I was utterly captivated by the Orcadian isle orcas spend Christmas

The Herald Scotland

01-07-2025

This Orcadian isle is an irresistible oasis that in recent years has bucked the struggling Scottish island trend and attracted a swathe of incomers every bit as overjoyed with their discovery as the wildlife.
Straight off the ferry I meet my guide, fixer and man about town (or rather bijou island), Dave Walker, who is the cheery embodiment of modern Sanday. He engages me instantly with a huge smile - 'Welcome to Sanday, I hope you like it here.' Dave cannot stop smiling, probably because he knows by now that everyone likes it here.
(Image: Dave Walker)
How could you not fall for this Orcadian isle? Sanday may only measure 16 miles by six, but that is not the whole story with Orkney's third largest island. It is well named as it's blessed with the sort of starched white sand beaches that has tourist offices from overseas nicking images of Scottish beaches for their own tourist campaigns. Step forward Thailand.
To be fair I don't think any of the cheery souls I encounter on Sanday would be remotely bothered if Bangkok were to front a new campaign with the sheer delights of Backaskaill Bay, Otterswick Bay, Doun Helzie or Whitemill Bay. There are plenty of beaches to go around here.
Personally I reckon the Thais would plump for Tresness, which is perfectly framed by hulking sand dunes.
Sanday is worth visiting just to gawp at the beaches and Dave is winningly patient as I lose my conversational thread every time we come across another sandy stunner. Beyond the beaches Sanday boasts real strength in depth. And indeed even on the beaches there is intrigue...
At Lopness lies the wreck of B98, waylaid from the wartime shenanigans at Scapa Flow. This First World War German torpedo destroyer made a tardy arrival into Scapa Flow in June 1919 a day too late for the mass scuttling of the Imperial German Navy. So it fled north and ended up beached here.
The canny locals have done a bit of a Whisky Galore job on her stripping her of anything of value, but this is the only wartime wreck you can survey beached on the surface in Orkney.
B98 was joined last year by an unexpected new arrival from much more distant in our past.
A wooden shipwreck was revealed by those bountiful local sands last year, an extremely rare Dutch vessel from the 1600s. I find her being painstakingly preserved in a specially built tank outside the Sanday Heritage Centre.
The Centre's custodian Ruth Peace talks of her hopes that the vessel can be preserved for future generations and brought back to a state in which she can take pride of place at the museum.
For now 'Sanday Through The Ages' compels, voyaging from the island's rich pre-history right up to those world wars and beyond, with many a shipwreck on the way. Impressively the burnt mound outside the museum was saved from the ravages of the sea and painstakingly rebuilt here, just one of the prehistoric sites that litter the island.
I yomp out to one prehistoric gem with Francis Edwards, from the Sanday Business Forum, another local who continues to build my working theory that Sanday may have the friendliest islanders in the whole of the Northern Isles.
And that is saying something in this life-affirming archipelago. We negotiate with the hulking local cows for access to Quoyness Chambered Cairn, a dramatic attraction set on a rugged stretch of coast.
There is not a soul bar us in sight. Quoyness evokes Maeshowe as I crawl in the pitch dark down the tunnel entrance into the 4,000 year-old burial chamber.
I'm eager to see as much of Sanday as humanely possible as this is clearly an island that keeps on giving. I snare an e-bike from next to the well-stocked island shop and head out into what feels like Camberwick Green and Trumpton crossed with a wildlife documentary.
(Image: Quoyness Chambered Cairn)
I arrange to meet Emma Neave Webb and Russell Neave, an experienced naturalist couple behind a business, Sanday Nature Tours, they promise me will be up and running in time for the summer holidays. They will be busy as Sanday offers myriad wild delights from otters, puffins and curlews, through to the winter hen harriers and the short-eared owl that swoops low over us as we talk.
It's not just birds here, stresses Emma: 'Last year we saw about a dozen species of marine mammal, including those orcas who cruised in to celebrate Christmas. The walrus loved it here until a gull nipped him on the bum.'
The local wildlife is booming. As are the islanders with the population rising up to around 500 after the wave of Covid-era new arrivals. At the heart of Sanday's success is Sanday Community Craft Hub.
(Image: Tracy Ranger)
Here I meet Tracy Ranger who tells me about the 70 or so local artisans who they work with. 'Until recently many of them just created things at home and no one saw them,' smiles Tracy.
'They can now bring them to a wider audience here. It's a space where the community can come together and spend time in our café too, meeting visitors as they go. Sanday is just a lovely island to live on and spend time in.'
I leave Sanday already vowing to come back. I want to hear about the work of the new Men's Shed and the old church and store that the community has acquired. Judging by the people I meet, Sanday will have big plans for the latter two sites on an island that cheers us as much as does our marine mammal cousins.
Where to stay ...
Orkney Retreats
The work that this company has done on Sanday is miraculous. Not content with renovating one rundown old property, they're now up to seven self-catering abodes and I'd wager on there being more to come. They had taken a collage of old farm houses and other sleeping buildings and breathed new life into them. They now have abodes to suit all sizes of group.
www.orkneyretreats.co.uk
Braeswick B&B
This welcoming B&B makes for a good base with the highlight the shared guest space, with its floor to ceiling glass. As well as comfy seats they have a telescope so you can search the night skies here too. With so little light pollution that is a sublime experience on a clear night. Make sure to book a room with a sea view.
www.braeswick.co.uk
Ayre's Rock
This eclectic oasis in the north of Sanday boasts a campsite and a motorhome aire, as well as wooden camping pods and a wee cottage. They also have trim hostel. Claire and Phil (it's usually first name terms on Sanday) took over the site late last year and are powering on with it. Dogs welcome too. B&B available on request.
www.ayres-rock-hostel-orkney.co.uk
Foodie Sanday ...
59 Degrees North
Dynamic English owner Jon Chapman runs an inspiring set-up here. Yes he runs a design business as you can see by the striking efforts on site. But he also lays claim to serving the most northerly wood-fired pizzas in the British Isles. They are superb too – the blue cheese pizza finished with hot honey is sublime.
www.59-degreesnorth.co.uk
The Craft Hub
Savour comfort food safe in the knowledge that the money you're spending goes directly into Sanday's community. This cosy space is surrounded by art you can buy and you'll always meet members of the community here. Enjoy the likes of sweet potato and rosemary soup and a range of baked potatoes, sandwiches and toasties. They try to source as much as possible locally with Orcadian butter and cheese; Orkney-roasted coffee too. The cakes are handmade on Sanday.
www.crafthuborkney.com/community-cafe
Norma's Cake Box
You can pick up a sugary treat on Saturdays and Sundays from the eponymous lady's house – very Sanday. Just choose your homemade treat from the box and pay, then off you go to one of the glorious beaches to savour it like a labrador who has just been given a huge bone. Instructions online of how to navigate here from the doctor's surgery.
www.visitsanday.com/normas-cake-box
Northlink Ferries (www.northlinkferries.co.uk) sail to Orkney. Orkney Council Ferries sail to Sanday from Kirkwall. More information www.visitscotland.com