Knap of Howar

Today we left Westray for a day on Papa Westray, known as Papay. Anyone who has read Amy Liptrot's book 'The Outrun' will know something about Papay. It is famous for a number of things including the world's shortest scheduled flight of two minutes from Westray (extra shows the plane coming in to Papay airport).  

We were not on the plane though but the boat. It's still the winter timetable so generally there is only one morning boat at 07:50. On Wednesdays though there's an extra one at 09:15 so we got that one which takes the doctor over for a weekly surgery. The doctor returns about midday but we stayed till the afternoon crossing about at 4pm. The regular crossings take the secondary school aged children from Papay to the school in Pierowall. Another bonus of the Wednesday trip is the community coffee morning. We walked from the ferry to the hall in time for coffee and excellent home bakes. Fortified we set off for a pretty good walk along the shore, past the airport and to the Knap of Howar.

This is one of, if not the, oldest known habitation in northern Europe. Dating from 3700 BCE it is a two chambered farmstead. Of course there are a lot of very famous neolithic remains in Orkney such as Maeshowe and Skara Brae. But this is so lovely just sitting on the shore (though apparently would have originally been inland).

I took many other photographs on Papay today but will have to do a bit of sorting out. Seals, turnstones and, surprisingly, alpacas as well as wonderful ruinous and beautifully restored buildings were highlights. The light was amazing.

Back from Papay and it is another absolutely beautiful evening. After a day of walking we have nothing more to do than await the delivery of two haddock suppers, one with gf batter for me, from Pierowall Fish aka Jack's Chippy which opens on Wednesdays and delivers in the village. My cup runneth over.