8th March – Following her visit to Orkney last May, Susan Calman’s programme, Secret Scotland, finally made it to our screens. Here she is at Stromness Museum, being shown a neolithic figurine by one of our Trustees, Antonia Thomas. (See May 2018 post)
Susan Calman (left) with “Buddo”
14th March – H spends Thursday afternoons with a group of ladies doing their own craft things. This “hooky” rug was made for us by H’s friend Jackie. Very comfortable under the toes!
Jackie’s hooky rug
16th March – An evening at the Picky with Jason Manford. A packed hall enjoyed a very funny gig. These comedians have a hectic schedule: Friday – Kendal, Saturday – Kirkwall, Sunday – Lerwick. Definitely worth seeing if you get a chance.
18th March – A beautiful day here. The daffodils are out and the boats entering the harbour run the gauntlet of The Cannon.
23rd March – Apparently Mute Swans frequent sheltered sea coasts, I always assumed they preferred fresh water. This pair have been paddling around the harbour for several weeks now.
1st February – Whiteout! Lost sight of the harbour. This is probably the heaviest snowfall we’ve had since coming here. It has turned a bit slushy on the roads but looks nice on the high ground.
2nd February – Let winter do it’s worst, we have the technology to overcome it’s icy onslaught!
Stromness’ very own satellite positioned, laser guided transit pick-up gritter.
3rd February – The winter brings a large scale invasion in the shape of hundreds of Greylag geese. The, normally, clear fields provide fodder for them but they can do a lot of damage to the emerging shoots of the cereal crops.
H has spent the weekend attending a stone cutting course in Kirkwall. Run by an artist from Westray, the students are taught the techniques to produce relief carvings. This is the class and below is Helen’s Shag with Outstretched Wings.
Shag with Outstretched Wings
5th February – Enjoyed a beautiful golden sunrise this morning. As the year progresses the sunrise gets earlier and earlier, so we have to make the most of them while we can.
8th February – Went to see the Deerness Drama Group’s production of Swallows and Amazons.
Photo from Deerness Drama Group
We all thoroughly enjoyed it (Jeanne Rose came along too). An imaginative production and true to the book, it’s not easy to enact a story set in boats, on a lake, in a community hall! With some catchy songs thrown in, it was great fun. Congratulations to all involved.
19th February – You can spend a fortune on binoculars but the best thing for spotting wildlife is a labrador.
….and there is something about this pic that makes me think about Eric Cantona and sardines….!
20th February – The super moon has produced some exceptionally tides in Stromness. Over six hours between low and high tides, the sea rises 3.8m.
Fortunately the weather was fine and we didn’t have any surges causing flooding. Even so, the cottage at the upper right had water lapping at its wall. The pics below are looking back towards Well Park.
24th February – Last night we went to see Harry Dean Stanton’s last film, “Lucky”, at the West Side Cinema. A beautiful and very poignant portrayal of old age. Well worth seeing.
This afternoon we went for a run out to the beach at Evie, looked for groatie buckies but no luck. En route we passed this cottage in Sandwick with an impressive mural of Kirkwall on its side. Apparently it was created by the Australian artist Guido Van Helten.
1st January – Had a quiet Hogmanay, woke to a nice but cold 2019. Usual walk around Ness Point, the sun is still low at midday, this pic was taken about 1pm. Looking to the Hoy Low lighthouse on Graemsay, with the Hoy hills in the background.
9th January – Although Stromness Museum is closed from the 21st December until 5th February, there are still little jobs to be done. The museum sits on one of the old piers and the sea damp penetrates the building. To combat this, a number of dehumidifiers are installed throughout the building, I try to go in every two or three days and empty them.
It doesn’t take long but gives an opportunity to see the exhibits in peace and quiet!
23rd January – A bit more snow this morning but nothing much at ground level. A bit of warmth this afternoon will probably clear it.
29th January – Snow overnight has made the roads a bit tricky. This is the main Stromness to Kirkwall road this morning. We decided to cancel our shopping trip after a Vauxhall Vectra spun across the road in front of us.
31st January – We had a bit of an aurora tonight. Not very bright but a bonus getting a clear sky.
1st December – The Pier Arts Centre, in Stromness, hosts an annual winter exhibition, giving local artists and crafts people an opportunity to showcase their work. These are two of the seven galleries being used.
We’re like kiddies in a sweet shop and it takes a lot of discipline not to spend loads of money!
4th December – Woke up this morning to the first signs of snow of the season. Just a light dusting on the hills of Hoy.
There are still a lot of seal pups around, this one was having a snoozy morning in the sunshine. It might be the same one we saw at this location in October.
