I really liked Stronsay. It had been on my ‘to do’ list for 10 years since my last visit to Orkney and it didn’t disappoint. The weather on the day we visited was the best of our whole holiday – at last the wind had died down and it was warm and sunny.
The name Stronsay comes from the Norse Strjonsey meaning "good fishing or farming island" and it is one of the most fertile of the Orkney Islands. The island is known as being all arms and legs due to its unusual shape. It is relatively flat and the highest point is Burgh Hill at 46 metres.
The roll on-roll off ferry lands at Whitehall, which is the main settlement and has a few shops, a hotel and the Fish Mart, which contains a hostel, café and museum. We had lunch at the café, which was good value for money. The Fish Mart was built in 1910. The name Whitehall is taken from a house built there in the 1670s by Patrick Fea.
Whitehall was once one of the major herring ports in Scotland. In its heyday up to 300 boats were based here for a few months of each year, as they followed the herring shoals down the coast. By 1939 the herring had moved elsewhere and the start of the Second World War brought the trade to an end.
In the 18th Century kelp production was a major industry.
Whitehall
Boat recycled as a shed!
East coast near the Vat of Kirbuster
Vat of Kirbuster
This is a gloup spanned by the finest natural arch in Orkney.
Rothiesholm Beach
This is one of several great beaches on the island. It is pronounced Rousam.
The only church on the island is the Moncur Memorial Church, which was built in 1955 and was designed by the Edinburgh architect Leslie Graham MacDougall.
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