north isles - westray westray the queen of the isles · grobust and may be the burial place for the...

Pierowall (HY437485) is oneof the best harbours in theNorth Isles, the name derivesfrom Pier o'Wa. Wa, (ONVagr, Bay), is the old name ofthe area on the west shore ofPierowall Bay. The Hofn, (ONHofn, haven), mentioned sever-al times in the Orkneyinga Saga,is Pierowall, and much evidenceof the Norse settlers has beenfound here in the form of gravesin the links (dunes) to thenorth and west of the village.Pierowall is one of the few set-

tlements in Orkney which isnot modern in origin.

Westray Heritage Centre inPierowall features annual topi-cal exhibitions. It gives aninsight into Westray’s past andpresent, with historical andgenealogical information.There are hands-on things forchildren and a replica geo hasbirds. The Pierowall Neolithicstone has pride of place. It isopen from May fromSeptember.

WESTRAY (ON Vestrey,West Isle), the second largest ofthe North Isles, is in many waysOrkney in miniature. It hasbeen described as The Queen of

the Isles with its good farmland,hilly moorland, magnificentcliff scenery and lovely sandybeaches. Westray is also themost prosperous of the NorthIsles, producing a large numberof quality cattle and havingmuch of Orkney's fishing fleet.Like other parts of Orkney,there are a diverse range ofthings to see and do.

Puffins For many visitors theCastle o’Burrian (HY504429)is an essential first stop. Thisrock stack set in a small naturalamphitheatre and is a shortwalk (1,200m) from RapnessMill. An alcove on the west

side is an excellent place fromwhich to watch the manyPuffins which nest in burrowson the stack and on the sur-rounding grassy cliffs.

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WESTRAY, THE QUEEN OF THE ISLES

Pierowall from Broughton

WESTRAYATTRACTIONS

Heritage Centre St Mary's Kirk Noltland Castle Links of Noltland Gill SandsGrobust BeachQueena Howe BrochQuoygrew Norse siteThe OuseAikerness WalkHolm of AikernessWestray AirfieldLoch of BurnessLoch of SaintearNoup Head Lighthouse Noup Head RSPB Reserve Gentlemen's CaveWest Coast WalkFitty Hill - highest hillBay of Kirbist Knowe o'Burristae Broch Knowe o’SkeaMae SandTuquoy WalkCross KirkBay of Tuquoy Loch of SwartmillSwartmill BayCastle o' Burrian (Puffin)Stanger Head (Puffin)Bay o’TaftsFaray & Holm of Faray

Aerial view of Pierowall with Loch Saintear on bottom right, Aikerness top left and Papay on top right

Puffin at Noup Head

NORTH ISLES - WESTRAY

Crown copyright

The Westray Wife

changed, with much erosionrevealing extensive archaeologi-cal remains. At present excava-tion is once again under way. In2009 the Westray Wife wasfound here. This sandstone fig-urine has eyes, eyebrows, anose, breasts and indications ofclothing. Another was laterfound, this time made of bakedclay and headless.

The extensive settlementincludes an unusual buildingwith a line of ox skulls in itsfoundations. A large farm-house was surrounded by animpressive dyke, in the midst ofclearly delineated fields. Laterthis building was used as a byreand finally became filled withrubble and midden. It was herethat the figurine was found.

The Links of Noltland site wasoccupied for over 1,000 years,starting around 3000BC. Thegood reservation of bones,shells and other artefacts isallowing an insight into life inthese times. But questions ariseas to why complete deer wereburied and for what purposeover 20 cattle heads were builtinto a house wall.

Pierowall Stone During quar-ry operations at Pierowall, a

carved stone was discoveredwith a spiral and lozenge design(now in Westray HeritageCentre) which may have beenthe lintel over the entrance to achambered tomb of theMaeshowe type. This tombhad been demolished about2100 BC and then used as aflint tool workshop. Finally alarge round house was builthere in the Iron Age.

Stalled Cairns Near Cleat, atthe Point of Cott(HY465474), is a long stalledcairn which dates from about3000BC. Nine stall slabs werevisible above the surface in thecentre of this grassy mound andtraces of walling could be seen,but little is now left after adestruction excavation said tobe due to erosion by the sea.The south side had a forecourt

and was enclosed by low banksor horns. A further stalledtomb at Vere (HY458505) is alow mound in front of Verefarmhouse. The stall divisionscan still be made out on the topof the mound.

Archaeology Westray also hasa large number of archaeologi-cal sites, ranging from theNeolithic to Medieval times.These include chamberedcairns, settlements, burials,brochs, Viking houses andchurches. A number of veryinteresting artefacts have beenfound in recent times.

Links of Noltland In the sanddunes above Grobust beach is

one of the most interestingNeolithic sites in Orkney(HY428493). The Links ofNoltland are infested byRabbits, whose burrows havedestabilised the dunes.Combined with changes in thesand regime on Grobust beach,this has led to severe erosion.

A well-preserved building wasexcavated between 1978 and1981. It consists of two ratherirregularly shaped rooms, withsmall cells leading off.Radiocarbon dating gave arange 2900-2200 BC. Thehouse built in a large hole in thesand which had been lined withmidden in a manner similar tothat used at Skara Brae.

Many artefacts, includingGrooved Ware pottery, werefound. The midden materialcontained skulls and cattlebones, plus skeletons of anOtter and a Sea Eagle.Evidence of cultivation and aquantity of Red Deer boneswere also found. As at SkaraBrae the ruins were protectedby sand dunes. The house wasthen backfilled and the resultsare still unpublished.

In recent years the beach anddune system at Grobust has

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Remains of chambered cairn and roundhouse, Pierowall

Point of Cott chambered cairn plan

Point of Cott chambered cairn

Part of the Pierowall Stone

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Noltland Links, Grobust

Archaeologists at work on Noltland Links, above Grobust

Excavation of a Neolithic house in the 1980s Grooved Ware Pottery from Noltland Links

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Clay Figurine

Historic Scotland

curving walls and a possibleheel-shaped house. The layoutof old field boundaries can bemade out. The buildings areassumed to be related to theadjacent mound on the tidalholm to the south.

