Westray
Westray is one of the Orkney Islands of Scotland, with a population in 2011 of 588. The main settlement is Pierowall in the north of the island, but the ferry from Kirkwall lands at Rapness near its south end. A lane stretches the six miles between them. Westray is about 12 miles north of Mainland Orkney and has a similar terrain of red sandstone bounded by great sea cliffs and fertile green fields with cattle. Farming and fishing are the main occupations, with only a small tourist presence.
Understand
[edit]The world's shortest scheduled flight is the two-minute hop between Westray and Papa Westray; but what does that record mean? First, it means commercial aviation: private aircraft larking about their aero club, or Australian farmers checking their far-flung stock, don't count. Second, it means a point-to-point service that you can buy a ticket for. For instance in Kenya in the Masai Mara wildlife reserve, the planes make short hops between any safari camps that have travellers that day, before heading back to Nairobi. But you can't buy a ticket between those camps, as effectively they're just separate terminals of a single destination. Third, it means a regular scheduled service: it might be fun to charter a big plane to recreate Orville Wright's first powered flight of 12 seconds, with everyone gussied up in 1903 period costume, but you couldn't claim this particular record.
The Westray-Papa Westray hop is part of a triangular flight coming out from Kirkwall then immediately returning, so normally all passengers are going to and from the Orkney Mainland. Nevertheless you can buy a ticket just for the hop. Like the other intra-island flights, it's operated by Loganair, heavily subsidised and bookable online.
This flight has operated since 1967 and used to be in just one direction, Westray to Papa Westray, but nowadays it's both. The flight is scheduled for two minutes but is often less, and the record stands at 53 seconds. If you're collecting these things, the world's second-shortest air route is probably between Stronsay and Sanday, at five minutes. Several other inter-Orkney routes are scheduled for ten minutes, but don't expect dinner and a movie.
Get in
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1 Rapness is the landing point for Orkney Ferries from Kirkwall. May-Sep these sail three times M-Sa, twice on Sunday, taking 90 minutes. Until April 2025, return fares are £11.90 adult, £8.90 conc, £4.90 child, £28.10 car. Tuesday and Friday one sailing continues to Papa Westray and North Ronaldsay. Oct-April have only one or two sailings per day and none continuing to North Ronaldsay.
(Useful to know: the little bay next to Rapness pier is called "The Sands of Woo" — how was this movie never made?)
2 Gill Pier in Pierowall has 3 to 6 ferries a day May-Sep to Papa Westray, taking 25 min, for foot passengers and bicycles only. A return trip is £5.90 adult. To travel between these islands Oct-April or with a vehicle, you need the car ferry from Rapness.
Pierowall Bay has the best shelter for private boats, and was the traditional arrival point on Westray until the ro-ro pier at Rapness was built.
3 Westray Airport (WRY IATA) has Loganair flights twice a day from Kirkwall. It's at the north tip of the island two miles from Pierowall. These flights also stop at Papa Westray just across the channel, making it the world's shortest scheduled flight at just under two minutes.
Get around
[edit]B9066 the road across the island is sealed and in good repair but has no sidewalk.
Amazing, but this small island has a bus service. M&J Harcus minibus plies four times a day between Rapness, Pierowall and Gill Pier (for Papa Westray). It's timed to meet the ferries and is hail and ride anywhere on the way. It's available for other times and routes, eg from the airport, by phoning +44 1857 677450.
No car hire or bicycle hire on Westray, but shops in Kirkwall are relaxed about you taking their bike to other Orkney islands as long as it comes back.
See
[edit]- Faray is the low mile-long island seen east of the ferry on the approach to Rapness. A lane runs past its abandoned farmsteads; it's been uninhabited since 1947 and is now a grey seal breeding colony. Holm of Faray is the divided islet just north, which was just grazing: faerey is from the Norse for "sheep island".
- 1 Castle O'Burrian is a squat tidal sea-stack, well-defended by its garrison of puffins. Scrappy ruins upon it are probably an early Christian hermitage. By road, look for the puffin signpost a mile north of Rapness Pier, then follow the grassy track. You can continue along the cliffs to Tufts Bay.
- 2 Cross Kirk or Westside church is the ruin of a Viking church from mid-12th century. Sagas say it was built by Haflidi Thorkelsson, who farmed the land nearby.
- Lady Kirk in Pierowall is the substantial ruin of a church built in 1674 over its 13th century predecessor, with interesting gravestones around. Pierowall was the site of a pagan Norse cemetery, excavated in the 19th century, but nothing is nowadays visible here - some grave goods are on display in the National Museum in Edinburgh. The Vikings converted to Christianity around the 10th / 11th centuries, probably in mass conversions at the behest of chieftains negotiating the support of other Christian rulers. As of 2024, only the graveyard is accessible to the public.
