Travel Scotland - Orkney And Shetland Orkney Strondsay

Posted by admin in Travel on 11 4th, 2007 | no responses

A beguiling combination of green pastures, white sands and clear turquoise bays, Stronsay has seen two economic booms in the last three hundred years. The first was built on collecting vast quantities of seaweed and exporting the kelp for use in the chemical industry, particularly in making iodine, soap and glass. Later, fishing on a grand scale came to dominate life here, as Whitehall, in the north of the island, became one of the main Scottish centres for the curing of herring. By the 1840s, up to four hundred boats were working out of the port, attracting hundreds of women herring-gutters. By the 1930s, however, the herring stocks had been severely depleted and the industry began a long decline.

WHITEHALL remains the only real village, made up of rows of stone-built fishermen’s cottages set between two large piers. Wandering along the tranquil, rather forlorn harbourfront today, you’ll find it hard to believe that the village once supported five thousand people in the fishing industry during the summer season, as well as a small army of coopers, coal merchants, butchers, bakers, several Italian ice-cream parlours and a cinema. It was said that, on a Sunday, you could walk across the decks of the boats all the way to Papa Stronsay , the tiny island that shelters Whitehall from the north,

on which a new monastery is currently being built. The old fish market by the pier used to house a museum , with a few photos and artefacts from the herring days; ask at the small café (closed Tues) to see if it’s still open.

Stronsay is served by a regular car ferry service from Kirkwall to Whitehall (2 daily; takes 1hr 40min-2hr), and weekday flights , also from Kirkwall (Mon-Fri 2 daily; takes 25min). There’s no bus service, but D.S. Peace (tel 01857/616335) operates taxis and rents cars . Good accommodation choices are the Stronsay Fish Mart hostel (tel 01857/606220) in the old fish market by the pier, or the newly refurbished Stronsay Hotel (tel 01857/616213; Ł60-70) opposite. A cheaper alternative is the Stronsay Bird Reserve (tel 01857/616363; Ł40-50), a nicely positioned B&B in a lovely old crofthouse, which also tolerates camping on the shores of Mill Bay. The Stronsay Hotel does good pub food .

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