Tuesday 30 June 2015

Island 274 - Holm of Houton, Orkney Mainland

I wasn't sure whether Holm of Houton would be accessible on foot at low tide.  I arrived a couple of hours before a low spring tide and the causeway was clear except for a few shallow pools.  It was pouring with rain, which made the rocks slippery.   The water in the pools was about an inch or so deep and didn't come over the top of my walking boots. The island is about 400 metres from north to south by 600 metres from east to west. The highest point on the island is 11 metres above sea level.  The island is uninhabited and mainly covered in rough grass and bog.  A small ruined building, possibly an old barn, is located on the north east coast of the island. The nearest parking is at the ferry terminal at Houton about half a mile north east of the island.

 Ruin on Holm of Houton.  It looks too small to have been a house.  Maybe it was a barn

 Ruin on Holm of Houton
 Iris and cuckoo flower in flower on Holm of Houton.  Looking north west towards Mainland

 Causeway that link Holm of Houton to Mainland.  Looking north from Holm of Houton

 
Holm of Houton from Mainland

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