Orkney: Rackwick Bay on Hoy

Rackwick Bay with cottages and the imposing cliffs (above and below)

  

Map of the bay and its dwellings 

 Some of the scattered cottages

We spent Friday on the island of Hoy to the west/south west of the 'mainland' of Orkney. The northern part of the island is quite wild, hilly with little habitation, while the south is much flatter and more fertile and where the majority of the population live. The island has a population of 400.

We saw most of the island and thought that the isolated bay of Rackwick on the west coast was the most beautiful spot. The Old Man of Hoy (a sea stack) is relatively close – three miles north – to Rackwick but unfortunately we didn't have time to walk there as the return journey takes around three hours. Rackwick is certainly a peaceful place if you want to get away from the rush of modern day life.   

 

 Looking southwards to the 'continent' of Scotland

 

Stony beach and cliff

 Grass covered dwellings

Burnmouth Cottage

 Burnmouth Cottage close to the seashore 

Sign on cottage wall

 Inside Burnmouth Cottage (above and below)

 Sketch map pinned to one of the cottage walls

 

Other side of Burnmouth Cottage

 Cottage with stone roof

Stone cottage with cliffs in background

 Metal lump and landscape

Thatched cottage

Footpath sign to Hoy – no road access

 

Towards the Old Man of Hoy (above and below)

 

'Garbo' hut on way to Rackwick  (above and below) 
 No problem with noisy neighbours!

Orkney: Yvonne Harrold and Brinkies guest house

Yvonne Harrold@ the entrance to Brinkies 

 The stone clad front to Brinkies 

During our five day stay on Orkney we stayed at Brinkies Guest House above Stromness, which is run by Yvonne Harrold. We had a very enjoyable and comfortable stay and were very well looked after by the welcoming and enthusiastic Yvonne. Breakfast consisted of a wide range of Orkney products including salmon, herring and cheeses plus Yvonne's fine home baking. 

We would certainly go back.  

One of the views from Brinkies (above and below) down to Stromness with the island of Graemsay and then Hoy in the background

Another view from Brinkies looking towards Hoy – bare land in background

Hoy: memorial to crew of Longhope lifeboat lost on 17th March 1969

Memorial to crew of the lifeboat TGB

Looking across to lighthouse

 Plaque to crew of the Longhope lifeboat who were killed on 17th March 1969

 Chapel@the cemetery

Anchor of the SS Victoria: at the nearby lifeboat museum 

Oafish twat driving SK07 AWJ on Hoy gives motor homes bad name

Road hog SK07 AWJ on the Isle of Hoy

Many of the roads on the island of Hoy are single track, so it is customary for slow moving vehicles to use the many passing places to allow faster vehicles to pass. Not so the above motor home (SK07 AWJ), which we followed most of the way from the village of Hoy to Lyness. Despite a number of requests to let us pass, the driver of SK07 AWJ stubbornly refused to pull off to let us through – a manouvere that would have taken only some 15 seconds. Instead the driver continued to crawl along. The roads of Hoy have little traffic, so it is highly likely that would have been the only time they needed to pull over.         

Orkney: more photos

 Trio of photos taken around 6.30am on Tuesday morning 

 

Stromness to Scrabster ferry (above and below)

 

Above Stromness to lighthouse of Scapa Flow

Sunlight on Scapa Flow (above and below)

 

Stromness and out to Scapa Flow

 Red car and across to Hoy

Across to Hoy

A-Hoy!

 Houses and the ocean

 A lampscape

A tartan horse