Published in Scotland Magazine Issue 28 on 20/09/2006.

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Northern land of wonder

In the latest of island features by John Hannavy, we look at the Orkney Islands

A long drive to Scrabster prefaced our crossing of the Pentland Firth to Stromness, our port of entry into the Orkney Islands.

We sailed past Hoy, with its amazing rock stacks, which draw so many intrepid climbers to the islands, and in to the harbour at Stromness on the west of Orkney’s largest island – Mainland. The journey north was like sailing across a benign millpond. On the way back, however, we experienced some of what an angry Pentland Firth can produce.

To many, the Orkneys are synonymous with North Sea oil – the oil terminal at Flotta, one of the 67 islands in the group, is host to some huge tankers.

But Orkney is much more than just an oil terminal – several thousand years of Scottish history were played out in this island group, and the marks of that history abound.

Some of the marks are less apparent today than they were when first I visited the islands in the early 1970s. The remains I am referring to were the wrecked ships sunk during the Second World War to block some of the entrances to Scapa Flow, the huge natural harbour which in two World Wars played host to the British fleet.

In the early 1970s, at low tide, huge masses of rusting metal seemed to rise out of the sea for a few hours before all but disappearing again. In the 30- plus years since then, many of them have been removed, or have simply rusted away.

It is strange to think that some of my photographs now show a part of history which no longer exists – makes me feel older than I wish to feel.....

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By John Hannavy

Section : Scottish Islands

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