NORTH ISLES - STRONSAY STRONSAY - F ARMERS & F ISHERMEN t h g fine beaches. Indeed there is a i r y p suitable beach no matter from o c n what airt the wind is blowing. w o r There are good sandy beaches C at Ayre of Myres near Whitehall (HY656280), Mill Bay on the east side (HY660260) where the sands stretch for 2.5km (1.5mi), Rothiesholm (HY635245) in the southwest and another 2km (1.25mi) of golden sands at St Catherine's Bay (HY645260) on the west side. The last two are backed by dunes and associated dune- slacks with an interesting vari - ety of plants and birds . On the southeast side, between Odin Ness (HY690263) and Lamb Head Aerial view of Stronsay from the south (HY693213) there are low Maritime Heath. The island areas of uncultivated ground. cliffs with several dramatic STRONSAY has a very wide range of habi - There are several chambered caves, gloups and castles. ATTRACTIONS tats which, together with its cairns , the best preserved STRONSAY (ON Strjonsey , heavy but fertile soils of today. These include Orkney's best “by the sun” easterly position, makes it one being the long mound of Gain or Profit Island, most Agriculture has long been natural arch at the Vat of of best places in Orkney for Kelsburgh (HY617248) Whitehall Village likely in the sense of good regarded as progressive in Kirbuster (HY687239) and Old Fishmarket birdwatching. above the shore near Bu. The farming and fishing , but per - Stronsay , which was one of several interesting caves which Lower Whitehall and Grice Ness tops of several orthostats can Ayre of Myres haps from ON Strondsey , the first parishes to rationalise can be entered by a small boat Archaeology Stronsay 's fer - be seen, suggesting that there Well of Kildinguie Beach Island.) The island is land-holdings and the island in calm weather . On the west Mill Sands and Mill Bay tile soils must have attracted were at least seven compart - mostly formed from Rousay has some of the most fertile side of Lamb Head is the Moncur Memorial Church the first settlers , but extensive ments. flagstones, with Lower Eday farms and best stock in Danes’ Pier (HY688214), a The Castle Bird Reserve cultivation on the island over Meikle Water Sandstone at Rothiesholm. Orkney. naturally occurring spit of thousands of years has At Lamb Head (HY689213) Odness There is a thick overlying layer stones, which is traditionally Vat of Kirbuster ensured that only traces there are remains of two of boulder clay, which has Like Sanday , Stronsay has a said to be a Norse harbour. Burgh Head weathered to produce the very long coastline, with many remain, mostly in the few chambered tombs, one of Lamb Head Benni Cuml, Houseby Whitehall Village and the Fishmarket Most of the island is cultivated The Vat of Kirbuster is the best natural arch in Orkney Sand of Rotheisholm and the visitor will notice that Rothiesholm aerogenerators Stronsay is one of the tidiest Hillock of Baywest Kelsburgh chambered cairn islands in Orkney with very St Catherine’s Bay well tended fields. The only Linga Holm real moorland is on Sands of Odie Greenhill, Huip Rothiesholm (HY620220, Holm of Huip pronounced Rousum ), the Oyce of Huip large headland to the south - St Peter’s Chapel west, which now hosts aero - Papa Stronsay Earl’s Knowe generators. At Burgh Head in Golgotha monastery the southeast there is St Nicholas Chapel site 552 553 NORTH ISLES - STRONSAY STRONSAY - F ARMERS & F ISHERMEN ing a large prehistoric mound behind a shingle ayre at Greenhill, Huip (HY629297), a broch with associated settlement at Benni Cuml, Houseby (HY672214), another broch at Hillock of Baywest, Rothiesholm (HY619243), where there is a substantial mound and ruins of an Iron The Hillock of Baywest is an Iron Age broch and settlement site Age village. Whitehall Village from the East Pier, which is tripartite, while at south of the Vat of Kirbuster. which might have separated here from Norway and The south transept features a At Lamb Head (HY690215), Grice Ness (HY672284) the At its north end, where it is the secular and the religious Denmark to partake of the bellcote in Dutch style, reflect - two side-chambers of a par - prominently situated Cutter’s over 2m high, burnt stones are ground. Stronsay also has ten waters from the Well and of ing the longstanding Herring tially-excavated broch can be Tooer sits on a well-defined exposed, while the mound is or more chapel sites, most of the dulse which together were fishing connection. The origi - entered through holes in the platform about 21m in diame - nearly 30m long by 20m wide. which were probably associat - believed to be able to cure nal plan included a tall circular roof. Below Clestrain ter. All of the rest have been ed with Norse farms, but the everything