8th December – Jeanne Rose has opened an exhibition, Vanishing Points, in the Orkney Museum, Kirkwall. Jeanne was artist in residence at the Ness of Brodgar this year and these works were inspired by her time there. She was also allowed to borrow some of the artefacts from the dig which set off her work nicely.
9th December – It’s always nice to look out of the window and see a little face watching you.
15th December – Uh-oh, Storm Deirdre is bringing the worst combination for Stromness, 60mph winds from the southeast. Churchill Barriers closed, all ferries cancelled, no newspapers today! We will catch this square in the face. Time to batten down the hatches!
21st December – Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, which is a pity because it is a beautiful day today.
Looking across Scapa Flow
Near Stromness is the neolithic tomb of Maeshowe, built some 5000 years ago, it is one of the largest such tombs in Europe. On the winter solstice, the rising sun shines directly down the entrance passage, leading to speculation about the astronomical significance of such places.
Photo from @orkneyforward
And after a beautiful sunny day, a beautiful moony evening.
23rd December – Kirkwall braces itself for the Ba. The Ba is an event held on Christmas day and again on New Year’s Day. Basically it is a cross between a riot and, well, another riot. There can be as many as 350 big, burly men taking part, it’s not for the faint hearted. They are divided into two teams, “Uppies” and “Doonies”, the object being to get the “ba” up to the top of the town or down and into the harbour. Shops and houses barricade their doors and windows to prevent players being pushed through.
There are four games each year, two for the men and two for boys, and a specially crafted leather ball is made for each. This is awarded to the best player, as judged by the other participants, and is highly prized.
25th December – Sunrise on Christmas Day – Happy Christmas everybody!
31st December – The annual Stromness Yule Log Pull sees a junior event this year for the first time. The Soothend Juniors won this inaugural event in a contest that was more closely fought than last year’s Seniors. The youngsters have a shorter course and pull a 200kg log as opposed to the 400kg tree trunk that the seniors use but an entertaining contest nonetheless.
3rd November – An early start for H at Peterborough station. Catching the Edinburgh train and on to Aberdeen. The ferry was delayed due to weather but arrived in Kirkwall at 23:20, only 20 minutes late, after a smooth crossing.
Thanks to Colin and Gilly for the providing the taxi sevices.
8th November – A poignant reminder of those that never returned from the wars. This “invisible” man is sitting by the cannon on Ness Road, gazing out across Scapa Flow.
9th November – Popped into the Kirkwall Mart this afternoon to see the Cage Bird Society show. Mostly farm birds on show but we were impressed by this handsome white Wyandotte cockerel and a …errm…duck.
12th November – We’ve had a couple of lovely days now, hopefully November will be a bit more settled than October. It’s getting dark early now but this was around 3.30pm looking towards Hoy.
14th November – Out on the walk this morning, watched a pair of hooded crows flying up and dropping whelks on to the rocks, took this pic with the shell being dropped and then noticed a seal had popped up in the background.
17th November – The museum’s winter exhibition opens today. One of the exhibits features artefacts discovered at the Ness of Brodgar. Amongst the items on display is this selection of stone axe heads. At over 5,000 years old, they show great craftsmanship.
21st November – Went to the Merkister Hotel in Harray for lunch with our former neighbour Cati. Our last chance before Cati heads off to California for Christmas and to avoid winter in Orkney.
A lovely setting, good company and very good grub. The Merkister Hotel was once the home of the writer Eric Linklater.
23rd November – H took this atmospheric shot looking down the twisty South End.
24th November – Windwick, South Ronaldsay, a good place to see seal mums gathered together with their youngsters.
27th November – Had to take the car over to Kirkwall this morning to have some work done. Got the X1 bus back (free with the travel card!) – managed to find a seat OK.
1st October – Stromness lifeboat leaving on a “call” at 17:45 this evening. Weather forecast is not good, 50mph winds, so hope they can do their job and return safely.
Update: They attended the Lerwick registered Norholm, which had entangled its propeller and stern gear with a large, drifting, fishing net. They manged to get the stricken vessel in tow and returned to Stromness at 20:00. Job well done.
The “Norholm” in Stromness.
6th October – After a few weeks of squally showers, today has been a beautiful autumnal day. We went for an evening stroll past the golf course and were treated to this sunset over Hoy Sound.
9th October – This evening we went to see “The Importance of Being Earnest” at the Pickaquoy Centre, broadcast from London’s Vaudeville Theatre.
Good performances all round, although not too impressed with the drab set design (IMHO). There was a surprisingly large turnout at the Picky for a dreich, Tuesday night.
