A lifetime of Islands: Island 275 - Holm of Grimbister, Orkney Mainland

Holm of Grimbister is linked to Orkney Mainland a mile to the east of Finstown by a 200 metre long seaweed covered causeway, which I suspect is partly natural and partly man made. Low tide in the Bay of Firth is an hour or so later than that in Scapa Flow, so I managed to visit Holm of Grimbister on the same low tide as my visit to Holm of Houton. It was pouring with rain, which made the causeway even more slippery. Two thirds of the way across there is a farm gate. It wasn't locked but I couldn't undo the knot that was tying it shut, so I climbed over the gate. There is a house on the island but I think it might not be lived in all the time, as the causeway didn't look like it was used very often and no one came out to say hello or to tell me to go away. I kept to the outside of the barbed wire fence that runs round the island and didn't approach the house. There were sheep grazing in one of the fields and some buttercups in flower.