Knowe o’Skea is a large moundat Berstness (HY441418)which has been investigated byarchaeologists for several years.This was originally thought tobe a chambered cairn, but exca-vation has revealed a complexIron Age burial and metalwork-ing site. A large rounded build-ing with a rectangular interiorand very thick walls which hadbeen repeatedly added to overperhaps 500 years was revealed.The interior had a centralhearth and stone box beds butvery little pottery or otherdomestic debris.

There were no burials withinthis building, but a large num-ber of remains have been foundin the structures and walls onthe north side of it. Two ofthese small buildings were met-alworking workshops. A metalpin was found by one of theskeletons and moulds for cast-ing similar pins turned up. Itmay be that the metalworkingwas related to death and burial.

Until then, very few Iron Ageburials had been examined.Remains of over 100 individu-als have so far been found, overhalf of which were from youngbabies. There were few gravegoods apart from shells buriedwith some of the infants. Thehigh incidence of small babies isunusual but may just mean that

there was high infant mortality.

Some Bronze Age burials werealso found in the mound, whichmay well have been built on aNeolithic chambered cairn sim-ilar to the one on the headlandopposite. Thus the site may

have been in use as a burialground for a very long time.The settlement which used theKnowe o’Skea as its graveyardmay be situated to the north ofthe nearby farm of Langskaill,or at the Broch o’Burrastae.

There is a prominent roundcairn on a ridge near Powdykes(HY434436), where someupright slabs can still be madeout. There are also remains ofchambered cairns at Fitty Hill(HY433445), Knucker Hill(HY428470) and Couter’s Hill

(HY422491). The Lum Head(HY422491) overlooksGrobust and may be the burialplace for the Noltland Linkssettlement. None of thesecairns is in a good state ofpreservation, but they areworth visiting for the view and

as part of a longer walk. Nodoubt many other cairns exist-ed, but have been destroyedduring subsequent millennia.

Bronze Age A badly erodedburnt mound near Gill Pier(HY450492) has manyexposed broken burnt stones,over black earth. Several otherburnt mounds also exist but arenot obvious. No definiteBronze Age settlement hasbeen identified as yet apartfrom the continued occupationat Noltland Links.

Iron Age There are numerousprobable broch mounds onWestray, the best preserved ofwhich is the Knowe o’Burrastae(HY432429) on the shore nearLangskaill. The sea has erodedmost of the inside, leaving acurved wall with a square door-way into an intramural passage.The mound is steep on thelandward side and structurescan be seen in the groundaround it.

Queena Howe (HY425495,ON Kvi Haugr, mound field) isa prominent mound at the westend of Grobust. A series ofstone structures can be seen inthe eroded shoreline. Theseappear to be circular walls, theoutermost of which has beachboulders built as a possiblebreakwater. The top has beendug into to reveal built stones.It is probably a substantialbroch.

Berstness At the exposedheadland of Berstness(HY440420) there are remainsof a prehistoric settlement with

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Excavating a skeleton on the Knowe o’Skea

Excavation work on the Knowe o’Skea

Knowe o’Skea from Berstness

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Queena Howe Broch, at the west end of Grobust

Knowe o’Burrastae Broch is on the shore near Langskaill

Erosion of sand dunes and machair at Grobust

used. Until this series of buildingswas excavated the only Norsehouses which could be visitedin Orkney were those on theBrough of Birsay. Quoygrew isthe basis of a study into thetransitions which took place inOrkney during and after theViking Age, and the full resultsof studies on the many findswill be very interesting.

St Mary's Kirk (Lady Kirk)(HY439488), in the centre ofPierowall, dates from perhapsthe 13th century but was muchrebuilt in the 17th century, asseen from the carved skewputt(the lowest stone of the gablecoping) on the east gable withthe date 1674. What had beenthe chancel became the “laird’saisle”, and there are two well-preserved and finely carvedfamily gravestones from thesame period which are nowprotected under a rather intru-sive glass and steel object.

The kirkyard has many inter-esting old headstones, while thesouthern part to the west of thekirk itself covers a considerablemound, which may well enclosethe missing Pierowall broch.While the oldest visible parts ofthe kirk may date from the 13th

century it may overlie an evenearlier church site.

Viking Age The Viking gravesfound at Pierowall date fromthe 9th century. Those of mencontained swords, spearheads,axes, knives and combs, whilethose of women had trefoilbrooches, penannularbrooches, tortoise-shapedbrooches in pairs, bracelets,knives, combs and beads. Someboat-burials were present, anddogs or horses were sometimesburied in the same grave.

It seems that the Vikingsbecame Christian quite soonafter the main influx and thereare at least two churches onWestray which were estab-lished in Norse times. In thepast many such graves wereuncovered, both in thePierowall area and in the vicini-ty of Trenabie. The survivingrecords are scanty and most ofthe artefacts are now lost or

untraceable. The implication isof a substantial Viking presenceat an early date in the north ofWestray, which is not a surprisegiven the excellent harbour andagricultural land in the area.

Quoygrew, or Lower Trenabie(HY443506), on the north sideof Rackwick, was first noted astwo mounds near the shorewhere coastal erosion wasrevealing midden material andwalling. Excavation has nowrevealed a series of structuresstretching over 50m inlandfrom the shore, the oldest ofwhich dates from the 9th or 10th

century.

The upper house was onlyfinally vacated in 1937. Theoriginal house was built somedistance from the shore, butabout 1000AD a new buildingwas put up near the shorewhich may have had to do withthe extensive fishing which wasbeing done from here.

During the 12th century andlater this structure was extend-ed several times, and at least 15different fireplaces were exca-vated. Many steatite artefactswere found from this period,whereas from about 1500 man-ufactured pottery was being

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St Mary’s Kirk dates from the 13th century

Norse pin and ring found near Pierowall Norse tortoise brooch found near Pierowall

St Mary’s Kirk graveyard, Pierowall, is a probable broch site

Norse comb found near Pierowall

Norse sword found near Pierowall

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Quoygrew - eroding midden and buildings on shore

Quoygrew Norse settlement, Rackwick

Quoygrew Norse settlement, Rackwick

Mae Sand is a fine south-facing beach backed by dunes and machair

lie a sheep shelter on this tinyislet. Seven nuns are said tohave been buried here, and thechapel was built to commemo-rate them. At high tide much ofthe Holm is submerged, but atlow springs a large skerry isrevealed. Terns nest in sum-mer, and many seals haul out.

