Saturday 15 04 2016, Peatwell Week One; Pappa Westray, Orkney.
Started early for Lisa when she awoke at 4 am, far too excited, and had to spend some time in the sun room just gazing.
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| The Sunroom, Peatwell, Papa Westray |
Spent the morning just midgin. Really we were just too shattered to think straight. All the tensions, stresses and anxieties of the last few months had permission to catch up on us now we'd arrived in our safe haven.
Alastair bled the radiator. It is right cold with very high winds and a house that has not been lived in for a while. Fleeces to be worn at all times with warm tops over the top at times.
Alastair bled the radiator. It is right cold with very high winds and a house that has not been lived in for a while. Fleeces to be worn at all times with warm tops over the top at times.
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| Peatwell |
We listed the gaps in yesterday's shop and came to the sad realisation that we would need to venture back to the shop today and get back to Hamish for more stuff sometime soon.
After oatcakes and cheese for lunch we donned ski trousers (waterproof and insulated are daily wear here), fleeces, primaloft jackets and waterproofs to walk up to shop again.
Gale force winds prevented the use of our bikes, so we walked.
Alastair booked our flight back to the Mainland for Tuesday standing outside a wee bit down the hill from the shop, the only place he could get a phone signal. The booking lady had difficulty hearing over the rush and roar of the wind.
Gale force winds prevented the use of our bikes, so we walked.
Alastair booked our flight back to the Mainland for Tuesday standing outside a wee bit down the hill from the shop, the only place he could get a phone signal. The booking lady had difficulty hearing over the rush and roar of the wind.
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| Hail from the North |
Saturday is pub night on Papay. This is held in the Youth Hostel dining room from 9.00, just on Saturdays.
We had thought it was from 8, so arrived around 8.15 to find there seemed to be a talk going on, which we felt too embarrassed to walk in on. So we divested ourselves of our weather armour and tried to use the Hostel Internet. At 9 the door opened and we were allowed to poke our head into a room full of Isanders, cringe worthy!
Anyway we toughed it out, purchasing two bottles of beer from the man staffing the cupboard which is the bar. We then had the same conversation with about four or five people, very politely, regarding where we were staying and why we were here and how we loved it and how we were here last July and........ then we bailed out.
We had thought it was from 8, so arrived around 8.15 to find there seemed to be a talk going on, which we felt too embarrassed to walk in on. So we divested ourselves of our weather armour and tried to use the Hostel Internet. At 9 the door opened and we were allowed to poke our head into a room full of Isanders, cringe worthy!
Anyway we toughed it out, purchasing two bottles of beer from the man staffing the cupboard which is the bar. We then had the same conversation with about four or five people, very politely, regarding where we were staying and why we were here and how we loved it and how we were here last July and........ then we bailed out.
Got home to wine, Octomore 6.1 and bed.
Sunday 16 04
Walked one quarter of Papay, the south East corner, from the Old Pier to the New Pier in the morning. The walk starts along the white sands and turquoise waters of South Wick and ends along the dramatic cliffs towards Mocklett Head. We just bumbled, so the five mile walk took us about 3 hours.
We lazed for the afternoon. Lisa made soup. She had included our hand blender in our essentials list, especially.
Monday 17 04
Severe Gales greet us. The sound of this wind is wonderous: very loud, moaning and whistling in the most severe gusts. Not to be denied our walk we don our weather armour and set out on the 400 yard walk down to our nearest shore.
Once there we have to lie down behind the break at the top of the beach to avoid being blown off our feet. The rain is painful when it hits our faces.
We abandon our plan to collect 'flotsam and jetsam'. Once home we feel exhausted from the battering. Weather is a physical presence here.
Once there we have to lie down behind the break at the top of the beach to avoid being blown off our feet. The rain is painful when it hits our faces.
We abandon our plan to collect 'flotsam and jetsam'. Once home we feel exhausted from the battering. Weather is a physical presence here.
Indoor afternoon. Alastair did baking flapjack; a minor miracle given the lack of scales or recipe. They turned out fine. Lisa (Torchy) did ' fire starting'. We have a beautiful green cast iron stove. A minor disaster with just damp coal and without kindling. Lisa would have killed for a hand axe to chop a bit of the wood lying around. Though given her frustration probably just as well we did not have one!
The Gale continued to rattle our house throughout the evening and overnight. We are worried about flying off the island tomorrow, though the plane does seem to fly in any weather, regardless of severity.
We ration our alcohol consumption by decanting from a wine box into a glass jug, about 70cl. We do this because we are trying to stick to our £200 per week budget. Lisa becomes twitchy at the thought. Alastair gives her permission to have extras if she wants. Well we are recuperating!
We ration our alcohol consumption by decanting from a wine box into a glass jug, about 70cl. We do this because we are trying to stick to our £200 per week budget. Lisa becomes twitchy at the thought. Alastair gives her permission to have extras if she wants. Well we are recuperating!
