Orkney escapes......2

Realising that this blog is meant to be all about cycling, and not simply as a travel guide, let’s get back to talking about bikes!

Our trip to Orkney was planned with more or less military precision for one good reason….the ferry timetables. We originally had the rather romantic idea that you could spend a week or a fortnight hopping from one island to another, but a more in depth look at the inter-island timetables quickly put paid to this idea. Most of Orkney’s ferries, whilst handy for tourists, are really there to serve the islanders who live there year round, and most of them want to travel to and from Kirkwall for monthly stocking up on shopping etc. Whilst there are ferries between the smaller islands, these only run very occasionally ( once a month! ) unless there’s an agricultural fair or annual event on, so you really have no choice but to travel between your island of choice and Kirkwall, unless you have unlimited time to spend on the islands or can plan your trip specifically around these dates.

To the north of the Orkney mainland there are several ‘large’ islands, using the term loosely as the permanent populations can be in the low hundreds outside the tourist season. After a bit of research as to which ones would be the best to visit for a couple of days each, we settled on Westray to the north west, and Sanday to the north east of Kirkwall. As taking the car could prove expensive for these short trips, we intended to bike it with the tent, and had chosen these islands for several reasons, but also because there were campsites available on both.

Taking the ferry proved really easy and hassle free. We headed for Westray first, taking the ferry from Kirkwall harbour, and as more or less a foot passenger, there was no need to book ahead but simply turn up at the allotted time and cycle on. All the northern isles ferries leave from the same harbour, and are well signed to make sure you don’t get on the wrong one, and paying fares on the ferry was easy so again no need to get tickets in advance. The ferries are pretty basic, with some having a small coffee kiosk selling hot and cold drinks and snacks, and some with simply a vending machine, so if you need anything more exotic you’ll need to take it with you. Our journey to Westray took about 90 minutes, and cost £7.50 single for each of us plus £1.50 for each bike so hardly breaking the bank in that respect. Bikes were tied up on the car deck and we settled down upstairs to watch the islands go by.

The vast majority of Orkney’s islands are pretty flat, with the exception of Hoy and Rousay, but that’s not to say there aren’t hills to climb as we found out. Our campsite for these two days on Westray was approximately seven miles from the ferry terminal, which involved a couple of long drags up and down rolling hills to get the legs going. The roads were generally quite good, and there’s little traffic to worry about, with everyone being considerate and giving us plenty of room as they passed. An hour or so later we arrived at ‘The Barn Hostel and campsite’ (http://www.thebarnwestray.co.uk )and got settled in. All in all it was a good wee site with a camper’s kitchen which is handy if you’re in a tiny wee tent like ours and it’s cold and windy. The site has a nice grassed pitching area with a good mix of tents, campervans and caravans, and is located on the edge of Pierowall just as you enter the town.

Over the next couple of days we explored the island on the bikes, managing to cover most of it and visit all the main places of any interest. Westray is a good place to see puffins at this time of year, and we managed to see some at the ‘Castle o’Burrian’ at the south of the island. They were there in pretty decent numbers and we spent a while watching them fly to and from their nests, however like us they weren’t happy to hang around outside much….seems like puffins don’t like the cold much either! Noup Head is good for bird watching, with plenty of gannets, fulmars, kittiwakes and razorbills if you like that kind of thing, and some spectacular cliff walks. It’s worthwhile taking a decent detailed OS map with you if you can for these island trips as there are plenty of small farm and minor roads which don’t show up on larger scale versions. You can’t really get lost but having a good map avoids the hassle of going down a one way track, and can also show up footpaths, many of which are suitable for bikes.

So what about the practicalities? We had stocked up on food etc in Kirkwall for at least a day, but found a couple of good grocers shops in Pierowall selling more than enough to make a good camping meal. The only place you can buy beer or wine however, on the whole island, is in the Pierowall Hotel as neither grocer is licenced, and when we popped in there for a drink the barmaid was doing a roaring off-licence service for locals - so don’t be afraid to ask! The camper’s kitchen on the site has sink, cookers, kettle and a toaster, but you’d be better not to rely on the dishes or pans etc and just use your own if you can. Washing and drying facilities are provided, including washing machine and free showers, and there is a good green for hanging out wet clothes. A treat, if you’re there on the right day ( Wednesday and Saturday 5-9pm http://www.pierowall-fish.co.uk ), is to get fish and chips from Jack’s Chippy on the harbour front ( Look out for the big blue building), and as well as a large take out choice, including monkfish and scallops, they also sell fresh fish and shellfish if you fancy cooking something a little more exciting.

Westray isn’t the best place for archaeological sites but the few that there are are easily accessible and free! There are some norse settlement ruins and we didn’t have time to go into the heritage centre in Pierowall which looked worthwhile if you have time. Again had we had more time, and if we ever go back, we would have taken the ferry or flown to Papa Westray, the islands smaller sister to the north east. The flight takes two minutes and is the shortest scheduled flight in the world….maybe next time!