The Stan Stane (HY752529),a monolith with a holethrough, stands not far fromthe pier near the south end.The hole may have been asighting hole for some otherstanding stone. No traditionsimilar to the Stone of Odinseems to exist. According tofolklore, the hole was madeby a giant woman whofound the stone on the

beach, stuck her fingerthrough it and went onto theland and planted it into theground.

The stone is the centre of anancient North RonaldsayNew Year tradition wherethe islanders gather, accord-ing to Rev William Clouston

in 1795, "The writer of thishas seen fifty of the inhabi-tants assembled there on thefirst day of the year, anddancing with moonlight,with no other music thantheir own singing." Theremay have been a stone circleat Tor Ness (HY755555) onthe west side.

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NORTH RONALDSAY(ON Rinansey, Ringan's Isleor Ninian’s Isle) is Orkney'smost northerly island, andwith its larger neighbour,Sanday, is distinctly differ-ent. It is low-lying, reachingonly 23m at Holland, itshighest point and is about5km (3 miles) long by 3km(2 miles) wide. The rocksare Rousay flags, whichform the flattish beaches andthe several dangerous sker-ries offshore, while consid-erable accumulations ofwindblown sand have builtup in many places.

North Ronaldsay is separat-ed from Sanday by the NorthRonaldsay Firth, with itsvery strong tides and untilthe introduction of the air

service was the most isolat-ed inhabited island inOrkney. It has a characterall of its own and it is herethat the Orkney Norn lan-guage survived in use thelongest. Many old wordsare still used locally.

Its relative isolation from therest of Orkney, due to thelack of a daily ferry service,has meant that old traditionsand ways of doing thingshave not yet been forgotten.As in Sanday, many of theolder farms are built on topof raised mounds which con-tain the remains of previousbuildings, often going backto prehistoric times. A goodexample is the abandonedfarm on a large mound atCruesbreck near Bustatoun(HY763525). A unique fea-ture of North Ronaldsay isits Sheep Dyke, a 19km-long drystone wall whichkeeps the sheep on the fore-shore and off the good land.

Archaeology Sites includethe very impressive Brochof Burrian (HY763514),part of an extensive Iron Age

and possibly Norse settle-ment on the point of StromNess at the southern tip ofthe island. This broch andits associated earthworksoccupy a good defensiveposition, and was inhabiteduntil at least the 9th century.

During excavation in the1880s the much-copiedPictish Burrian Cross wasfound, along with two Oxphalangeal bones inscribedwith Pictish symbols, anOgam stone, a small Celticbell and various fine bonecombs and tools. The largemound nearby (HY761513)is an important prehistoricand Norse settlement. Boththis and the broch are beingseriously eroded by the sea.

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Aerial view of broch showing Sheep Dyke and ramparts

Interior of Broch of Burrian showing well and scarcement

Aerial view of North Ronaldsay from northwest - Dennis head on left, Tor Ness on right

NORTH RONALDSAY- “RINGAN’S ISLE”

Phalangeal Ox bone with mirror symbol

Pebble with Pictish inscriptions

RCAH

MS

RCAH

MS

NORTH ISLES - NORTH RONALDSAY

The “Burrian Cross”

The Stan Steen

The Stan Steen has a hole in it

Cro

wn

copy

righ

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RCAH

MS

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In 1786, an Act of Parliamentwas passed to erect four light-houses in Scotland, includingone on North Ronaldsay. Theothers were Kinnaird Head ,Mull of Kintyre and EileanGlas on Scalpay. ThomasSmith, an Edinburgh lamp-maker was the engineer withEzekiel Walker, an Englishlighthouse designer, to advisein the initial stages. Smith wasassisted by his step-son RobertStevenson, founder of thefamous family of lighthouseengineers, and grandfather ofRobert Louis Stevenson.

Smith chose to build the firstNorth Ronaldsay tower at KirkTaing, the most easterly pointof Dennis Head. By theautumn of 1789 the masons,John White and JamesSinclair, had built the 21mtower of local undressed stone,along with the lightkeepers’dwellings. The mason's workcame to £199/12/6. The bea-con was first lit on 10 October1789 along with Eilean Glaslighthouse. The stone-builtjetty used to land materials stillstands below a small store atBewan.

The most advanced lighting

system of the time was the“catadioptric”, or reflectingsystem, which consisted of acluster of lamps burning oil,with copper reflectors, whichwere cleaned with a soft linenrag and Spanish white (finelypowdered chalk) until theywere perfectly bright. Theseinstructions “were to be strict-ly adhered to, or a great part ofthe effect of the light was lost”.

This remained the only light inthe North Isles until the StartPoint light was built in 1806 onSanday. North Ronaldsaylighthouse was then consid-ered redundant, and extin-guished in 1809, its lanternbeing replaced by the “greatwall of masonry” removedfrom the now redundant StartPoint beacon in 1806. By1852 the need for a proper

lighthouse was clear, and thepresent 42m tower at DennisHead was first lit in 1854.

"The necessity for giving anextensive range to the light atNorth Ronaldsay, which is towarn the mariner of hisapproach to the North Forelandof Orkney, combines with thelower level of land, to render ahigh tower unavoidable",(Lighthouse Commissionersreport).

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Treb Dykes The MuckleGairsty (HY751535 toHY768521) and MatchesDyke are “treb dykes”which divide the island intothree parts - Northyard,Linklet and Southyard.These dykes are thought tobe ancient, and probablydate from before 1000BC.Legend has it that threebrothers shared the islandbetween themselves. NearNewbigging the MuckleGairsty is 10m wide andnearly 2m high.