Noltland Castle (HY429487)is a fine example of a fortifiedZ-plan house. Much ofWestray was Bishopric proper-ty and the Castle was built as aresult of the various politicalintrigues during the time ofMary Queen of Scots. Someconfusion exists over the exactdate of the building, but themain structure was commencedabout 1560 on the instigationof Gilbert Balfour.

He was Sheriff of Orkney andMaster of Mary Queen ofScots’ Household. He hadreceived grants of land inWestray from his brother-in-law, Adam Bothwell, Bishop ofOrkney, in 1560. Balfour wasinvolved in the murders ofCardinal Beaton and Darnleyand was finally executed inSweden in 1576.

The Castle was prepared toshelter Mary if she had man-

aged to escape from LochLeven Castle. Further addi-tions were made in the 17th and18th centuries, when the southrange and courtyard and laterfurther extensions to the eastand west were added. It wasnever properly finished, butdoes have some interestingdetail, including a large stair-

way with carved newel at thetop, which is an addition byEarl Patrick Stewart.

The great hall is spacious, butthe conditions in the dungeon-like kitchen cannot have beenso salubrious. On the first floorthere are apartments, and aprobable strong room with

Cross Kirk Near the southshore at Tuquoy, the Westsideor Cross Kirk (HY454431) isone of the best-preservedmedieval churches in Orkney.Probably built by HaflidiThorkelsson of Tuquoy in themid-12th century and dedicatedto the Holy Cross, the old partis largely intact, despite nearlybeing demolished in the 19th

century.

Apparently a very sensibleolder person asked that “theDane’s work not be pulled down.”It consists of a nave and chan-cel, which was originally vault-ed. The nave was extended at alater time to the west. Theadjacent cemetery is still in useand contains a number of inter-esting headstones.

There are also the remains of aconsiderable Viking Age settle-ment nearby, with massive wallsbeing exposed by erosion alongthe shore. Excavations haverevealed a complex of buildings,flagstone floors, drains andmidden deposits. Part of a largehall was discovered, with some12th century runes on an inter-nal wall. Many Norse artefactswere found, including steatitebowls, pottery and metalobjects.

There may have been a smalldefensive tower on the exten-sive site, but only the part indanger of erosion has beenexamined. Although the farm-stead here was no doubtimpressive when built, unfortu-nately its foundations seem tohave been on sand, and consid-

erable repairs and remodellingwent on during its occupancy.

Further visible evidence of theNorsemen comes from themany boat nousts around thecoast. These have been main-tained over the centuries asshelters for boats at the top ofthe shore and are very similar tothose found in Norway. TheWestray skiff is not very differ-ent from the type of small boatused in Norse times and maystill be seen in use today. Theabundance of these nousts sug-gests that fishing and the seawere as important in Westrayin the past as at the present.

Peter Kirk The remains of achapel, Peter Kirk, with its sur-rounding ancient graveyard, liewest of Russland in Rapness(HY500402). It appears to bebuilt on top of a broch as ero-sion has revealed stoneworkand pottery. There was said tobe another near Cleat, whilenear Surrigarth, there was afarm called “Old Kirkhouse”and the name Kirbest also sug-gests a chapel site. Very littleremains to mark these ancientChristian sites.

Holm of Aikerness The foun-dations of a small chapel under-

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Noltland Castle ground floor kitchen Noltland Castle stairway to first floor with newel

Noltland Castle exterior from the southeast

Old plan of Noltland Castle

RCAHMS

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Plan of the Cross KirkDoorway and window on the Cross Kirk

The Cross Kirk at Tuquoy dates from the 12th century

The boy was adopted by theRendalls of Seaquoy and sinceno one knew his name he wascalled Archie Angel, after theassumed homeport of the ship,which was found on a name-board in the wreckage.Although the name Angel hasdied out, there are still descen-dants of Archie Angel inWestray today.

Witchcraft In July 1627 aWestrayman, BenjaminGarrioch, and three compan-ions went fishing one day,despite a warning from his girl-friend that something terriblewould happen. They werecaught in the fog and failed toreturn whereupon she becamesuspected of witchcraft. Afterthe death of her father she tookto going out in bad weather inhis boat, but always returned.Later, in spite of saving a shipwhich was in danger of beingwrecked, or perhaps because ofthis, she was tried in St MagnusCathedral and condemned tobe tied to a stake and worried todeath by the hangman.

That day some Naval vesselshad arrived in Kirkwall andthere was a wild night of cele-bration in the town. Even thehangman and prison guardsbecame comatose. Benjaminand his companions had beenpicked up by a British Navyship and pressed into service.When he found out aboutJane’s plight he plied the hang-man and jailers with whiskyand made good their escape onthe ship that she had saved.Many years later a visitingKirkwall man happened past a

shop called Benjamin Garriochin Manchester, where the cou-ple were thriving. Again thismay be fanciful legend, but itstill remains a fine story.

19th century Westray hasmany interesting domestic andfarm buildings which reflect itsfertile agricultural land and rel-ative affluence. The extensivebeaches which are good for sea-

weed collection, and thus kelp-making, allowed the lairds tomake plenty of money duringthe Kelp Boom, some of whichwas spent on houses. Theseinclude several 18th and 19th

century mansions, such asBrough, Cleat and Fribo, aswell as several mills and thelarge fishing store at Gill Pier.

Fishing Westray was the only

secret compartments whilethere is an attractive courtyardon the south-east side.

The castle belonged to Balfourof Faray prior to 1728, when itwas sold to Jerome Dennison, amerchant in Sanday. He is saidto have helped several lairds,who had supported the Jacobitecause in the 1745 rebellion, tohide in Gentlemen's Cave nearNoup Head. He refused toanswer questions about thelairds and the roof was said tohave been pulled off the castlein retaliation. It may still have been partlyhabitable after that, as in a 1761marriage contract betweenDennison and a Helen Traill

part of the Mansion House ofNoltland was to be left to her inthe event of his death. Thismay have been the buildings inthe courtyard rather than thecastle itself.

