Rain, Wind, Fog, and Four Flights to Sanday – Peedie Sea, Quoyness Chambered Tomb, Kettletof, Sanday Heritage Centre, Burnt Mound and Croft, Scar Viking Boat Burial Beach, Whitemill Bay

After my perfect day of walking on Westray and Papa Westray the rain and wind came back with a vengeance. I was headed to Sanday and had decided to travel by air instead of the ferries as it would get me to Sanday sooner (both options had waits in Kirkwall), and also I could view the islands from above. My first flight was the two minute flight to Papa Westray, up and then down, and then immediately after taking on several more passengers we began the fifteen minute flight to Kirkwall. It was very windy and the small plane was tossed around a bit which was both a bit alarming and fun! I loved looking down on the islands and the white-capped sea, and I had full confidence in our pilot who managed a very smooth landing despite the rough conditions.

It was raining heavily in Kirkwall so I abandoned my planned-for outing (I had almost a five hour wait) and spent the entire time at the airport downloading and sorting through photos and catching up on my blog. When the time came near for the Sanday flight there was some question as to whether it would go or not because of fog. The departure time came and went with no clear answer and I was losing the chance to travel by taxi to the ferry terminal to catch the last ferry to Sanday. Finally the attendant said, “We’re gonna give it a try.” That doesn’t exactly inspire confidence! Up again into the rain and the wind and the fog with the plane being buffeted about. There was a passenger for Stronsay so we landed there first on their short rough runway, and then up again for another ten minutes or so before landing on Sanday where the landing strip was just visible enough. Phew! Again, it was a bit alarming but also fun! My neighbour on the plane kindly offered me a lift to my destination, the Sanday Community Shop. I had prearranged to rent an electric bicycle there and they had offered to give me a lift to my hostel. They were so nice! I also received a warm welcome at my accommodation, the Ayres Rock Hostel and Campground, with its beachfront location and genial hosts.

The next morning, I woke to a drizzly, foggy day. Sigh. Sanday is famous for its many long white shell beaches and turqoise water and I had imagined myself walking here in bright sunshine looking out to sparkling seas. I lingered in bed, and then lingered over breakfast, and then lingered over a blog post, but eventually it was time to head out as I had many places to see. Here is my bicycle parked in front of the hostel,

and here was my view as I started to pedal up a small hill (there are not many hills on Sanday and the highest point on the island is only 65 metres above sea level.) The morning was still misty/foggy, windy, and very cold!

I soon reached the interior portion of Kettletof Bay which is called the “Peedie Sea” – it is almost circular in shape and very shallow. This is the view looking straight out, with a receding tide,

and this is the view in my direction of travel towards the peninsula known as Els Ness to visit Quoyness, a chambered tomb similar in design to the famous Maeshowe on Mainland Orkney.

On the way I visited the ruins of Lady Kirk church – a large, roofless, and rather somber church dating from the 1770s.

Els Ness is a hammer-head-shaped peninsula connected to Sanday by a long narrow tombolo known as Quoy Ayre. It was fun to cycle along the tombolo on this track of hard packed sand.

At Els Ness, the sandy track turned to a grassy one so I parked my bicycle and continued on foot. I could see the mound of the Quoyness cairn on the horizon (towards the right in the photo below.)

This is a photo, zoomed in, as I neared the cairn. A couple had just visited and were heading towards me.

This is the Quoyness Chambered Cairn, a Neolithic tomb dating back to around 2,900 BC.

The entrance door and passage are very low at only 60 cm high and I literally had to crawl on hands and knees down the four metre-long passage (originally, the cairn entrance passage was roofed for its entire nine-metre length!). Inside the central chamber, the walls rise to almost four metres and angle inward as they rise. There are six side cells leading off of the central chamber and when first excavated in 1867 the skulls and bones from about 15 people were found in the tomb.

