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A Cycle Tour of The Orkney and Shetland Isles June 2008

 

Having all escaped our wives for a fortnight, it is 7 a.m. and Frank, Malcolm, Grayham and I meet at Brian’s house for the start of a Rough Stuff Fellowship tour, We load bikes on to the trailer and half an hour later we are away.  After eleven hours on the road we finally arrive at John O’ Groats SYHA in Canisbay, having had a stop near Dunblane for lunch and at Helmsdale for a fish supper. The warden packs us off to bed on the dot at 11pm - uncomplainingly since we are tired. Next morning we take a leisurely breakfast, say cheerio to some End to Enders, unpack and prepare the bikes for the road. We pop down to John O’ Groats proper for a coffee, photos and a snack before catching the early afternoon ferry from Gills Bay to St Margaret’s Hope on South Ronaldsay. So started our Orkney and Shetland Islands tour.

Heavily laden we take the road north to Kirkwall. It is impossible not to feel a sense of history as we cross the islands lying to the east of Scapa Flow, which since the 2nd World war have been linked by the Churchill barriers. These were put in place after a German U boat entered Scapa Flow sailing on the surface at night and sank the battleship HMS Royal Oak with the loss of 833 men at the outset of the War. We pause frequently to look at the information boards and the block ships sunk to impede access before the barriers were built. Some time is spent at the Italian Chapel built by prisoners of war out of a Nissen hut. This is decorated inside so realistically that it is difficult believe that the frescoes are not in relief but painted on flat surfaces.

Finally we approach Kirkwall and after a buy-in at Lidl search for the SYH where we book in for two nights so that we can get our fully get our bearings. During our meal of bangers and mash we are approached by Roy an ex-navy chief petty officer here to research his family tree. Over the next couple of nights we hear a lot from Roy. The following morning we are all set to visit Skara Brae, but Malcolm has lost the key to the bike lock. Brian tries to unpick it to no avail, and so Frank set off to find the police who embarrassingly arrive with bolt cutters at the very moment that Brian has managed to unpick it. Is there anything that this man cannot do? An hour late we hit the road for Finstown. No café! But we are told that further on there is Gerri’s Ice Cream Parlour “which will not disappoint you”. Gerri turns out to be a Lancashire lass from Adlington who emigrated to Orkney many years ago. She has almost lost her Lancashire accent but as we talk it gradually returns and becomes stronger. To her this is an idyllic place - little crime, few drugs, friendly people, equable climate apart from the wind - and a leisurely pace of life that suits. No way would she return to England! This was a message we were going to hear repeatedly throughout our tour. We continue and stop to visit the impressive Standing Stones O’ Stenness  and pass by the nearby Ring O’ Brodgar stone circle.  Shortly afterwards I get a puncture in my rear tyre. It turns out to be my own fault since a plastic grommet to convert a schraeder rim to presta had been left inside the tyre. I knew that I had dropped it somewhere! We arrive at  Skara Brae Orkney’s premier prehistoric site. We take lunch at the visitor centre and are shown around the 5000 year old settlement. This is an amazing conglomeration of linked dwellings all explained to us by another joyous neo-Orcadian, this time from Glossop my adopted home town! We take our leave and since our ticket entitles us to visit Skail House the home of the lairds we have a look around this before making the road back to Kirkwall for a second night with Roy.

 

Over breakfast Roy informs us that he is going to the island of Westray for two days, so we head for Hoy. However we check firstly the ferry to Shetland and find that we can get one on Sunday night returning Wednesday evening all for less than £30 including bikes. This seems a bargain for a 7 hour journey! That settled, we head for the road around the northern shores of Scapa Flow which will take us to Stromness.  We make a brief diversion to Scapa and continue rising steadily ( but there are no real hills here). There are no cafes on this road, so when we come across the classy Forveran Hotel we decide to ask if they serve tea. They don’t do this normally, but for us nothing was too much trouble. We are invited in and soon tea, toast and cakes appear amidst a sumptuous lounge all at a surprisingly reasonable price . Replenished we continue to Houton where we want to check out the times of ferries to and from Hoy. This done we have a lunchtime snack at the hotel. The garrulous landlady is yet another escapee from mainland Britain, but this time from Edinburgh. At Stromness we visit a museum full of naval and social interest, and tour through the narrow paved streets before making our way to the independent Hamnavoe Hostel. This turns out to be superb accommodation and booking in for 2 nights would allow us to make a day trip to Hoy the following day,