- Westray Heritage Trust in Pierowall is a local history museum plus archive, craft shop and cafe. It's open May-Sep M-Sa 9AM-noon & 2-5PM, Su 1:30-5PM; Oct-Apr W 2-4PM. Adults £4, conc £3, child 50p.
- 3 Noltland Castle, Pierowall KW17 2DW, ☏ +44 1856 872044. Daily 10AM-5PM. Remains of a castle built to a defensive Z-pattern in the late 16th century, though it was never completed. Its builder Gilbert Balfour supported Mary Queen of Scots, and his hands were bloody in the assassination of her inconvenient husband Lord Darnley; he got himself executed in Sweden for similar treason there. The castle was wrecked in the Civil War in 1650 when Royalists occupied it but were burned out by the Covenanters. Free.
- Links of Noltland is an active archaeology site near the beach half a mile north of the castle. May-September you can watch them sift through the remnants of a Bronze Age settlement. This is rescue archaeology as the sand dunes are eroding.
- Wheeling Steen is an art gallery at Aikerness half a mile from the airport. It's open M, W-Sa 1-5PM.
- 4 Noup Head 3 miles north-west of Pierowall has impressive cliffs, a lighthouse and headland, home to thousands of birds including guillemots, kittiwakes, razorbills and puffins.
- Wildlife: common seals are, well, common, while grey seals prefer remoter spots such as Farray. Otters are seen throughout the island, try watching from Rapness Pier. Westray has been rat-free since 1970; an accident introduction in 1992 was swiftly dealt with. The island swarms with rabbits.
- 5 Papa Westray is the small inhabited island to the northeast. In summer you can easily day-trip by ferry and see the prehistoric dwelling Knap of Howar.
- Holm of Aikerness is an islet half a mile east of Westray Airport, a large skerry at low tide but just a wave-dashed crag at the top of the tide. Air service? - you could waft a paper dart across on a following wind.
Do
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- Golf: Westray GC along the lane to Noltland Castle is nine holes, visitor day ticket £20. The third is claimed as Britain's longest hole, 738 yards, par 6.
- Fishing: Burness and Saintear lochs have fly-fishing for trout. The main commercial sea-catch is crabs.
Buy
[edit]- Royal Bank of Scotland, Pierowall. M 9:30AM-3:30PM, W 10:15AM-4PM. RBS bank branch, but only open two days a week, and no ATM.
- Hume Sweet Hume, Pierowall, ☏ +44 1857 677259. M-Sa 10AM-1PM & 2-4:30PM, Su 2:30-4:30PM. Knitwear and souvenir shop.
- W I Rendall, Pierowall, KW17 2DH. M-F 8:30AM-6PM, Sa 9AM-6PM. General grocers, with "Groatie Buckies" cafe.
- JC Tulloch in Pierowall is a licenced supermarket and Post Office, open M-Sa 9AM-7:30PM, Su noon-3PM.
- Westray Bakehouse near Gill Pier make crackers, biscuits and shortbread but not regular bread. They're open M-F 9AM-5PM.
Eat & drink
[edit]- Pierowall Hotel (below) has good bar food, open daily noon-2PM & 5-8PM. The bar is open continuously noon to midnight.
- Jack's Chippy (Pierowall Fish), Broughton KW17 2DA (400 yards east of Chalmersquoy), ☏ +44 1857 677471. W Sa 4:30-7:30PM. Wholesale fishmonger, runs Jack's fish and chip shop two evenings per week.
- Saintear, Braehead KW17 2DP (200 yards south of Chalmersquoy), ☏ +44 7825 017124. Su-Tu noon-4PM, F Sa noon-8PM. Cafe with pizza and burgers.
- Richan's Retreat is a cafe attached to a gift shop at Rapness ferry pier, open daily 8:30AM-6:30PM.
Sleep
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- 1 Pierowall Hotel, Pierowall (half mile south of jetty), ☏ +44 1857 677472. Pleasant comfy small hotel with six rooms and restaurant. B&B double £110.
- 2 Chalmersquoy, Broughton KW17 2BZ (south end of Pierowall, a mile from jetty), ☏ +44 1857 677420. Welcoming, well-run place open all year, with campsite, hostel, B&B and self-catering cottages.
- No 1 Broughton is a B&B 200 yards east of Chalmersquoy.
- Self-catering cottages cluster around Pierowall.
Stay safe
[edit]Bad weather is the chief hazard, and take care near the cliffs.
Connect
[edit]As of July 2024, the island has patchy coverage with O2, but no signal from EE, Three or Vodafone.
Go next
[edit]- Papa Westray - get away from it even more on a trip to the neighbouring island.
- North Ronaldsay can only be reached direct from Westray in summer.
- You have to return to Kirkwall for all other island connections.