Amongst Sunken Ships

We did manage a couple of paddles during our week in Orkney. We enjoyed an unusual paddle around Lamb Holm and Glimps Holm, which took us up the line of Churchill Barrier Number 2 linking Lamb Holm with Mainland. It was a slightly strange experience paddling amongst the remains of the blockships which were sunk in this channel before the Barriers were built to deter a repeat of the incident in which Kapt Lt Gunter Prien entered Scapa Flow and torpedoed the battleship HMS Royal Oak at anchor in 1939. She went down with the loss of over 800 lives. The feat of seamanship by Prien in entering, pressing home his attack and then evading the hunting Royal Navy vessels shook the Admiralty, but drew private admiration despite the terrible loss of life.


Prior to the building of the Barriers, additional blockships were sunk in the channels between the islands surrounding Scapa Flow. It's quite a unique experience to paddle among the sunken remains; you can easily identify boilers, deck machinery and superstructure in the clear water.

The Churchill Barriers were built largely by Italian POW's who were accommodated on Lamb Holm. The Geneva Convention forbids the using of POW's for work on warlike projects, so roads were placed on top of the Barriers. These links are now a vital part of the Orkney infrastucture. The Italian men built a chapel nearby. This moving abd poignant building housed in a former Nissen Hut was decorated by the men using scraps and papoer mache; the images and icons within it evoking images of Italy. Today it's a popular stop for tourist buses. We were fortunate to see it at a quiet time, in the company - somewhat fittingly- of a German couple and two young Italians.

The Ring of Brodgar

Just along the road from Stenness is the magnificent Ring of Brodgar, a very large stone circle set on a gentle rise, visible from many miles around. The stones make a dramatic skyline and have a tangible presence. When in use, the circle must have been a very potent place.


Some are fallen or missing, but the outline of the outer ring of stones is very clear.



Like Stenness, the stones slope at the upper edge, mirroring the Ward Hill on Hoy



The stone itself is very characterful, and doesn't come from the immediate vicinity

The Stones of Stenness

In the summer we spent a week in Orkney. It turned out to be a wet and windy week so we didnt't do as much sea kayaking as we had hoped. We more than made up for it in exploring Orkney's fabulous ancient monuments.

We were utterly blown away by the standing stones, stone circles and remains. Set in the stark yet very green Orkney landscape, they retain a powerful and emotive presence. This is one of the Stones of Stenness. A blade of rock transported and raised at great effort. It and it's companions dominate the narrow neck of land between Lochs Harray and Stenness



The stones seem to have been placed where they would be visible to all the inhabitants of an area. From Stenness one can see the chambered tomb at Maes Howe and several other stone circles and monument sites.



The great majority of the stones have a sloping top, and the slope is almost always in the same direction. This seems to mirror the slope angle and orientation of the Ward Hill on Hoy; which is visble from all of the stones. It can surely be no coincidence that the midwinter sun sets behind this end of the Ward Hill - the winter solstice was one of the most momentous times of the ancient year.

A Maiden Voyage

Back in early summer we took delivery of my wife's boat; a Rockpool Alaw supplied by Karitek. We decided on a nice place for the first paddle - Ardmair near Ullapool. We launched from the curving shingle beach and headed off in very calm conditions.


Ben Mor Coigach's summit was just in cloud as we paddled between Isle Martin and the mainland to explore the Iron Age fort below the hill's flank.


The new boat sparkled in the sunshine and seemed to match the colour of the sky on a beautiful day for a maiden voyage.

Evening Light, Skye

My paddle around Scalpay had been very leisurely. I'm about to go to work abroad for four months, so I wanted to savour the moment. The sun was dipping fast and made a dramatic silhouette of Beinn na Caillich on the Skye shore.



The shafts of sunlight angling from behind a cloud added to the reflection



But as the sun continued to sink, it was time to leave Scalpay and head back to Corry.





The sun was setting and the temperature plummeting as I arrived back at Corry Pier. The 30km circumnavigation had taken me nearly seven hours; the slow pace suited the day - it wasn't to be rushed.

It's days like these that keep me going until the next time!

Rocks and Birds

Near to the spot I stopped for lunch was this small island. It's called Eilean Leac na Gainimh which translates as something like "Island of the Sand Slab"

The island is an outcrop of very soft sandstone with pebbles embedded as a matrix, seemingly defying gravity.

This isn't a great photograph, I was so blown away by getting a view of a Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla)from less than 20 metres that I forgot about the camera! The bird didn't immediately fly off, and gave me a stunning moment; I could see every feather and clearly read the bird's wing tag.

I reported the sighting via the Scottish Sea Eagle Project run by Scottish Natural Heritage, and found that this is a nine year old male, hatched in Wester Ross. He's part of a breeding pair who have successfully raised a couple of chicks of their own.

I've not been priveliged to have had such a close view of a Sea Eagle before, normally I've seen them at a distance. There's something very satisfying in the knowledge that they are on the increase and recolonising former haunts. The birds surely add to the seascape and the sky of Scotland.

Reflections, Scalpay

November often brings stormy weather, but sometimes there's a period of calm, settled conditions. On just such a day I started out from Corry Pier, near Broadford in Skye, to paddle clockwise around Scalpay.

The day was perfect, cool but not cold and very calm. Although it had initially been overcast, the sun began to break through and light up the slopes of Beinn Dearg Mhor and Glamaig. Caolas Scalpay framed the view beautifully.



As I paddled along Caolas Scalpay, I passed this cottage on the shore. It's called Narrows Cottage and is one of the holiday cottages on the island. It's in a great spot.



The water and air were so still that reflections were rendered perfectly and every sound was amplified. Shortly after this spot, I heard a commotion on the shore and saw an Otter with two well-grown and boisterous cubs.



I emerged from the Caolas (pronounced "kyles" and meaning a strait or narrow channel) and went around the north end of the island. Soon I found a nice bay to stop for lunch. It had plenty of fresh water for making tea, and a lovely view across to North Fearns on Raasay; where I paddled earlier in the year. A couple of seals were curious enough to approach within a few yards of the shore and another Otter, this time a large dog, swam across the bay. It was idyllic and I kept having to remind myself that this was November!

Soup

The end of Logie Head is composed of a huge blade of rock with a small window through it. A pair of climbers were gearing up to do some routes on it when I passed.


I arrived in Cullen, home of the famous Cullen Skink
The harbour was very peaceful with none of the summer bustle.


The bow of a traditional boat was reflected perfectly in the still water. This is a closed deck fishing boat of a type once common on the northeast coast.


On the way back to Sandend, the swell bursting on the rocks was creating another kind of soup