Wood for buildings was a scarce material and driftwood was always salvaged by Islanders and …
Going over the top; walking the coast of Westray
Westray is full of Neolithic, Iron Age and Bronze Age middens; rubbish dumps full of wonderful finds. If you live on a …
Orkney door handle
In Orkney, wood rots and metal rusts. Door handles fall off. A piece of twine through a hole, though? A piece of …
Westray Connections 2017 – The Parade
The Pierowall Village Parade is one of my favourite parts of Westray Connections. There’s something incredibly stirring about the pipes at full …