Saturday morning we take the early ferry from Stromness to Hoy where we are told that there is a café. Since there is nothing else here and only two ferries per day at weekend there cannot be much trade. That being said we spend a congenial half hour there.  Hoy is the only island in Orkney that has anything resembling mountains, for the rest of Orkney is mostly flat or gently undulating with a few small hills. On leaving we took the road between the mountains to Rackwick on the other side of the island. This is the starting point for a walk to the Old Man of Hoy, but one needs more time to do it. Rackwick Bay is a magical place with cliffs and sand and, almost on the beach, a bothy fit for one’s wife! After chatting to some German students, we had sadly to say goodbye and retrace our steps to the east. We then took the coastal road south which climbs quite high to a picnic site with extensive views over Scapa Flow and its islands. The going started to feel much harder until I realised that my front tyre was becoming soft, but managed to make it to Lyness for the return ferry to Houton. We were able to take a look around the war graves at the Royal Naval Cemetery and to visit the local museum to the World Wars before catching the ferry. Part of the museum is inside a large oil storage tank and gives a particularly distinctive experience.  The ferry took us through Scapa Flow and we came to appreciate the immensity of this naval anchorage. At Houton we have to stop for a few minutes as my tyre was now completely flat, and I need to mend my puncture. – a tiny piece of sharp sea shell embedded in the tyre was the culprit. Then a quick jouney back to the bunkhouse. Stromness is in a beautiful spot with views across to Hoy, but Saturday night is very quiet - just the place for misanthropes. However, in a bunkhouse with friends and a bottle of wine what more could one want? Hamnavoe Hostel is splendid  – go there!

Sunday and we are to take the ferry through the night to Shetland, so we decide to spend the day taking a tour round  North Mainland (mainland Orkney that is). We set off from Stromness northwards to Skara Bare again for coffees and then on to the Kitchener Memorial. This involved leaving the bikes and walking to the headland overlooking the point where HMS Hampshire hit a German mine in June 1916 with the loss of 643 men including Lord Kitchener the Commander in Chief. The monument is a large tower overlooking impressive cliffs, but with no internal opening or visitor platform. No cafe here, so we picnicked and then back on the road to pass through Twatt (sic), where like everyone else, we stopped to take photos of ourselves next to the signpost! Reaching the eastern side of the island we stopped at a store run by couple who had escaped from Somerset to find their idyll – no they would not return they told us. This was a message that was becoming to sound familiar. They directed us to The Broch of Gurness a couple of miles off the main road. This is another 4000 year old settlement and an amazing structure every bit as impressive and interesting as Skara Brae though less visited. Then a fast 17 miles back to Kirkwall for fish and chips before catching the quarter to midnight ferry to Lerwick on its way from Aberdeen. On board, Frank relates to us his experiences during the cod wars when he was serving on a destroyer in the northern seas. We also have a chat with ‘Welsh Andy’ who having left his homeland now lives in Saxa Vord at the northernmost point of the Shetlands - a wonderful place for a volunteer coastguard and always work for a carpenter, so he said. Finally we stretch out in the lounge and manage to sleep for most of the journey.

 

7 a.m. and we disembark and ride to the SYHA hostel to drag a welcoming and friendly warden out. He tells us that we can leave our bags in our rooms, and so we head off into town to find a café for breakfast. We visit the information centre and look around before deciding to take a mid-day ferry to the island of Bressay. However, waiting for the ferry the rain and wind commence and the clouds come down almost to the ground. So we think better of it and set off for the Shetland Museum which covers every aspect of Shetland life, where we learnt a lot and well worth our extended visit.On leaving Malcolm is confronted by a man who says “You are from the Rough Stuff Fellowship. I recognise you from your photo in Singletrack magazine” What price fame?   We call at the Co-op and head back to the hostel where we meet 74 year old Norwegian ‘PP’ who is here on his 1970 BMW R60/5 for a motor festival – a big bike for a 5ft tall man, but he has had it from new and done over 70 thousand miles on it.  We make the evening meal and follow by studying maps, reading or watching Euro 2008 on TV.

 

