Orkney Holiday August 2019 part 2

The next morning we had some time to fill before our ferry to the island of Sanday. We drove over the Churchill barriers to Tankerness as Lesley was in need of a Sheila Fleet fix, but at least they also do good food and tea in the restaurant. After our lunch we headed further west to Happy Valley near Stenness, a woodland garden created by Edwin Harrold from 1948 over his lifetime.
We then got the ferry from Kirwall to Loth on Sanday and drove the short distance to Ayres Rock campsite, which would be our base for the next three nights. The next morning we headed for Start Point Lighthouse on the north east of the island. We knew the tide was in so we wouldn't manage to cross the Ayre Sound. Start Point lighthouse was the first Scottish lighthouse to have a revolving light. In 1915 it was painted with vertical black and white stripes which makes it identifiable in daylight. This is the only Scottish lighthouse to have this unique paintwork.
After this we drove over to Whitemill Bay for a circuit walk along the white sandy beach with a return through farmland. The weather was glorious, a bit breezy but bright and sunny, and we only passed a couple of other folk on the beach. The only sounds we heard were of the crashing waves and the seabirds. We had definitely worked up an appetite with all the fresh air, thankfully our tea at the Belsair in Kettletoft was good.

 Sitka and me in Happy Valley

 Scuthvie Bay on Sanday

 Start Point Lighthouse

 Curious seals at Start Point

 A random C-3PO and R2-D2 at the side of the road

Whitemill Bay Beach

 Pebble wall

 Lesley and Sitka taking in the scenery

 Sanday coos checking us out

Kettletoft fishing boat as the sun sets