There is a panoramic view ofPierowall harbour from theparapet of the castle, which isremarkable for the number ofgun loops, 71 arranged in tiers.The basement gunloops hadwooden gun-mountings fittedand there are even two in thekitchen. The Orcadian authorEric Linklater compared thecastle to a ship-of-the-line,while others have suggestedthat it was built for a man witha bad conscience.

Spanish Armada In 1588 onesmall boatload of survivorsfrom a ship of the SpanishArmada is said to have reachedPierowall. Their ship, whichhad lost its rudder and main-mast in a storm, sank in theDennis Röst off NorthRonaldsay. The Dons, as theywere called, settled along theNorth Shore and married localgirls, taking Orkney surnames.The mixture of Norse andSpanish blood seems to haveproduced very good seamenand some of the traits - darkhair and eyes and a quick wit -can still be seen in Westraypeople today.

Shipwrecks were common inthe days before lighthouses andother navigational aids. Inabout 1730, during a severestorm from the north, a shipwent ashore at Rammigeo(HY451525) on the Head ofAikerness. In the morning a lit-tle boy was found clasped to hisdrowned mother's breast, alivebut cold. Another version saysthat he was washed up tied to apiece of a mast.

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Many small boats fish for crabs and lobsters

Brough farmhouse dates from the 19th century and has been recently renovated

A few larger trawlers are still based in Westray

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“Queen of the Isles” leaving for Wart Holm to clip the sheep

Midsummer sunrise from Gallo Hill with Loch of Saintear, Bay of Pierowall and Papay


miles) long, and the mostnortherly 3km (2 miles) are anRSPB Reserve. In May andJune the ledges are crowdedwith Auks and Kittiwakes andhold Orkney’s largest “seabirdcity”, when the noise, activityand aroma of the tens of thou-sands of breeding birds arequite spectacular.

In Britain, the Westray cliffs aresecond only to St Kilda interms of numbers of breedingseabirds. The smell and noisethat greet the visitor from thisvast seabird colony never failsto impress. Good views ofGuillemots, Razorbills,Kittiwakes, Fulmars, Puffinsand Black Guillemots can behad from the clifftops.

Recently a small number ofGannets have been nesting heresince 2003. By 2010 there werenearly 200 pairs present. Justinland, the much depletedcolony of Arctic Terns shouldnot be disturbed, but the birds

may be observed from a dis-tance. At other seasons NoupHead makes an excellent spotfor sea watching, for whales inlate summer, and for migratingseabirds in spring and autumn.

Orkney island to be muchinvolved in the Cod fishery.Although English smackscalled at Stromness orLonghope for crew as well, theypreferred the Westraymen, whohad for centuries gone to thehaaf fishing up to 80 miles off-shore in open boats of the sixa-reen type. Thus developed an

industry which by the 19th cen-tury was employing 7 or 8 smallsloops of about 30 tons. TheHerring fishery was never veryimportant in Westray, unlike inStronsay.The English smacks returningfrom Icelandic waters, wherethey had fished since the 13th or14th century, landed chilled and

gutted cod at Pierowall, whereit was salted and dried, beforebeing shipped south. They alsohad large tanks in their hullsand by this means kept the bulkof their catches alive for sale inEngland.

Fair Isle also has a very old con-nection with Westray as a for-mer part of the BishopricEstate. Until 1630 it was muchmore closely related to Westraythan Dunrossness in Shetland.Many Fair Isle folk moved toWestray, Stronsay or Kirkwallto seek a living, including ances-tors of the author. Strong fam-ily ties exist to this day. Fair Islecan be clearly seen on a clearday from Fitty Hill.

Noup Head (76m,HY392500) has a lighthouse,completed in 1898. It was thefirst to use mercury flotationfor its revolving light andbecame automatic in 1964.The accommodation block wasdemolished at the time andthrown over the craig. Thelighthouse is now powered by asolar array, installed in 2001. The cliffs on the west side ofWestray are about 8km (5

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Noup cliffs looking south over Deil Piece

Noup Head has off lying skerries called the Grip of Cleaton

Kelda Ber is a rock stack still joined at the top

Ramni Geo and Lawrence’s Piece

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Noup Head (76m) is an RSPB Reserve has a lighthouse built in 1898

Serried ranks of Guillemots line the many ledgesThere is now a small Gannet colony on Noup Head

Jacobite cause. in 1745 TheHanoverian Government tookreprisals after the failed rebel-lion which included the burn-ing of leaders’ houses. Thecoast here has many caves, nat-ural arches and interesting geos.Great care should be taken inthe vicinity of the cliffs, espe-cially after rain or on a windyday. Access to the cave shouldonly be attempted with localknowledge and by the suitablyequipped.

Follow the coast south past theattractively situated farm ofBisgeos, which has recentlybeen renovated. The bay with

the storm beach below the farmis called North Bis Geo and isdramatic when a big sea is run-ning. Either follow the coastthe whole way to Skea Hill(HY422441), or the ridge fromKnucker Hill (113m), with itschambered cairn on top, toFitty Hill (169m) for excellentviews. After Inga Ness(HY417439) follow the coastand either return to the carpark at East Kirbest, or contin-ue along the shore past MuckleWater to the Knoweo'Burristae, a ruined broch.

There is a natural arch at CuinGeo on the point of Berstness,

while the Knowe of Skea lies tothe south of the ness. There arefine views across the WestrayFirth to Rousay from thisshore. Either take the roadback, or follow the attractivebeach at Mae Sand with itsextensive sand dunes on toCross Kirk (HY453432) atTuquoy with its Norseremains, before returning toPierowall.

North Coast Walk Otherideas for interesting walksinclude taking the road toNoup Head from Pierowall,and visiting Noltland Castle,then crossing Noltland Links,

West Coast Walk There is avery satisfying waymarked walkdown the west side of the islandfrom Noup Head to Kirbestwhich takes in Fitty Hill(HY430448, 169m), the high-est point on Westray.