The next morning was again wet and windy, and since Welsh Andy had told us that it was possible to travel to the farthest north and back in a day by public transport  we decided to do just that. This involved 3 busses and 2 ferries to reach Saxa Vord at the northern end of Unst. The third bus driver dropped us off and explained that it was necessary to make prior arrangements to be picked up for the return trip. He suggested that if we walked the half mile back to the café at The Boat Haven we could be picked up there at  4.15pm, which would allow sufficient time to get the ferry. This we decided to do. Welsh Andy had extolled  Saxa Vord as a wonderful place,  but here on a wet and windy dismal day it was easy for me as an ex-National Service radar operator to appreciate that fifty years ago a posting to RAF Saxa Vord was regarded as the kiss of death for 19 year old testosterone fuelled young servicemen. Ironically the old RAF camp is now a well furnished hotel from which it is possible to see the furthest north house in the British Isles, but otherwise a very bleak and isolated spot indeed. We took coffees and wondered what on earth we were going to do for the next five  hours. We had hoped to be able to get to see Muckle Flugga, but time, weather and visibility were against us. So, capes on, we walked back the half mile to a heritage centre at Haroldswick where we ate our sandwiches. Surprisingly, this tuned out to be an extremely interesting place with much to see and read of lighthouses, fishing, storms, the military and of life on Unst. We stayed so long that the curator provided us with free tea as we watched a DVD about the immediate locality. We left to walk a further quarter of a mile to the Boat Haven which had a display of boats typical of Shetland and again much more interesting than expected. We  departed just in time to see four old open top Bentleys touring the Islands as part of a classic motor festival.  Remarkably, the hours had flown. It was already 4.15p.m.and we had no time for coffee before the bus. We retraced the journey back to Lerwick – bus – ferry - bus – ferry – bus -  and all for £16 return what better value? The journey back took us through some pretty desolate countryside as we traversed the islands of Unst and Yell ( Go to Yell!  I here you say – well we’ve been and come back!). The second ferry takes us back to Shetland Mainland. Here we passed through the oil terminal at Sullom Voe and the isolated ‘towns’ of Brae and Voe, which in there isolation remind me of an Icelandic trip, except that everywhere in Shetland the roads are superb – the legacy of oil. Finally back at the hostel ‘PP’ tells us that he had wanted to fly to one of the minor islands but all flights had been cancelled due to the weather. So, abandoning bikes for the day had been the correct choice after all. Once again it is time for cooking and reading or watching Euro 2008

The Wednesday ferry leaves at 5pm and if we were to miss it there would not be another until the weekend. So, we decide to ride to Scalloway on the west side of the peninsula. There is a very strong wind from the north and it is a cold one, Out of the wind the air temperature is not so cold, but there is little shelter in Shetland - few trees and few walls. However,  today is finer and brighter. Reaching Scalloway we are treated to magnificent views across the sea and islands. We head for the Castle Café which turns out to be a Chinese takeaway – surely there cannot be many of these in Shetland. After lunch we ride southwards across the bridged islands of Trondra and West Burra to Hamnavoe where there are views out to Foula more than 40 miles away. Today we get a different view of Shetland the countryside here is greener, softer and less desolate with villages that echo both Scottish and Scandinavian influences. This mix of influences is strongly felt and explained by the fact that Shetland was pawned in 1469 by a Danish king to complete his daughter’s dowry to the royal house of Scotland, but since then never redeemed. In this beautiful spot overlooking the Atlantic a marina is being built - plus ça change! Conscious of the need to catch the ferry and that we have to head into a strong wind on our return we head back to Lerwick, take a meal in the Co-op café and catch the evening boat. After passing Fair Isle the sea becomes rougher and all of us, including ex-Royal Navy Frank, are feeling somewhat  queasy. Approaching the more sheltered waters around Orkney we start to feel well enough to take some food. Disembarking we agree to show ‘PP’ the way to the hostel, So Brian heads off at a rapid pace pursued by an ancient BMW, whilst we follow more leisurely to book in for two more nights at Kirkwall SYH where the helpful warden had agreed to wait up until midnight for our arrival on the by boat.

Night travel by boat is tiring, and so we decided to have an easy day on the almost flat island of Shapinsay. The lady in the ferry office turned out to come from the village of Wortley in South Yorkshire and had moved here with her family so that her children could grow up in an environment that was like home was fifty years ago.  Wortley! - we were there last week in the Countess Tea Rooms we said - small world! We caught the lunchtime ferry for the short journey and headed for the café near the pier for a lunchtime snack. We spent the afternoon riding around the island visiting its northern tip, a small untended broch and a bird sanctuary with a hide. However, as none of us were particularly interested in birds we did not tarry long and hurried back to the café and await the return ferry to Kirkwall.  We had covered the whole island in less than an afternoon.

We had been told that the Kirkwall hostel would be crowded the next night, so we decide to move on and stay on  to Westray for the night. Disaster strikes on the ferry as I accidentally format the chip in my camera losing all my photos. I now have a dilemma - do I stop taking photos on the off chance that they are recoverable when I get home or do I continue shooting and make recovery less likely. I decide to continue since I will be able to get copies of Grayham’s and Malcolm’s if all else fails. We land and there is a very strong cold north wind, but bright sunshine. There is absolutely nothing here at all, so we head directly into the very strong wind for the 7 miles to the main settlement of Pierowall which overlooks a beautiful bay with white sands and emerald seas.  We take a lunchtime snack at the café and then we board another ferry for the short trip to the small islet of Pappa Westray. Crossing the sound we are able to enter the wheelhouse and have all the modern navigational aids explained to us – radar, echo sounder and satellite course plotting.  The skipper obligingly veers off course to demonstrate how the echo sounder picks up a ridge in the sea bed – all very interesting. On shore we cycle up to a broch on the edge of the sea. This is a well kept and beautiful spot. Close by there is a small museum of domestic life within a croft which is the island’s oldest house   We are able to watch a plane landing at the airstrip in what is apparently is the World’s shortest scheduled air flight – 2 minutes from Westray to Pappa Westray. Then it is back to the boat and across the sound to Pierowall. We are to stay at The Barn another  independent hostel of impeccable standard and situation.

