Sunset over the waves
It’s sunset on Westray and I’ve abandoned the car on the grass and marched off to the sea. It’s magnificent in this …
Splash!
The seas are magical here. There are exhilarating waves at the Knowe o’ Skea. Out on the skerries, the wary Shags gather, …
The North our home, the sea our friend #5
The turquoise water off Westray breaks like a lacework of ice, frozen at 1/2000th of a second.
Limpets and gypsum pseudomorphs
A fine day means the chance to walk the Westray coast: The blues are spectacular and the rocks are fascinating In the …
The Fulmars of Backarass
We’re walking down past Backarass on Westray. It’s a special landscape of shattered rocks and still pools: The weather is fabulous and …
The North our home, the sea our friend #4
Earth exists in a goldilocks zone for life; the temperature is just right for liquid water. We are all here because of …
The Orkney Ram
The three rams at Backarass are in a huddle. They are all fine, big boys but not quite yet of Derby Ram …
The North our home, the sea our friend #3
As soon as you look at the universe as a whole, everything looks very different. As soon as you look at something …
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 …
The North our home, the sea our friend #2
The north end of Westray is completely different from the south. There are bare cliffs, epic rock features and spectacular waves. Here’s …
The North our home, the sea our friend #1
In Latin, that’s ‘Boreas domus, mare amicus’. It’s the motto of Orkney. Isn’t the sea amazing? It’s the power and the fragility, …
2018 highlights of walking the Westray Coast 50
In 2017 I had a wild idea; I was going to walk the entire coast of the Orkney island of Westray in …
Westray Coast 50 – Day Five
My adventures on the fifth of five days walking the entire coast of Westray.
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.
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 …
The Bay of Skaill
On a glorious day on Westray this boat on the Ouse on the Bay of Skaill makes a beautiful scene:
Driftwood
There are precious few trees on Westray. Wood for buildings was a scarce material and driftwood was always salvaged by Islanders and …
Foam and spray
The coast of Westray on any day is invigorating:
Go to the edge of the land and stare at the sea as the sun sets
Get out of the house. Stop staring at a screen. Ignore the day-to-day. Take some time. Go on a trip. Immerse yourself …
They say ‘Take only pictures, leave only footsteps’
They say ‘Take only pictures, leave only footsteps,’ but we decided to take a footstep home. I just need to draw a …
Rainbow waves
At the north end of Westray the Atlantic is unrestrained and waves crash into the coast making blowholes, sea caves and spectacular …
Mae Sands
Much of Mae Sands is so low-lying that it never really drains of seawater. Walking on it looks beguiling, but wet feet …
Green pools
Westray’s coastline has magnificent layers of sedimentary rocks. In places there are folds and cracks: A crack in the rocks leads to …
The Atlantic
Westray has two sides: a North Sea side and an Atlantic Ocean side. They meet with dramatic consequences at the northernmost and …
Up, across or down?
The Westray coastline is so beautiful on a glorious day it’s hard to know whether to look up, look across or look …
Whaup Whaup overhead
A trip to the Bay of Skaill reveals the shallow turquoise waters which look Caribbean to someone as starved of heat as …