The rich maritime heath vege-tation is spectacular in summerwith Thrift, Grass ofParnassus, Bird’s-foot Trefoil,Sea Campion, Spring Squill

and many other plants addingcolour in a succession whichlasts from April through untillate August. Primula scoticagrows here, as well as a numberof plants which are normallyassociated with high altitudesfarther south.

Arctic Skua, Great Skua andArctic Tern also nest in thisarea. Apart from the wildlifethere are many dramatic vistas

of cliff scenery to the west andsouth towards Rousay andBirsay, which are balanced bythe fine views over Westray andthe North Isles, especially fromthe top of the hill.

Gentlemen’s Cave BelowNorth Hill, Gentlemen's Cave(HY398486) can be reached bya long ledge on the cliffs. It wasused as a hiding place by somelairds, who had supported the

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Grobust from the east

Gentlemen’s Cave with Birsay in the background Mae Sands from the west

The northwest coast of Westray from Bis Geos to Kirbest with Fitty Hill on the right and Pierowall in the right background

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Fitty Hill (169m) from Skelwick with the Bay of Tuquoy on the centre left


Rapness Walk The walk startsfrom the Old Mill at RackWick (HY502424), and fol-lows the cliffs past the Pointo’Burrian with its many Puffinsduring May, June and July. AtStanger Head there are inter-esting caves and the attractiveBight of Stanger Head. TheGeo o’Rustling Stones is alsogood for Puffins. The trackleads west from here back tothe road.

By continuing southwardsalong the coast, the Rapnesswalk can take in Gentlemen’sHa' Cave (HY517419), wheresome 18th century Jacobitelairds are said to have hidden.Access is difficult and shouldnot be tried without localknowledge. Weatherness, atthe south end, has an interest-ing off-lying rock called TheShip. Nearby Sand Geo can bea good place to seek GroatieBuckies. Return past the largequarry which was used to buildthe ferry terminal. The wildflowers along this stretch ofcoast are particularly colourfulin summer and there are goodviews across to the Red Head ofEday and Holm of Faray.Manx Shearwaters have beenseen here in the gloaming.

South Rapness Walk Fromthe Ferry Terminal take theroad south towards RapnessJetty. There are attractive smallsandy beaches at Sands ofHelzie and East Sous. Followthe coast from the jetty forabout 800m to the Pointo’Huro (HY497388), thesouthernmost tip of the island.

Return via the low rocky shorevia the Point o’Peterkirk(HY500401) on the west sideof Rapness. Here there is alarge ruined chapel built on thesite of an old broch with vari-ous walls exposed which mayrelate to different periods. TheKnowe of Hamar is a burntmound at the east end of theBay of Tafts. Here a fine sandybeach is backed by links and

sheltered from the west by thelow headland of Twiness.

Beaches There are many goodsandy beaches on Westray, sothat no matter the airt of winda sheltered place will always befound for a picnic. Mostnotable perhaps are Grobust(HY430495), exposed to thenorth and spectacular in a gale,south facing Mae Sand

where a Neolithic village liesburied in the sand, and whichare a blaze of colourful flowersin summer, to Grobust Beach.There is a good view along thecliffs to Noup Head from hereand often good surf to watch.Continue along the shore toRackwick, where tang oftengets washed up in huge quanti-ties and until recently was driedfor processing into alginates.Visit the Quoygrew Norse siteat the north end of the bay andthen return along the road toPierowall.

Aikerness Walk A walkaround the Aikerness shore atthe north-east end of the islandis relatively easy going along thelow coast and apart from Seals,and many seabirds, with luckOtters may be seen, especiallyin early morning. The coast canbe followed from Gill Pier rightaround to Rackwick, passing aneroding Burnt Mound(HY451492) on the way.There are good views across toPapay from near the airfield atSkaill. On the Holm ofAikerness (HY470525) there

was a small chapel, but it wasprobably incorporated into thepresent hut on the island.

There are several small sandycoves along this coast which canbe good for finding GroatieBuckies and other interestingshells. A dangerous tide race,the Bow Röst, forms off BowHead in certain conditions.Return via the west side, wherelow cliffs and small geos aretopped with maritime heath.Visit Quoygrew before return-ing to Pierowall.

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The Castle o’Burrian in Rapness is a good place to see Puffins


Shells on Aikerness Beach

MV Varagen approaching Rapness terminal

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Groatie Buckie on Aikerness BeachSand o’Gill at Pierowall is good for waders and gulls

Northeast Westray, clockwise are Grobust, Rackwick, Bow Head, Aikerness, The Ouse and Pierowall

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(HY445423), which hasattractive sand dunes and eastfacing Swartmill Bay(HY480462), facing Papay.Rackwick (HY500426), usual-ly lacks sand but has interestingpebbles and often much sea-weed. At the south end Sandso'Woo (HY512408) and Bayof Tafts (HY496416) are goodfor a stroll whilst awaiting theferry. There will always be asheltered bay, beach or covesomewhere on the island!

Birdwatching Apart from thewest cliffs, Westray has a widerange of habitats which areattractive to birds. The salt-marshes and flat beaches atLetto Sands, Bay of Tuquoy(HY455450), The Ouse(HY450510), and the beach atSand o’Gill, Pierowall are goodplaces for waders. There areseveral good vantage pointsfrom where the car may be used

as a convenient hide.

The lochs of Burness, Saintearand Swartmill all hold breedingwaterfowl in summer. Curlews,Redshanks, Oystercatchers,Golden Plovers and Lapwingsall nest here an may be seenfeeding on the fields. Theircalls typify Orkney on a sum-mer’s evening.

During migration times unusu-al species often turn up onWestray. Overwinteringspecies include WhooperSwans, Greylag Geese and var-ious ducks such as Goldeneye,Long-tailed Ducks, Scoters,Widgeon and Pochard.

Castle of Burrian Rapness, atthe south end, offers the bestplace in Westray to see Puffins. Afternoon and evening tend tobe the best times to see theseattractive little auks, which are

present from May until lateJuly. The Castle is the site of anearly Christian retreat. On thetop of it there are remains oftwo or more buildings, as wellas walling.

