The Atlantic coast
The west coast of Westray is the Atlantic coast. The east coast of Westray is the North Sea coast. It’s possible to …
2022 highlights of a wilder Orkney life (part 1)
2022 was a very happy time for me on my visits to Orkney. I spent hours on the low cliffs and rocks …
Waves
I love a breezy day on Westray. The waves fascinate me. Watching them roll and seeing a small tunnel appear within them, …
2020 highlights of a wilder Orkney life
In 2020 I managed two trips to Orkney. I did it by self-isolating for two weeks before travelling and then taking all …
Atlantic Wave
I love walking the west coast of Westray. On a beautiful day there’s no place like it. I’ve been enjoying getting to …
Heartwave
One August day, while walking the wild west coast of Westray I experienced the most marvellous Atlantic waves. The intense translucent turquoise …
Fire and water
I’m off on a trip to the far west of Madeira. There’s a lighthouse at Ponto do Pargo which sounds great. Firstly …
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.
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 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 …
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, …
Westray Coast 50 – Day Two
My adventures on the second of five days walking the entire coast of Westray.
Foam and spray
The coast of Westray on any day is invigorating:
Rainbow waves
At the north end of Westray the Atlantic is unrestrained and waves crash into the coast making blowholes, sea caves and spectacular …
Frozen Moment
The sea on Westray is so clean and clear when the waves crash and it bubbles and foams in the air.
A fine day on Westray
A fine day on Westray is better than being anywhere else on earth.
A miniature rock stack
There’s a miniature rock stack on the east coast of Westray. It’s slippery as I make my way across the rocks to photograph it at dawn.
The more you can see the horizon…
The more you can see the horizon, the more you can see the arc of your whole life and think about what’s …
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.
Love’s Crashing Waves
The sea spray at the Scaun on the northernmost coast of Westray is like tiny glistening jewels today.
Watching the Wake
Looking back across the sea to mainland Orkney as the ferry journeys to Westray.