Tag: coast
-
Marwick Head
A tad windy today. An Orcadian word for a very strong gale or storm-wind is “Katrizper”, the Old Norse ‘kattar-rispur’, literally ‘cat’s-scratches’. We’ve moved to the north of the main island, known as Mainland. It’s poor reception so expect postings to be a bit sporadic.
-
St. John’s Head, Hoy
According to the Tourist Information Board at Moaness Pier, at 1,128′ high St. John’s Head is the most vertical sea cliff in Britain. I’m not sure what that actually means, certainly in terms of height The Kame on Foula and Conachir on St. Kilda are higher. But this is one hell of a drop. I…
-
The Castle of North Gaulton
The west coast of Orkney faces the full force of the North Atlantic. Each wave pounding the cliffs shakes the rock. An array of seismic monitors are currently measuring this shaking to research how climate change and increasing sea levels might affect Orkney’s coast. The millennia of turbulent seas have produced the most dramatic coastline…
-
Swona
This must be my laziest post by far. I had read about the witch of Swona in Jennifer Westwood and Sophia Kingshill’s book “The Lore of Scotland: A guide to Scottish legends” but I never expected to get so close. Swona is a smallish island west of the southernmost tip of South Ronaldsay and the…
-
Castle Grinigoe Sinclair
The Caithness coastline seems to become more dramatic the further north. Geos, sea-stacks, arches, and cliffs. This is Castle Grinigoe, just north of Wick. It was built sometime after 1379 when Henry Sinclair acquired to the Earldom of Orkney by marriage and was substantially enlarged and reconstructed during subsequent centuries by his successors. By the…
-
Skinningrove
When ‘J.G.’ passed through Skinningrove bay in 1866 on his way from Saltburn to Whitby, the village must have looked very different. The stone built houses were set back from the shore, to give some shelter from the North Sea; the rows of terraced cottages had still to be built. To visualise it best, it’s…
-
Saltwick Bay
Just east of Whitby lies the once secluded Saltwick Bay, protected by sea cliffs hosting a breeding colony of Kittiwakes and Fulmars. But the huge static caravan park dominates the cliff top. A steep trod allows access to the beach. On Saltwick Nab in the distance, Sir Hugh Cholmley set up his alum works in…
-
Hummersea Bank
I’ve had it in mind for some time now to explore the Public Footpath which drops down Hummersea Bank to the beach. Well, I say beach, but it’s just a sandy rocky sliver only dry at low tide. On the featured photo above, on the left is Hummersea Farm and in front of that, is…
-
The Hunter’s Blue Moon
Well, I just had to post this. I won’t get another chance for two decades. The second full moon of the month, so it’s a blue moon, it’s October so it’s a Hunter’s Moon and it’s Halloween. The last time these three lunar phenomena coincided was 1944. So a rare occurrence indeed. And it’s a…
-
Fast Castle
This is a part of the country I just didn’t know existed. We’re usually dashing past on the A1. But it’s a fascinating coastline, rugged, unfrequented with few paths. Fast Castle looked interesting, perched on an inaccessible promontory called Castle Knowe. It was built in the 14th-century, destroyed and rebuilt in the 16th but in…