Sunsets and stars.

Watching sunsets and starry skies has always been an important part of my summer but it only dawned on me recently that we’ve not had many in Orkney. The long summer days up here mean that in June and July its very late until the sun goes to bed, if at all.

As the nights start to draw in we are now being blessed with some incredible sunsets, watching the sun dip into the ocean. The sunset below caught us of guard and saw us running up the hill behind Stromness just to catch it before it disappeared.

The skies are also getting starrier, and if you’re willing to stay up all night you may even get a glimpse of the northern lights. They were recently spotted at 2am, unfortunately we didn’t know about them so were sound asleep in bed. We will hopefully get to see them soon though, I’m going to be keeping a close on eye on Aurora Watch UK and keeping my fingers crossed.

Seen on 16 Aug from the Standing Stones of Stenness

As the winter approaches the sun with move further round to the south meaning we should get even better views of it from Stromness. This will of course mean our evenings getting shorter, but I’m quite excited about the skies we will see and of course, the best thing about winter…the torch lit mountain bike rides.

Eynhallow

It may sound obvious but one of the beauties of living on Orkney is that you get to visit so many different islands, all with quite unique histories and stories. There are however a lot to visit, 70 in fact. Of these 70 only 20 are inhabited, these 20 are the easier ones to get to with regular ferries and flights to get you there. The rest are a little more difficult if you don’t have your own boat. So, when the opportunity to visit one of these non-inhabited islands comes up, you’ve got to go for it. Last Wednesday we were fortunate enough to visit Eynhallow. This little island sits between Orkney Mainland and Rousay, in the middle of the Eynhallow Sound, with particularly strong tides on both sides of the island, making access difficult.

Eynhallow – pinched from visionofbritain.org.uk

Abandoned in 1851 following the landlord clearing the remaining crofters, the 75 hectare island is now home to mostly birds and sheep. It’s a strong hold for the arctic tern and has the longest standing fulmar study in the world, carried out by Aberdeen University. Puffins, shags, black guillemots, gulls, arctic skuas and great skuas all thrive here.

Approaching Eynhallow

Looking towards Rousay across the sound

Shags

Arctic Terns

Black Guillemot

Eynhallow (Norse for Holy Island) has a special place in Orkney tradition and folklore. It is believed Eynhallow was the summer home of the Finfolk, a race of magical beings who spent the long winters at the bottom of the sea. Not particularly pleasant, they were known for abducting mortals to take for their husband or wife. Long since the Finfolk left the island, it is still believed to be magical. It is said that if you cut grain there after sundown it will bleed, or a tethered horse will always be running free after dark. I can’t quite say I experienced any magic that evening, other than being on a normally inaccessible island on one of the best evenings of the year, with a flask of tea and a choccy biccy.

Settling in.

I’m now into my third week here on Orkney and things are starting to feel a bit more normal. I think this is partly because we’re getting involved in lots of different things and seem to be booked up most nights of the week. We’ve also started to bump into people we know when out, that certainly helps you feel less like a visitor.

Before embarking on this new adventure one of our concerns was would there be enough things to keep us busy. Whilst in England we spent most of our time in the Lake District and Peak District, doing a mixture of climbing, cycling, running and mountaineering. We were unsure if we would still be able to pursue our hobbies in this new place, although we did also know it was a great opportunity to try out new things.

It was a wild day

With some decent surf

I’m pleased to say our concerns were completely unfounded. I’m not sure I’ve been involved in such a range of activities before, there’s so much to get involved in. We’ve got involved in the weekly volleyball match, football, sea kayaking, sea swimming and Ant’s even ventured out into the surf. The facilities here are incredible, far better than we could have imagined. For the size of the Islands and the population it really is above and beyond what you would expect.

Ant trying out our new sea kayak.

People here get involved in lots of different things, and when you live in a small community thats what you have to do. So we have. I never imagined I’d move to Orkney and play volleyball (it’s not on a beach, and theres a definite lack of bikinis).

The weekend just gone was the Solstice, and despite the non-ideal conditions we still tried to make the most of the light. Following a music gig at a pub we walked the 4 miles home, no torch needed at midnight. I’m not sure my stumble home from the pub has ever been so pleasant, we even worked out we could kayak there and back, with a reduced intake of alcohol of course.

This weekends set to be a busy one as we celebrate Ant’s birthday, although he’s still trying to decide which Island we’re going too….

The end of week one.

I’m coming to the end of my first week here on Orkney, having made the long journey north last weekend. In all honesty it’s been a strange week, I still can’t quite get my head around being here all the time and not having to return ‘home’. I’m not sure when this feeling will leave me, but for now it’s still very present.

I’ve tried to get involved in lots of things this week, meet new people and explore my new area. Trips have included visiting the Ring of Brodger, the Bay of Skaill, Marwick Head, Hobbister and Waulkmill Bay, all stunning locations within 10 miles of my door. Our visit to Marwick Head on Friday really brought it home to me. Despite having a degree in Wildlife Conservation, worked and volunteered for numerous wildlife charities and on the whole having a lot of interest in our native wildlife, I had never seen a Puffin.

Hobbister Nature Reserve – there’s a Hen Harrier out there somewhere.

Waulkmill Bay

Marwick Head – Sea Bird City

We’ve all seen these incredible birds on Springwatch and other shows, but never have I seen one in the flesh, right there. Well that all changed on Friday. In amongst the groups of Guillemots and Razorbills, we’re the odd pair of Puffins. Watching them take off from the cliffs, only to fly back around and land quite precariously on the same bit of rock. This in itself was an incredible experience, but to think this is all taking place about 7 miles from my door and I can not only return to see it tomorrow, but also the day after that, and the day after that.

As well as making the most of our local wildlife and history, we’ve also tried to get stuck into our local community. Stromness is a fantastic place to live, a small town (the smallest of the two towns on Orkney) with a real mix of people. Local Orcadians, born and bred on the Island as well as a mix of nationalities. Many move here for work, some to escape the hustle and bustle of modern city living, and others for university. Renewable Energy a big employer on the Islands, and with wind, wave and tidal energy it’s a great place to study.

When we moved to Orkney we wanted to be greener, more sustainable and be more in touch with the land. Our wonderful landlord has allowed us to dig a veg patch in the garden, and despite the shorter summer, the longer day light hours means things can really thrive here. As well as our little patch, we also discovered Stromness Community Gardens. Set up so that people can grow their own produce, reduce their carbon footprint and learn from each other, its a brilliant resource with both outdoor plots and a large polytunnel. It’s sure to keep our fingers green and our kitchen cupboards stocked.

Stromness Community Gardens Polytunnel

Jenny