To Orkney, and Papa Westray

 We were fortunate enough to make a trip to Orkney mainland, and onwards and northwards to Papa Westray, a tiny island in the norther part of the Orkney Islands archipelago.

Papay is small - 4 miles long x 1 mile wide. Population now 81, after a baby was born a week or so ago!

The flight from Kirkwall on the main Island of Orkney to Westray, then onto Papa Westray is a small 8 seater plane.  The ferries and all boats had been cancelled due to the high seas; and the winds were gusty to say the least. We really hoped we could fly; at the same time as we wanted to be really safe.

The pilots are something else, and as we made the landing onto Papay we came down sideways, nursing the plane along against the gusty cross-winds. Quite the adventure!

Here are some of my favourite moments and reminders of what was the most magical of days.

The view as we flew was inspirational.

The small bothy museum on the island was stunning its elegance and simplicity. This humble building portrayed simple, and no doubt sometimes, tough lives in a beautiful honouring.

The real reason we had headed to Papay was to see the Snap of Howe. The oldest house (at least 5,500 years old) in Europe. The architectural design, the stone workmanship and the sophistication of the dwelling was astounding.

St Boniface's Kirk is on the site of a 12th century church and has been restored.  lovingly. The graveyard held viking stones and others through the ages. The lichen on the stones and the gravestones was probably the best I have ever seen.

Inside the Kirk, this quietly drifting out bouquet felt both pensive and poignant.

And on Holland Farm, every door on every building was painted this fabulous red!

I would be back to Papa Westray in a heartbeat.

On mainland Orkney, we visited the Ring of Brogan once again.

And discovered the Barnhouse village.

A seat outside St Magnus Cathedral, honoured the victims of war with these beautiful poppies.

Inside the cathedral, so many wonderful carved gravestone markers! 

And such quiet and reflective art (Ilana Halperin and Kiyoshi Yamato) at the Pier Arts Centre in Stromness.

We are fortunate that the ferry to Orkney is only a half hour drive away; and that the crossing is only 1 1/2 hours (I am no sailor). To have such history and beauty and art nearby is special.

The flight from Westray to Papa Westray is the shortest commercial flight in the world - ours took 90 seconds...