It was very special to be inside the cairn to marvel again at the efforts that went into creating these homes for the deceased. Amazingly, there are eleven other mounds near to the Quoyness chambered cairn, and on the other side of the Els Ness peninsula there are at least 26 burial cairns, likely to be from the Bronze Age. Back outside I returned along the path and then enjoyed the cycle ride back along the tombolo. To the left is the Peedie Sea, and to the right is the beach of Sty Wick.

This is a view looking across the sands of the Peedie Sea towards a small collection of houses.

I headed that way, retracing my route around the large circular bay, and then visited Kettletof village with its pier and small harbour, post office, two hotels, and its excellent Craft Hub and Tea Shop where I stopped for a warming bowl of soup and to browse the wonderful collection of locally-made arts and crafts.

Next I cycled to Lady Village in the centre of the island to visit the Sanday Heritage Centre. Outside are the remains of the Meur Burnt Mound which was moved here and reconstructed by the community to protect it from being washed away by the sea at its original location. At this burnt mound stones were heated in a fire and placed in a large stone tank filled with water from a stone-lined well (left in the photo). The purpose of burnt mounds is uncertain but it is theorized that they could have possibly been used for cooking, bathing/sauna, brewing, wool production, leather production, or boat building.

Also on site at the Sanday Heritage Centre is their Croft Museum, set in a restored croft house and furnished as it would have been in the late 1800s/early 1900s.

Inside the Heritage Centre there were displays on farming, the sea, archaeology, and natural history, among others, and the staff member was very helpful and answered my many questions about the island including how to find the place where the Scar Viking Burial Boat was found. Armed with clear directions, I set off to cycle north up to Scar House, and then through a large farmyard to arrive at a dune overlooking this beach.

I sat for awhile at the top of the dune, had a snack, and contemplated whether I wanted to walk to the very end of the beach where the boat was found. I decided to descend onto the beach, walk a while, and see how I felt.

The beach was beautiful, with fresh seaweed sorted by the sea into two lovely rich colours,

and eye-catching bits of dry seaweed artistically arranged by Mother Nature (the most talented of all artists).

It was a spectacular beach, with a gorgeous sea, and I had it all to myself.

Or did I? I am quite sure that these are otter prints, and I saw many of them. Perhaps a few otters were watching me look for them?

I was not far from the end of the beach where, I was told, a simple wooden sign marks the place where the Viking burial boat was found. I was feeling tired, and I still had one more beach that I wanted to visit, so I decided to follow the otter prints up onto the dune (in case the otter happened to be there!) and then return to my bicycle. As I write this I regret not having gone that little bit further!

Next, I cycled up past fields and farms and a small loch to Whitemill Bay with its very long white shell beach. The distant rocky point, semi-obscured in the fog, is said to be a good place to spot seals.

Looking to the west, I should have been able to see two lighthouses over on the island of North Ronaldsay, and also the Riv Beacon which marks a shallow reef just offshore which is exposed only at low tide. Many shipwrecks have occurred on Sanday’s shores because of the island’s low profile, especially in foggy or dark, misty, or stormy weather.

I walked westward on the beach for a short distance, hoping to spot the beacon, and then I returned to the access trail back up and over the dune. On the other side, my bicycle stood, waiting for me patiently. When I had asked at the shop whether there was a lock included with the electric bike, they said, “Not to worry, we don’t have theft here.”

I cycled home to my hostel, tired but happy. Despite the weather, it had been a very good day on a very beautiful island. My recommendation, if you ever wish to visit Sanday, would be to spend at least a week here. Again, stay at least a week…

Happy Summer Solstice everyone! I am writing this on June 20th in Lerwick, Shetland, and as soon as it is published I plan to head down to the Mareel, a modern performing arts venue, where tonight is “Singer Songwriter Night”. It is free to attend, and drinks are available to purchase so I’ll raise a glass of cider in honour of the Solstice and think about family and friends at home. Today in Shetland, at around 60 degrees North, the sun rose at 03:38 and will set at 22:34, but in the hours between sunset and tomorrow’s sunrise it will not get very dark. They call it, “da simmer dim” which translates as “the twilight of a Shetland summer evening.” Love and good cheer to all.