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Wednesday 29 July 2009

Brough o' Birsay


Saturday was a lovely day and I spent it out on the West Mainland (of Orkney). These photos are around the Brough of Birsay ("brough" is pronounced like "brock" - well that's how I pronounce it but I have an English accent - I suspect it's a softer "broch" in Orcadian). When the tide is low there is a causeway to the Brough and you can walk up to the lighthouse or visit the ruins of Pict and Norse settlements near the shore. But usually we just walk along the main shoreline to the "Fisherman's Hut". This is an old hut with traditional turf roof which would have been used to store creels and equipment for the various fishing boats that would have been kept on the shore in the "nousts" (indentations in the ground), safe from high tide and sheltered from the wind.





Somebody had been building a cairn out of beach stone in one of the inlets along the shore


And in this photo you can see the island of Westray in the background, just behind a fishing vessel that was anchored offshore.

5 comments:

  1. Oooooohh, Sian. this is one of my favourite places What has happened to the whalebone? when I last visited, Easter 08, the cafe owners said there was a suggestion to put up a replica of the original. I do hope not..... It's still pouring down in Yorkshire, hope it's finer with you. Jo

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  2. Jo - lovely to hear from you. Thanks for you postcard from Shetland! Hope you had a lovely time. Whalebone still there - it was taken away and repaired as far as I know. I didn't walk that far last weekend - we were running out oftime and were in need of tea and cake!

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  3. Oh and yes the weather has been pretty good here for a few weeks now - hardly any rain - though looks set to change over next few days

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  4. Fabulous Sian - want to be there, can feel the feeling!

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  5. Paula - put it on your itinerary ;-)

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