Craft and Industry There area whole range of crafts produc-ers on Westray which can bevisited. They range from tradi-tional and modern knitwearand Orkney chairs to jewellry,artwork cushions and throws aswell as souvenirs and otherproducts.

The local Fish Factory atPierowall processes much ofthe shellfish and some of thewhitefish caught by theWestray fleet. Visitors are wel-come and fresh or frozenseafood can be bought.

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WESTRAY SERVICES

Getting To WestraySea Orkney Ferries, Tel 01856872044 and Loganair, Tel (01856)872494, operate daily services to theisland from Kirkwall. Please refer totheir latest timetables for details. Carand Bicycle hire is available locallyand minibus tours are also run. Aminibus connects with ferries andmeets the Papay boat. Connectionswith Papay by boat from Pierowalland by plane.

Tours Westraak, PierowallTel 01857 677 777 see advert

Local TransportM&J Harcus, bus service, Pierowall Tel 01857 677212 T Rendall, Papay Boat service,Pierowall Tel 01857 677216

Where to Stay and Where to EatThe Pierowall Hotel dates from the

WESTRAYCRAFT TRAIL

Hume Sweet Hume, Lizza & JennaHume, Cushions and throws Tel 01857 677259 West-Ray Jewellry, GeorgeThomson Tel 01857 677400Westray Knitters, Marlene Bews,Knitted garments Tel 01857 677366 Westray Straw, Edith Costie,Orkney Chairs Tel 01857 677411 Wheeling Steen Gallery & Tea RoomEdwin Rendall,, Artist Tel 01857 677464 Essence of Orkney, Lauren Harcus,Skincare Products Tel 01857 677432 Westray Cards, John Cable, Cards,Bookmarks & PicturesTel 01857 677287 Aak Work, Linda Drever, HelzieHouse Tel 01857 677530 Mugs,Placemats, Keyrings, T-Shirts

See the current Isles of Orkneybrochure for further places to visit.

WESTRAAKQuarry Road, Pierowall, Westray,

Orkney KW17 2DHTel 01857 677777

Experience the beauty of Westray. Let Kathy and GrahamMaben bring Westray to life for you. We will take you to expe-rience the sights, sounds and solitude of the 'Queen of the Isles'.Our guided tours of Westray are available all year round, andcan vary in content and timing to suit your wishes.

We look forward to meeting you!Visit www.westraak.co.uk forOnline Availability & Booking

PIEROWALLHOTEL

Enjoy the warm, friendly atmosphere the

hotel in the heart of Pierowall. Our rooms

are comfortably furnished. We are known

throughout Orkney for the freshness of our

seafood and famed for serving the best fish

and chips in the isles

Tel 01857 677472 or [email protected]

W.I. RENdAllGROCERS, BUTCHERS, IRONMONGERS

FRESH BREAD, MILK, VEGETABLES

SOUVENIRS, FILMS, NEWSPAPERS

KINCRAIG, WESTRAY

Tel (01857) 677389/677312

Fax (01857) 677479

HOTEL***

early 19th century. This friendly, fam-ily-run hotel has comfortable roomsand serves “perhaps the best fish andchips anywhere”, with a large varietyof very fresh fish, and other produce***INN, Tel 01857 677472.B&B and Self Catering For the fullrange of available accommodation seethe current VisitOrkney and Isles ofOrkney brochures.

The Haf Yok Cafe in Pierowall is runby Westraak and serves delicioushomebakes, soup, tea and coffee.

ShopsWFM Brown, Baker, PierowallWI Rendall, General Merchant,PierowallJC Tulloch General Merchant &Post Office, PierowallPeter Miller, Shop & Sub PostOffice, Skelwick

Westray Heritage Centre, Pierowall


Puffins at the Castle o’Burrian, Rapness

PAPAY, or PAPA WESTRAY(ON Papey hin Meiri, TheLarger Isle of Papae (Celticclergy). The island lies to theeast of Westray, is about 7km(4.5mi) long by 2km (1.25mi)wide and is generally low-lying with a maximum eleva-

tion of 48m at the North Hill(HY498550). Very fertile, theisland has been inhabited forat least 5,500 years. Its mod-ern claim to fame is an entry inthe "Guinness Book of Records"for having the shortest sched-uled air route in the world,between Papay and Westray, adistance of 2.4km (1.5mi),taking under two minutes fly-ing time!

Oldest house in Orkney Theisland has the distinction ofhaving the oldest known stonedwelling in Orkney. TheKnap of Howar (ON Knapprhaugr, Round Mound,HY483518) was protected bya thick layer of windblownsand and, like Skara Brae, was

exposed by a severe storm.

With walls still standing to1.6m, intact doorways, stonepartitions, knocking stonesand stone benches, the build-ings are remarkably well-pre-served. Many artefacts werefound during excavation,including large amounts ofpottery of Unstan Ware type,similar to that associated withthe Orkney-Cromarty type ofchambered cairns.

The site was occupied prior tothe building of the houses, asdomestic midden lay beneaththe foundations. Large num-bers of flint, bone and stonetools were found, as well asbones of cattle, sheep, pigs anddeer mixed with large num-bers of oyster and other shells.Limpets were present in hugenumbers and may have beenused as bait for fishing.Whales and Seals wereexploited and many species ofbirds, especially the GreatAuk, were hunted. Evidencewas also found of cereal-grow-ing.

The larger house was dividedin two by a stone partition andhad a wooden bench, as wellas wooden posts holding up

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PAPAY, THE BIG ISLE OF THE PRIESTS

Knap of Howar - front of houses with entrances with larger house in foreground

Knap of Howar - smaller house interior showing divisions and cupboards

Knap of Howar - larger house showing flagstone divisions

Knap of Howar - aumbries & uprightKnap of Howar - knocking stone

PAPAYATTRACTIONS

Knap of HowarSt Boniface KirkMunkerhouseNorth Hill RSPB ReserveFowl CraigMull HeadNorth WickSouth WickOld PierHolland FarmHookin MillSt Tredwell’s ChapelSt Tredwell’s LochBay of BurlandBay of MoclettBothican, beach & machairBackaskaill burnt moundHolm of PapayChambered Cairns on HolmDiss o’the Holm

Knap of Howar - aumbry

Knap of Howar - passage

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NORTH ISLES - PAPAY

Knap of Howar - entrance to larger house Knap of Howar - interior of smaller house

Crown copyright

was in particular a place of pil-grimage for anyone with eyeproblems.

