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The obscure, historic part of Orkney that most travellers never find

The area's series of manmade causeways are known as the Churchill Barriers - Copyright James Dunn
The area's series of manmade causeways are known as the Churchill Barriers - Copyright James Dunn

The largest natural harbour in the northern hemisphere can often feel extremely empty. I’m standing on Barth Head, an angular contortion of old red sandstone that juts its chin out high above the water on the south-eastern fringe of Scapa Flow.

The headland is reached by a footpath that hugs the edge of the cliffs of the island of South Ronaldsay harder than I would wish. Having walked for two hours, I have seen no-one, the wide silence broken only by the mournful mew of a curlew and the peep-peep of a trio of oystercatchers.

Barth Head is worth the dizzying walk required to reach it, for from here I can take in much of Scapa Flow’s breathtakingly beautiful waterscape. In all, this covers 125 square miles and I can trace the arc of Orkney’s coastline, north and then west and finally south-west to the high hills of Hoy. The horizon shifts between incised geos, sheltered bays and towering cliffs.

Yet few visitors to Orkney ever seem to take Scapa Flow’s watery beauty on board, as though this extraordinary body of water is hidden in plain sight. Instead they head for the islands’ Neolithic wonders, the village of Skara Brae and standing stones such as the mesmerising Ring of Brodgar.

If people know of Scapa Flow at all, it is because they know of the exquisite Italian Chapel, built by prisoners of war, which stands on the water’s eastern flanks. Or, more likely, because Scapa Flow served as the anchorage for the Royal Navy’s battle fleet in both world wars. Infamously, it was here, 100 years ago tomorrow on June 21, 1919 that the German fleet of 74 ships, held captive since the Armistice, was scuttled on the orders of its commander Ludwig van der Reuter.

Italian Chapel Scapa Flow - Credit: getty
The exquisite Italian Chapel Credit: getty

The oversight of Scapa Flow is a pity because if you explore its coastline, you see a different side to Orkney; one featuring exhilarating wildlife, elemental landscapes, and fetching small towns and villages that are home to artists and other creative types.

Take the wildlife, for example, which is nothing short of sensational. Cliff face ledges are lined with guillemots and fulmars while seals bob in the water as if on demand. You may spot otters anywhere, though the shores of Waulkmill Bay on the Orkney Mainland are a good bet. That bay is overlooked by the moors of Hobbister, where you will almost certainly see hen harriers.

Across on lonely Hoy, a white-tailed eagle chick hatched on Orkney last year, the first in 145 years. The RSPB is setting up a hide among the island’s whaleback hills and glaciated corries in the hope that the parents will return again this year.

Orkney Hoy - Credit: getty
The beaches aren't bad either Credit: getty

The king of the skies along Scapa’s coast is the great skua, better known by its Norse name, the bonxie. This marauding pirate patrols the maritime heaths and is perfectly prepared to mug an unsuspecting puffin for its catch. Encroach too closely on a bonxie’s nest and you will be dive bombed until you retreat.

Grey seals are a sure sighting in Hoy’s waters too – they often haul out by the Scad Head Battery. Around 2,000 harbour seals reside in Scapa Flow and orcas occasionally drop by looking for an unwary pinniped.

The coastline is also an archaeologist’s wonderland, with sites running a timeline from the Neolithic to Viking and 20th century remains. Close to Hobbister, in the village of Orphir, are the remains of Orkney’s only surviving medieval round church – thought to be based upon the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

A mile or so east of Orphir I visit the Toumal gallery, housed in the blue wooden shed which is the ludicrously idyllic studio of Ingrid Grieve, one of dozens of artists who call Orkney home. Ingrid’s paintings seem to capture the landscape beautifully. “There’s not a lot of detail, it’s all about the atmosphere,” she tells me. “I like the low landscape you get on Orkney. There are no trees, so you see a lot more. We have sea and lochs around us so the light is somehow reflected more.”

I make my way back across a series of manmade causeways, known as the Churchill Barriers, to South Ronaldsay and the small village of St Margaret’s Hope. Locals call it ‘the Hope’ and this is an endearing place to linger and explore the narrow streets of sandstone terraced houses scented with the whiff of peat and wood-burning stoves. The tang of seaweed hangs in the air and the tide soughs and bulges hard against the sea wall.

I get talking to David Loutit, who runs the Creel B&B in the village. David considers those who explore this part of the world to be of the discerning kind. “People who have come to Orkney have, by definition, been pre-sorted from the run-of the-mill traveller, so they are always a pleasure to talk to,” he booms over a glass of wine. Make it to Scapa Flow and even the locals will praise you.

Essentials

Northlink Ferries operate between Aberdeen and Kirkwall, and Scrabster and Stromness (0845 600 0449; northlinkferries.co.uk).

The Caledonian Sleeper serves both Aberdeen and Inverness (sleeper.scot). You can take a bus from either to Scrabster.

Guided tours of Lyness, Hoy, operate throughout the year (01856 791300; orkney.gov.uk)

Mark Rowe is the author of Orkney, published by Bradt in May 2019, (£15.99; bradtguides.com).