Tuesday 18 04
The Gale abates and we are able to catch our flight into Kirkwall. Already we are slightly reluctant to leave Papay. Her magic is beginning to insinuate into our souls: the big sky, the view to the horizon, the ever changing light and weather is constantly intriguing, the visceral presence as soon as you step outside and the constant sound of wind or water when inside. We know Kirkwall will surround us with comforts in so many ways, which feels so much less!
The airport bus (£3.70 for both) dropped us in Kirkwall within 15 minutes and we divided our labour: Lisa to Hamish to pack extra stuff (including scope and tripod); Alastair to buy the essentials of an 02 SIM card and cheese. A quick trip to Tesco for fresh veg then to the Ferry.
We were accompanied by a hearse and mourners returning to Westray; a poignant reminder that islanders are reliant on Mainland for services including births, deaths and care for the aged.
We were accompanied by a hearse and mourners returning to Westray; a poignant reminder that islanders are reliant on Mainland for services including births, deaths and care for the aged.
From the new pier we were given a lift home by Beth in her ultra modern electric Nissan Leaf. Our bags arrived later with Alan in his very traditional Land Rover. Papay folk are endlessly kind and supportive and I guess that, without infrastructure that most of us take for granted, existance becomes more personal.
Wednesday 19 04
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| RSPB Bird Hide, North Hill |
In the bird hide we sheltered and read the entry we'd made to the observation book on July 13th 2015. We watched the Orca of the bird world, Great Skua, cruise by.
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| North East Coast, Papay |
We set of to walk clockwise around the coast, leaving the interior to breeding Skuas. We are constantly accompanied on our walk by Fulmars silently flying past as close as they dare. As we reached the most Northerly point of Papay we see our first ever snow buntings pretty little birds.
At Fowl Flag we munch on homemade flapjack as the Atlantic Waves smash over the rocks. Further round the coast as we approach Fowl Craig we are hassled by a pair of Ravens who we later learn have chicks in their nest.
A black cloud was approaching so we snuggled under the kissu for lunch, the closest we get to camping these days, just our boots showing from under the red nylon cover.
As the rain abates we emerge dry to watch the guillemots, tyskies and razorbills. No sign of puffins yet.
We came off North Hill onto the beach and walked past the remains of abandoned croft to recover our bikes. A visit to the shop on the way home, as we are working our way through the shelf of boxed wines, and we hear the sad news of Victoria Wood's death.
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| Last Great Auk Memorial, Fowl Craig |
A black cloud was approaching so we snuggled under the kissu for lunch, the closest we get to camping these days, just our boots showing from under the red nylon cover.
As the rain abates we emerge dry to watch the guillemots, tyskies and razorbills. No sign of puffins yet.
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| Guillemots, Fowl Craig |
We came off North Hill onto the beach and walked past the remains of abandoned croft to recover our bikes. A visit to the shop on the way home, as we are working our way through the shelf of boxed wines, and we hear the sad news of Victoria Wood's death.
The rest of the afternoon is spent in domestic bliss: Lisa making soup to reinforce our freezer stocks and Alastair setting up a spreadsheet so we can monitor our outgoings. Alastair spends some time 'up the hill' to call Ax and on his return Lisa realises she has bought white wine by mistake, hardly the weather for white especially out of a box!!
Thursday 20 04
We started the day without having a plan. We must be starting to relax into our new lifestyle.
With our daily flask of homemade soup we decided to cycle to South Wick Bay. Hoping to access wifi later we had laptops and tablets with us and left them all in the basket of our bikes, propped up against a stone dyke, whilst we walked for the day.
We are not aware of any crime on this island and you can leave anything anywhere knowing it will be there on your return. Our front door keys have remained untouched since we arrived; an incredibly liberating feeling for us following Bill the Burglar's two visits last year and our subsequent need to turn the house into Fort Knox.
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| View East towards Holm of Papay |
With our daily flask of homemade soup we decided to cycle to South Wick Bay. Hoping to access wifi later we had laptops and tablets with us and left them all in the basket of our bikes, propped up against a stone dyke, whilst we walked for the day.
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| Nestled in layers of grass |
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| Amongst the chapel remains |
The high winds bring us back to reality and we head across to the remains of the chapel of Treadgear. On the gentle slope of the chapel remains we sink into layers of grass that make a very comfortable resting place sheltered from the winds. The birds were also sheltering and there was very little to see so we braved the winds again and headed to the shelter of the bay in front of our dream home. We spotted ring plover, red shanks and purple sandlings bustling among the rocks.
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| Penelope the Pashley (oh and Alastair) |
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| Common Seals (commando) at South Wick, Papa Westray |
Risking putting our head above the pier wall we could see the seals lying on the seaweed at North Wick Bay. We cycled until we were adjacent to them then crawled comando style to get as close as we could. People talk of seals singing and it does sound like it but is really the sound of seals warning each other to keep away from their particular basking spot. At the youth hostel Alastair tried and failed again to get on line, this is becoming our only source of frustration. Internet access is just terrible here.