St Boniface (675-754AD) wasa well-known English mission-ary who worked mostly inGermany and the Netherlands.In 722 he was made Bishop ofGermany west of the Rhine andwas so successful that he wasmade Archbishop of allGermany in 728. He travelledconstantly and was joined bymany followers from England.He and his followers were mas-sacred in Frisia in 754AD. Oneof his sayings shows his greatinner strength, "In her voyageacross the ocean of this world, theChurch is like a ship pounded bythe waves of life’s different stresses.Our duty is not to abandon ship,but to keep her on course".

At this time the Christian mis-sion was spreading throughoutthe Pictish Kingdom, includingOrkney and Shetland, and it islikely that the Papay Kirk wasdedicated to St Boniface becauseof his renown, or perhaps afterhis martyrdom. St BonifaceKirk (HY488526) is attractivelysituated above the shore of PapaSound, on the west side north ofthe Knap of Howar. This com-plex site also has extensive IronAge, Pictish and Norse remains.The existing church dates sub-stantially from the 12th century,having been extended in 1700and was abandoned in 1929.

The building became ruinous,but this interesting old churchwas renovated in 1993 and it isagain in regular use. An unusu-al feature is the loft gallery,

which is reached by an externalstairway. It is the only church inOrkney to have survived theReformation intact and to stillbe in regular use today, apartfrom St Magnus Cathedral.

The name Munkerhouseapplies to some of the ruins and

suggests the presence of monkswhen the Vikings arrived, whileanother name Binnas Kirk sug-gests the existence of an olderchapel site here, perhaps datingfrom the mid-7th century. TwoCeltic crosses have also beenfound in the graveyard, confirm-ing the Pictish origin of the

the roof. The rear area seemsto have been the kitchen. Twoquernstones, complete withknocking stones were foundhere. The smaller, slightlylater house was divided intothree, has cupboards in thewalls and had a stone work-bench against one wall. Thelayout echoes that of thesmaller stalled chamberedcairns.

The oldest dates from thelower midden deposits wereabout 3600BC, while themost recent were from floordeposits, from about 3100BC,suggesting that the site wasoccupied for at least 500 years.

Bronze Age In the Bronze Age,the dead were buried in small

mounds such as on the NorthHill, near the Loch ofHyndgreenie (HY496539). Onboth sides of St Tredwell’s Lochthe remains of the Gairsty Dykeor treb-dyke (HY499505),which used to divide the islandinto the North and South Yardsin Bronze Age times, can beseen.

Iron AgeAt the Bay of Moclettthe remains of the Broch ofBothekan (HY493497) arenow completely covered in sand.There are also extensive IronAge and later buildings andmidden to the north of StBoniface Kirk - very probablyanother broch.

At St Tredwell's Loch a smallpeninsula (HY496509) has a

large mound with extensive IronAge remains overlain by laterstructures. There is an “under-ground tunnel” leading to around structure. The tunnel isprobably part of the intramuralgallery of the broch that oncestood here.

Early Christian sites StTredwell’s Chapel, which is ded-icated to St Triduana, was one ofthe most visited pilgrimageplaces in Orkney. The chapelseems to have been substantial,with thick walls and evidence oftracery work. It is built on top ofan Iron Age broch, and laterwalls and structures have furthercomplicated the site. T

Triduana was a nun who wassaid to be part of a mission toPictland from Northumbria inabout 715AD, and whose beau-tiful eyes were so admired by theKing of the Picts, Nechtan, thatshe plucked them out and sentthem to him skewered on athorn branch, to retain hervirtue over her physical beauty.She had previously established amedieval culture centre atRestalrig, Midlothian. Thechapel in Papay dedicated to her

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St Boniface Kirk dates from the 12th century or earlier

St Boniface Kirk is still in use after over 900 years

Norse hog-backed tombstone Interesting grave slab

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NORTH ISLES - PAPAY

St Tredwell’s Chapel is built on top of a broch on a small peninsula

Papay from southwest, Vestness & Bay of Moclett in foreground, St Tredwell’s Loch in centre, North Hill in background

Heath Spotted Orchid,Mountain Everlasting andPrimula scotica.

Fowl Craig on the east of theisland (HY508545) is the sitewhere the last Great Auk inBritain was killed in 1813. Thefinal one of all was shot inIceland not long after. This largeauk was common in prehistorictimes, its bones often beingfound in settlement sites and ithad last bred on Papay in 1811or 1812. The female of the lastpair had been stoned to death in1812. Both were mounted fordisplay in a natural historymuseum! The cliff supports asmall, but easily observed,colony of Guillemot, Razorbill,Shag and Kittiwake today. It ispossible to observe the birdsvery closely here.

Migrants Papay is host to manymigrants, common and unusual,in spring and autumn, whileduring autumn and winter

Long-tailed Duck, and GreatNorthern Diver frequent thebays. The lochs and their sur-rounding marshy areas areattractive to migrating waterfowland waders. There are severalgood vantage points for observa-tion, St Tredwell’s Chapel beingespecially good. The Mull Headis perhaps the best spot inOrkney for sea-watching, Sootyand Manx Shearwater are seenin passing in large numbers eachyear along with good numbersof Gannet, Auk and sea duck.Richardson’s and Long-tailed

Skua are also recorded in mostyears.

Beaches Like its larger neigh-bour, Papay has many attractivebeaches. The Bay of Moclett(HY490496) has fine sands, asdoes the long beach of SouthWick, on the east side near theold pier (HY498520). There isa good shingle and sand beach atNorth Wick (HY500535),while there are low cliffs at thenorth end. The west coast hasalternating rock and sandy covessouth of St Boniface.

chapel. The 11th century Norsehog-backed gravestone in thekirkyard has been linked to theburial of Earl RognvaldBrusison on Papay c.1045, but itcould easily commemoratesomeone else entirely.