Next morning we set off for Noup Head to view the lighthouse and cliffs which are home to a large puffin colony. On the way we take time to explore Noltland Castle an interesting and impressive fortress with a turbulent history. The final couple of miles to the lighthouse are on an unmetalled track that rises to the headland. We explore the cliffs which are festooned with seabirds and lie on our stomachs to look vertically down to the sea. On the headland we chat to another expatriate from Nottingham who has today rigged up aerials so that he can as a radio ham receive messages in Morse from Argentina. He is also a music teacher and choirmaster at St Magnus’s Cathedral in Kirkwall, and for him Orkney is a wonderful place. We left the headland just as we noticed out at sea a heavy shower approaching. Fortunately we were able to reach the shelter of  a ruined croft just as it arrived. Ten minutes later with the wind behind we were on our way again to arrive back in Pierowall in time to lunch. We had a look round the heritage centre and then very quickly rode back towards the ferry with a short detour to examine an old mill wheel and some cliffs with exceptionally contorted strata. Back in Kirkwall for another night, we decided to have fish and chips again rather than buy-in, since it was now rather late. At the hostel we met up once more with ‘PP’ our Norwegian friend who was seeking our advice on the best way to get to Newcastle.                                        

The following morning we were to head back to John O’ Groats, but not before we had taken a detour around East Mainland. We rode out past the airport and on to Mine Howe a privately owned site of uncertain antiquity and purpose. For £3.50 we were able to descend 29 constricted ill lit steps deep into a mound where at the bottom there was room for only one person to stand – and that was it!  After all the wonderful archaeological sites of the past days this was a let down. Further on the road we found a pub where we were able to lunch, before turning west and then southwards back to St Margaret’s Hope to await the ferry. Here we shopped for our evening meal only to find that the owner was yet another non-Orcadian this time from Rochdale ( Of course it is not difficult to understand why one would want to leave Rochdale!). Finally we call at the local pub for coffee whilst awaiting the boat. The landlord and his wife are from Barnsley. He came to the area for the diving and has never gone back. He relates tales of his exploits diving on the wrecks of Scapa Flow and shows us many souvenirs of these. At 6pm it is time for the ferry back to Gills Bay and then the dash to John O’ Groats hostel for a quick meal of spag boll and where - yet again -the warden packs us off to bed at 11 p.m. prompt.

We decide to break the journey home with a stop at the independent Rogart hostel which means that we will be able to sample the purpose built cycle trails at Golspie. After lunch this involves a climb 1300ft through forest trails to the summit of Ben Bhraggie where there stands a colossal statue of the 1st Duke of Sutherland. It seems a strange irony that this prominent statue was erected on this spot to commemorate a man who is seen by many Scots as symbolising the heartless oppression and the enforcement of the evictions and clearances of the Highlands. Pull it down some say. Be that as it may, there are descents of varying grades of difficulty dropping steeply to Golspie. Brian disappears over the edge whilst we take the easier way down to find him waiting back at the car. Again we buy-in and head for Rogart where the warden is also a cyclist. We are to spend the night in converted railway carriages - all very nice and comfortable for a small party like ours, but it would have been a bit cramped if we had had to share with another group.

In the morning we breakfast and delay departing to watch the first train pass through, and then begins the long drive home.

It had been a memorable holiday – in twelve days we had been on sixteen ferries! Ferries were not expensive at least for concessions and some were even free! Cafes were generally slightly cheaper than at home and accommodation and food no dearer. The Orcadian and Shetland people display friendliness and helpfulness and, presumably because the pace of life is slower, they seem to show contentment that one seldom finds at home. Cycling in Orkney is relatively easy through a fertile environment of farmland with cattle everywhere. There is much to stop and view scenically, archaeologically and more recent sites related to the World Wars. With rides that do not involve great distances Kirkwall is a good base for visiting most of the islands. Wherever you are, you are never far away from a store and we were always able to buy in food to cook in the evenings. During the day we tended to stop at cafes for coffee and snacks, though you need to have an idea beforehand where to find them since they are not plentiful. Shetland however is rather different - bleaker and if the weather is unkind it could be a long toil against the wind and rain with quite a long distance between isolated settlements, since the islands are strung out rather than clustered as in Orkney.  On the other hand, if the weather is kind there is some tremendous scenery with exceptionally good and quiet roads. However we did not have sufficient time there to form a full impression. It is said that the difference between Orkney and Shetland is that Orcadians are farmers with a boat and that Shetlanders are fishermen with a croft.  The truth of this is plain to see.

 

Click here to see the photos of the tour.