10th October – A glorious day here, we walked out to Warebeth and made the most of the sunshine.
The little boat above is one of the local crabbers, checking his crab pots in Hoy Sound.
This shot, below, gives a good example of the local laminar geology, which enabled the construction of the many neolithic structures in Orkney. The bedrock splits easily into large slabs, perfect for building with.
The vessel in the background is the NLB Pharos sailing into Stromness, passing Hoy Low lighthouse on Graemsay.
11th October – Uh oh! Our first flood warning since we came to Orkney!
We’re pretty high up here but the sea has come over the road in the past. Need to keep a watch on Friday evening.
13th October – Went to see the opening of an exhibition by the versatile and talented Ralph Robinson in Tankerness House, this morning.His work is always varied and by addressing contemporary issues, thought provoking.
21st October – On our Sunday Stroll we came across this little chap by the Old Lifeboat Station. We assume it’s waiting for its mum but it’s unusually close to a busy footpath.
24th October – Took H to Hatston to catch the midnight boat to Aberdeen. She’s off to Kettering to visit with family. She had a good crossing and smooth rail journey.
28th October– A nice day for a run up to the Brough of Birsay, on the northwest corner of the island. The Brough is a headland that becomes an island at high tide. This is a group of visitors waiting for the ebb tide to uncover the causeway.
Birsay offers great views to the north and the west, a great place for sunsets. This photo looks north to the island of Westray, some 12 miles distant.
31st October – The tourist season is definitely over now. Passing the Ring of Brodgar mid-day and it is deserted.
1st September – We are in the new house at last! It was a glorious, sunny day here yesterday and the the removal guys arrived on time and quickly emptied Gray’s Noust. Well Park is only half a mile along the road but the views from here make it all worth while. This is looking from the front window on our first evening.
We’ve a lot of unpacking to do and we’ll be glad to see the back of the cardboard boxes. We just have to work out where everything goes.
8th September – This coming week is the annual Orkney Science Festival. Numerous events are held throughout the county covering a wide range of topics. This year Stromness Academy hosts an exhibition featuring the Moon. The focal point is this representation of the Moon which has been touring Europe.
Measuring seven metres in diameter the globe features 120dpi detailed NASA imagery.
11th September – A nice day here, if a bit blustery. Monty has settled in and is enjoying the views from his big window.
H helps out at the Stromness branch of the Red Cross. They held a “secret dinner” last night, in the Stromness Hotel, to celebrate thirty years voluntary service of Ella Duncan, third from left in this picture, a great achievement.
The Stromness Red Cross shop is run entirely by these local volunteers and, despite its size, is consistently one of the highest earners for the charity in the UK. One week, this August, it reached the number one spot in the UK. Well done all involved. H is second from right.
19th September – Storm Ali is battering southern and central Scotland, in a lull before it reached Orkney, a few minutes of sunshine produced this rainbow over the harbour.
22nd September – We’ve just been out for a stroll along the shore watching the wildlife.
Inner Holm is a small tidal island in the harbour with a bungalow on it, accessible only at low tide. It’s a popular spot for seals with around thirty there today.Â
Spent some time watching this redshank catching little crabs in the pools along the beach.
26th September– Last visit to the Hamnavoe restaurant this evening before they close for the season. We didn’t get many chances to dine there this year, must make up for it next year.
Stromness burgh’s motto is Per Mare – By Sea, reflecting how much the town’s success has relied upon the sea. These photographs, taken around 1900, shows the harbour full of herring boats.
The “Double Cottages”, opposite Well Park, can be seen at upper right. ( Pics from the Orkney Archive)
The harbour today is still busy but the nature of the traffic has changed. The fishing boats are much fewer and mostly inshore crabbers. Taking their place now are the dive boats, excursion boats and cruise liners.
The scuttling of the German High Seas Fleet, in Scapa Flow, in June 1919 provided a great business opportunity for companies today offering scuba diving trips. A number are based in Stromness and, using old converted fishing boats, they take intrepid tourists out to dive on the wrecks. Out of seventy-four warships interned here and scuttled, seven battleships remain submerged and can be dived on. This picture shows three dive boats, Leviathan, Huskyan and Jean Elaine returning into harbour.
The rise of Orkney as the UK’s top cruise ship destination sees between 150 and 200 cruise liners visit the county each year. The majority, and all the large ships, dock in Kirkwall but a number of the smaller boats, 70 to 100 passengers, visit Stromness. This influx of tourists can bring some vital income to the shops in the town and much is done to make them welcome. These are some of the regular visitors, Corinthian, Clio and Silver Explorer.