Boat nousts are common alongthe shore, as in Westray. Goodexamples are at Cott(HY499530), where mostcatches are said to have beenlanded, Nouster (HY498518),where there is a particularlylarge noust in a small shelteredgeo and Skennist (HY496520),where there are seven stone andturf nousts as well as ruins offishermen's cottages. The lastderives from ON Skeida noust, askeid being a fast longship, orwarship. This site is also verysheltered and would be an obvi-

ous place to beach a large ship.

Holland At Holland Farm(HY488515) there is a fine 19th

century farm steading with aninteresting circular horse enginehouse, doo’cot and corn dryingkiln. The main part of HollandHouse was probably built forThomas Traill, a son of PatrickStewart’s chamberlain, who“acquired” the estate in 1636. Nearby stands the base of apost-windmill said to have beenused until the 1940s. Thefarmer has turned the bothyinto an interesting folk museum.Hookin Mill (HY501512) onthe shore near St Tredwell'sLoch, dates from the 19th centu-ry, and is now roofless, but themillstones and undershot wheelcan still be seen. The poor headof water meant it could only be

used at low tide.

Birds Papay is also famous forits birds and the whole northpart of the island is an RSPBNature Reserve which has awarden in summer, Tel (01857)644240. There is a bird hide(complete with toilet) in an oldcoastguard lookout onHyndgreenie Hill. The old-fashioned agricultural practiceshave helped make the island aparadise for birds, such as theelusive Corncrake, which havebeen lost to other parts ofOrkney. There is a colony ofArctic Tern on the North Hill,accompanied by Arctic Skuaand a few Great Skuas, as well asmany waders, Black-backedGull and Eider around theshores.

The birds are particularlyattracted by the rich maritimeheath plant community. This isunique to Orkney and theNorth of Scotland and resultsfrom the combination of soiltype and the exposed situation,with many dwarf forms of nor-mally larger species. Theseinclude sedges and herbs such asDog Violet, Primrose, SpringSquill, Grass of Parnassus,

509

Fowl Craig is a low cliff where seabirds breed in summer, and the site of a fowl deed in 1813

Stonework and midden eroding out of the shore at Munkerhouse


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Holland Farm, a 19th century steading and Holland House on right, dating from the 17th century

NORTH ISLES - PAPAY

Holland Farm Bothy - folk museum

ments. At the inner end of thechamber there is a small cell,which had been sealed up earlyon in the usage of the cairn. Thewhole structure had been filledwith stones and earth plus someshells and fishbones, before itwas finally closed up.

The island has a large colony ofStorm Petrel (Mootie) and thereare also many of BlackGuillemot (Tystie), both ofwhich breed among the boul-ders on the northeast shore. Alate evening visit to the Holm tosee the Storm Petrels flyingaround in the grimlings, or sim-mer dimm, is well worth theeffort. The birds which are notincubating feed at sea duringthe day.

The Black Guillemot, on theother hand, is a confiding littlebird, which may be observedclosely. Teistie Taing at the southend could also be named SelkieTaing, as it is a popular place forseals to haul out, often in largenumbers. The small beach atBay of South Cruive is excellentfor Groatie Buckies and othershells.

Walks On Papay nowhere isvery far away, but nevertheless athorough exploration of theisland could still take severaldays. A visit to the Knap ofHowar and St BonifaceChurch,taking in Holland Farm and theSouth Wick makes a good cir-cular walk. Those primarilyinterested in wildlife shouldhead for the North Hill andFowl Craig, while a walk around

the South End to St Tredwell’sLoch and the Bay of Moclett isalso very pleasant.

HOLM OF PAPAY On theHolm of Papay (for access infor-mation ask at the Coop), thereare three chambered tombs, oneof which is quite extraordinary.The South Cairn, or Diss o'theHolm (HY509518), aMaeshowe-type cairn, has a

chamber over 20m long withtwelve side cells, two of whichare double and all of which areintact. The original height wasat least 2.7m and the chamberoversailed to reach a ceilingwidth of 0.8m, being roofedwith lintels.

On the southeast wall of themain chamber there are severalcarvings of dots, circles andother shapes. The entry passagefaces southeast, in contrast toMaeshowe's southwest. No evi-dence remains of any contents ofthe tomb, which was first exca-vated in 1849. In 1929 the pres-ent protective concrete roof wasadded. The narrow central pas-sage with its rows of side cellshas been compared with theSkara Brae street, suggestingthat the cairn may be a house forthe ancestors.

The North Cairn (HY504523),an Orkney-Cromarty type, rec-tangular stalled cairn wasrecently re-excavated. Humanbones from at least eight people,a substantial amount of plainpottery sherds, animal and fishbones were found. Outsidewere found some Beaker andGrooved Ware pottery frag-

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Holm of Papay - Tystie Taing and Bay of Cruive in foreground

Cup marks carved in the cairn

PAPAYSERVICES

Getting to Papay The island isserved by daily return flights byLoganair from Kirkwall Airport at aspecial subsidised rate due to the lackof a ro-ro vehicle ferry service.Special reduced fares apply forovernight stays, Tel 01856 872494.Orkney Ferries operates daily fromKirkwall via Westray. A feeder serv-ice runs from Pierowall to Papay Tel01857 677216. There are two directferry sailings per week. See timetablefor details of timetables, Tel 01856 872044Where to Stay on Papay check thelatest VisitOrkney or Islands ofOrkney brochures.Shop Papay Community CoopTel 01857 644321Tours Papay Peedie Tours Tel 01857 644321Car Hire Papay Car Hire Tel 01857 644245RSPB Warden April to AugustTel 01857 644240

Diss o’the Holm is a very large chambered cairn with twelve side cells

Golden Mariana, the Westray ferry

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NORTH ISLES - PAPAY

Old pier at South Wick

Bay of Moclett at the south end - site of the Broch of Bothekan

“Islander” over Papa Sound

north isles - westray westray the queen of the isles · grobust and may be the burial place for the...

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