Cata Sands, Sanday

The bus driver asked where I wanted to go and I said 'Cata Sands'. A couple with a dog next onboard heard this and said they'd go there too, but they only lasted a few minutes there, it turned out, because of swarms of flies. Fortunately I had bug repellant, bought for eaglewatch, so I was ok. The skies were sometimes clear and sometimes cloudy, which gave interesting variety to the light. I headed down by Cata Sea onto Tres Ness but quickly turning north and along the seashore. Funny how when you're daydreaming the surf can suddenly be knee-deep. A nice warm wind soon meant I was dry and I continued along the beach by the Plain of Fidge to around Sellbister, then south on the road to a minor road hading up to Otterswick and Black Rock. I took advantage of the dropping tide to cut across much of the sands as far as another Black Rock(!) then onto the road just ahead of the haar and to the village of Lady, where the bus picked me up.