From time to time, the more “well heeled” visitor arrives and there is a great deal of speculation as to who could own these very flashy yachts. Below are the Jamaica Bay and Archimedes in Stromness harbour.
Jamaica Bay
Archimedes
We never heard who was on the Jamaica Bay but the BBC did an item on the Archimedes, which is owned by a hedge fund manager. Glad to see he’s making good use of my pension fund!
The Orkney archipelago consists of some seventy islands, twenty of which are inhabited. For the islanders, the ferries are the lifeblood of the county. Orkney Islands Council provide the service within Orkney and the services to mainland Scotland are run by Northlink Ferries and Pentland Ferries. Two services run out of Stromness, the Graemsay runs to the islands of Graemsay and Hoy, and the Hamnavoe covers the Stromness to Scrabster route.
Above: clockwise from top left, Hamnavoe, Graemsay, Thorsvoe and Hoy Head
It’s not always plain sailing (so to speak) for the ferries. In December 2017, the Hamnavoe was returning to Stromness on a particularly stormy morning and attempted to manoeuvre into the dock. The wind was so strong that they couldn’t turn the boat and had to abandon the attempt, the Captain took the ferry into Scapa Flow and spent the night following a circuit up and down the coastline. The hapless passengers spent almost twenty-four hours on what should have been a ninety minute crossing! This photo shows the OIC tug, Harald, trying to turn the Hamnavoe before eventually conceding victory to the elements. It all took place in front of Gray’s Noust – fascinating to watch.
Each year the boats go for their annual maintenance service and we get replacement ships providing cover. Previously we have had the massive Helliar and, on loan from CalMac, the Isle of Lewis.
The Lifeboat
Providing a valuable life saving service in the seas around Orkney are the volunteers of the RNLI. Orkney has three lifeboats, Kirkwall, Longhope and Stromness. The first Stromness lifeboat was established in 1867 with funds provided by Sir Titus Salt, the Yorkshire philanthropist, and was named “Saltaire” in his honour.
Training in Stromness harbour
The current Severn Class boat, Violet Dorothy and Kathleen, has been in service since 1998 and is the seventh lifeboat to be based in Stromness.
6th August– Further to our entry on the 12th July, regarding the yacht Archimedes visiting Stromness, it has turned up in Bristol and was reported on the BBC.
A luxury superyacht which docked in Bristol on Sunday has been described by harbour masters as “one of the largest” ships ever to visit the city. “Archimedes”, owned by American billionaire James Simons, is worth an estimated £75m. The 68m (223 ft) luxury motor vessel was built in 2008 and has a top speed of 16 knots. It is not known whether Mr Simons, who founded private hedge fund Renaissance Technologies in 1982, was on board.
I assume he wasn’t on board when the boat was in Stromness as we weren’t invited to dinner! See the Per Mare page for a tour of Archimedes.
7th August – The Jubilee Sailing Trust do great work offering maritime adventures for people with all levels of disability. They run two Tall Ships in the North Atlantic and around Europe, this is Lord Nelson arriving in Stromness this morning.
18th August – Took a break from packing to visit the archaeological dig at the Ness of Brodgar. The site closes next week as the archaeology students go back to their respective universities. The dig gets covered with a layer of tarpaulins and old tyres to protect it over the winter.
It is believed the site was continuously occupied for about a thousand years, from 3300 BCE to 2300 BCE. Hundreds of neolithic artefacts have been found, from pottery shards to stone axe heads, all beautifully manufactured. The standard of the masonry work is impressive, considering it is some 5000 years old. Only a fraction has been uncovered so far, and the Ness has many secrets yet to be revealed.
21st August – Local company, Scotrenewables Ltd, have announced that their experimental tidal energy turbine, near Eday, has generated more electricity in its first year than Scotland’s entire wave and tidal sector produced before it. It has now generated three gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity from near continuous operation. The company thinks this one unit alone could generate 25% of Orkney’s electricity.
Another “first” for them is generation of hydrogen from the wave technology. Orkney Island Council now run hydrogen powered vans and are going to convert their ferries to hydrogen also.
OIC Hydrogen Van
Renewables Layout
All very “green”! We might look into a hydrogen car for ourselves.
24th August – Urrgh! Bubble wrap and boxes! If I see another box…
I think we’ve actually boxed ourselves in……help!!!
30th August – Belinda and James Richardson are in Stromness today on their fundraising anti-clockwise tour of all the lifeboat stations in the UK. They’ve 238 to visit in all, with 3 being in Orkney.
Here they are with the Stromness boat and crew and the Richardson’s classy Porsche 911.
His work is always varied and by addressing contemporary issues, thought provoking.
Scapa Views 