Orkney Islands

The Orkney Islands off the north coast of Scotland are separated from the mainland by the Pentland Firth. The distance from John O'Groats at the northeastern tip of the Scottish mainland to the most southerly point on the island of South Ronaldsay is 6.5mi/10.4km. The islands are home to about 19,000 people who are known as Orcadians. Of the 67 islands only 18 are inhabited, although the principal island has a population of 14,000. Some 48mi/76.8km separate north from south while the distance from east to west measures 35mi/56km. Farming provides work for a good proportion of the population, and fishing, particularly for lobsters and prawns, is an important element in the local economy; however, of most significance today is the offshore oil industry. The island of Flotta on the east side of Scapa Flow Bay is a major loading station for oil tankers. Fertile top soil on the Devonian "old red sandstone" and the mild climate brought in by the Gulf Stream have created good conditions for farming. Long fields and green pastureland broken up by moors, grass and heathland characterize the islands. Ice Age glaciers left behind gently rolling hills with altitudes no higher than 1,000ft/305m, although the island of Hoy with its extremely steep cliffs is an exception. Moorland vegetation includes sphagnum moss, cotton grass, chickweed wintergreen, sundew and many varieties of heathers. Sea grasses predominate by the coast, but a number of rare species such as the Scottish primrose do occur. The Orkneys are also, of course, an important resting and breeding ground for sea birds but kestrels and peregrine falcons, sparrowhawks and golden eagles (on Hoy) breed here, while the moors make good habitats for great skuas, hen harriers and short-eared owls. The wetlands are ideal territory for oystercatchers, golden plovers, curlews, widgeons and pintails. The rocks attract birdwatchers who train their binoculars on the shearwaters, Arctic skuas, long-tailed ducks, puffins, gannets, terns, graylag geese, Canada geese and snow geese. Close to the shore otters, gray seals and common seals are a frequent sight, while further out it is sometimes possible to catch a glimpse of a school of dolphins. When the Egyptians were building pyramids by the Nile, the first settlers on the Orkneys were also constructing their simple dwellings. These first inhabitants were driven out by Picts who themselves had been forced to flee from Nordic invaders. For centuries the Orkneys, along with the Shetlands, the Hebrides and northern Scotland, belonged to Norway and many surnames serve as a reminder of that period. In fact, Nordic traces in the island's culture are not hard to find. Until the 17th century the language of the Orcadians was "Norn", a dialect related to old Norwegian and the name "Orkney" derives from the Nordic word "orc" meaning "wild bear". The history of the Nordic rulers, the "Jarls", is outlined in the "Orkneyinga Saga". After the Battle of Largs in 1263 the Norwegians abandoned all their Scottish territories apart from the Orkney and Shetland Islands. In 1468 Christian I of Norway pledged the islands as surety for a dowry when his daughter Margaret (the Maid of Norway) married James III of Scotland. The debt was not paid so in 1472 Scotland annexd the islands. The Scots imposed their feudal system on the islanders, who were not familiar with the clan structure. Up until then the land had been administered and cultivated on a communal basis. Earl Patrick Stewart was executed in Edinburgh in 1615 for his tyrannical treatment of the islanders. Scapa Flow Bay was a major naval base for the British fleet during World Wars I and II.

The Orkneys are popular with walkers, nature lovers and birdwatchers, but anglers too are attracted by both the sea and the inland freshwater lakes. And yet there are also plenty of places of interest for the more traditional tourist. In prehistoric times early man appreciated the favorable climate and fertile soil and left a wealth of ancient sites, with probably more here than anywhere else in Britain. Many of these Stone Age and Bronze Age remains can only be reached on foot or by bicycle. Malt whisky is also produced on the Orkneys and the regional specialties such as lobster and smoked cheese ought not to be missed. Golfers will even find two 18-hole golf courses, one near Stromness and one at Grainbank near Kirkwall.