except the plague. tower based on the St Magnus (HY635273) the remains of a ploughed out or otherwise only evidence for them is in Church on Egilsay as well as a settlement can be seen, having Of the numerous burnt destroyed. place-names. Moncur Memorial Church hall and a manse, making an been exposed by erosion of the mounds recorded, the only Stronsay is unusual in having enclosed square with the shore. Ruins of buildings and good remaining example is at There are several well-pre - Nothing remains of the for - a large 20 th century church, the church. of a boat noust are visible. Kirbuster (HY686235), served settlement sites includ - mer parish church of Lady Moncur Memorial Church, Kirk, except a mound in the built between 1950 and 1955 Whitehall Village owes its Early Christians had several cemetery, which is on the on the site of the former name to a house built in 1671 hermitage sites along the shore near The Bay United Presbyterian Church at the Pier Head by Patrick southeast coast, including (HY641247). West of and designed by Edinburgh Fea, who had recently Tam's Castle (HY668237) Whitehall , St Peter's Kirk architect Leslie Graham acquired North Strynie, as the where there is the ruin of a (HY660282), is now an over - MacDougall. Alexander area was previously called. cell. Broch of Burgh Head grown confusion of stones in Moncur died in 1944 and left Although Dutch and Fife (HY700230), originally the graveyard. It is built on a £20,000 to build a new church Herring boats had used the joined to the cliff by a rock substantial earlier settlement in memory of his grandfather, village as a base every year, bridge, has a stone wall on the site from which traces of James Moodie, who was min - perhaps since as early as Norse landward side of the stack - buildings protrude. ister on the island from 1822 times, there was no real local perhaps the Vallum monasterii Lambness broch to 1860. fishing industry apart from The Chapel of Kildinguie Moncur Memorial Church was completed in 1955 The interior is austere yet welcoming Herring boat heading to sea (HY654272) is marked by a The tall cruciform, grey- grassy bank above the shore of harled building is unique, but Mill Bay, near the Well of reflects Orkney building style. Kildinguie (HY654272), It is tall and narrow inside whose waters are said to have with bare white walls and curative powers. When taken chairs rather than pews. At with dulse from further along the east end the unusual sanc - the shore at Guiyidn, or per - tuary with its communion haps Geo Odin, whose exact table is dramatically lit by a location is now uncertain, the stained glass window depict - effects were said to be espe - ing the Good Shepherd by cially potent. Pilgrims came Marjorie Kemp of Edinburgh. 554 555 NORTH ISLES - STRONSAY STRONSAY - F ARMERS & F ISHERMEN Boathouse Nearby an upturned boathouse is one of the lifeboats from the passen - ger ship S.S. Athenia . The first incident of the U-boat war occurred just hours after the declaration of hostilities between Britain and Germany on September 3 rd , 1939, when Oberleutnant Fritz-Julius Lemp, commanding U-30 , attacked and sank what he took to be an armoured cruis - Up to 300 steam drifters crammed Whitehall of a Sunday during the season in the early 1900s The Old Fishmarket is now an interpretation centre , cafe and hostel er off Ireland. Lobsters and some Cod fish - one of the Herring Capitals of bar in Scotland until it burnt martialled for his error, but shallow coastal waters, with ing until local people started Europe and in 1913 about down in 1937. There were so His target was in fact a neither was he promoted from gently sloping beaches and the to invest in boats around 300 steam drifters were work - many boats tied up on 13,500-ton passenger liner the field, as were many of his long coastlines make Stronsay 1814. Until then the main ing out of Stronsay , employing Sundays in July and August carrying 1,103 civilians, contemporaries. Of the and Sanday , good places for export was of grain to the nearly 4,000 crew and shore that it was possible to walk including more than 300 Athenia's passengers and crew, shore weeds, which can be cut Continent, with pre-fabricat - workers. across them to Papa Stronsay ! Americans hurrying home 112 were killed (93 of them from the rocks at low tide ed boats and timber from Exploitation of stocks on this ahead of the clouds of war. passengers) in the initial (tang) and deeper weeds Norway on the return trip. In the peak year of 1924 over scale could not last and the This case of mistaken identity explosion or died later as a (ware) which get washed 12,000 tons of herring were fishery effectively ended by set in motion a large-scale result of the sinking.