Chapel Sites on the islandinclude Bride's Ness (StBride's, HY772522), HowmaeBrae (HY758523), andSenness (Holy Cross,HY776555), where a plat-form indicates the chapel

site. The Old Kirk(HY755532) is early 19th

century, but may be on thesite of an older church,while the name Kirk Taing,the site of the Old Beacon atDennis Head, suggestsanother old chapel.

Lighthouses NorthRonaldsay was notorious forshipwrecks, and with thegrowth of shipping traffic inthe 17th and 18th centuries,they became ever more fre-quent. The first recordedwreck is of the Spanishgalleon from which the sup-posed Westray Dons sur-vived, which was probablylost in the Dennis Röst. TheSwedish East Indiaman,Svecia went ashore on theReef Dyke, east of Strom

Ness in November 1740,only thirteen survivors mak-ing it to the shore. Much ofthe valuable cargo of silkand other goods was sal-vaged. Underwater archae-ology work in 1976 broughtup many interesting finds.

In 1744 the Danish EastIndiaman, the CrownPrince, went ashore at SavieGeo but this time her crewand cargo were saved.Three of her cannon stillguard the lawn at HollandHouse (HY756532), whichhas been in the Traill familysince 1727. The gardenshere, with their Sycamoreand Fuchsia, attract manymigrant birds and are muchused for ringing studies bythe Bird Observatory.

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The New Lighthouse was built in 1854, the tower is 42m high and has 176 steps

William Muir shows the electronics which control lighthouses nowadays

The light is now electric

NORTH RONALDSAY- “RINGAN’S ISLE”

The lamphouse with its lenses

Kirk Taing, Dennis Head with the Old Beacon, sheep punds and planticrues

The Old Beacon was first lit in 1789

NORTH ISLES - NORTH RONALDSAY

Holland House gardens attract many birds during migration time

Oil lamp and decorated vent

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meat is lean and the uniquediet gives it a distinctiveflavour, but the slow growthrate means that they must bekept for up to four yearsbefore slaughter.

Seaweed was also cartedonto the land as fertiliser inlarge quantities, improvingthe already fertile land.Alginate is especially usefulon sandy soils, helpingwater retention in dry spells.During the kelp boom in the18th and early 19th centuries,North Ronaldsay benefitedfrom having plenty of sea-weed washed ashore on itsexposed beaches from thelarge kelp beds beneath itsshallow surrounding seas.Kelp-burning pits can stillbe seen at several placesround the shore.

Many of the farmhouses areimproved longhouses withlocal flagstone roofs. Incommon with other parts ofOrkney, North Ronaldsaysteadings often had a kiln,but of an unusual square pat-tern as seen at Ancum,(HY764549), Cruesbreck(HY763525) andStennabreck (HY771526).The agricultural land is

mostly grassland, with hayand silage for fodder, butsome oats and bere are stillgrown. In more moderntimes there was an undershotwatermill at Haskie Taing(HY768533) which usedwater from Hooking Loch.This was replaced by a newmill in 1907 (HY763529),near Nesstoun. The base ofa windmill stands nearby.

Birds At the northeasternextremity of Orkney, withopen sea beyond towardsShetland and Norway, NorthRonaldsay, like nearby FairIsle, is one of the prime bird-watching sites in the Britain,especially during migrationperiods, when the numbersand variety of birds passingthrough can be quite spec-tacular. It is the site ofOrkney’s only Bird

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At 42m it is still the highestland-based lighthouse in theBritish Isles. The slightlyincongruous red brick towerdominates the island, itsrevolving beam sweepingover the land as well as thesea, to the benefit of nightvisitors and attractingmigrating birds. In 1889,the tower was painted withtwo white bands to distin-guish it from Start Pointlighthouse. The light waschanged to incandescent in1907, while a radio beaconwas added in 1932, and in1971 further improvementswere made. The lighthousewas finally automated on 30March 1998, one of the lastto be manned.

North Ronaldsay Sheep Theisland is unique in being sur-rounded by a drystone SheepDyke, about 1.5m high, and19km (12 miles) long, builtabout 1832 at the end of thekelp boom to keep the sheepoff the agricultural land.The hardy North Ronaldsaysheep live on a diet of sea-weed and some grass fromthe links outside the dyke.During the lambing time theewes are allowed onto grassfor three or four months,while special sheep pundsaround the shore are used forclipping and dipping, whichis a communal activity.

The North Ronaldsay is afine boned, small sheep witha slightly dished face

belonging to the Northernshort-tailed group whichincludes the Romanov andFinnish Landrace. Adultewes weigh around 25kg.and colour is variable,including white, grey, blackand moorit (brown), but var-ious combinations are seen.

Rams are horned but theewes are usually polled.Because they are adapted toa diet of seaweed, which islow in minerals, the breedcan be susceptible to copperpoisoning when fed exclu-sively on grass. Thecoloured fleeces are coarsebut the white and mooritwool is almost as fine as thatof Shetland sheep and is thussuitable for knitwear. The

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Typical North Ronaldsay croft with a flagstone roof

North Ronaldsay Sheep on South Bay beach with the Sheep Dyke in the background

NORTH RONALDSAY- “RINGAN’S ISLE”

Mini-woolmill at the New Lighthouse Processed North Ronaldsay woolHarvest time at Peckhole

NORTH ISLES - NORTH RONALDSAY

North Ronaldsay Sheep live on a diet of seaweed, plenty of which is available on the 19km of low coastline

The New Mill at Nesstoun and the stump of a windmill

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where on the circumference,but will inevitably head forthe lighthouse! Shorterwalks can take in parts of theshore and then cut acrossone of the many roads thatcome down to the gates inthe dyke. Though flat theisland has many good viewsand walking allows plenty of

time to savour them.Golf Course There is anine-hole golf course on thelinks facing Linklet Baywhich was created by theTraills in the 1890s. Clubsand balls may be borrowedfrom the “club hut” nearSouth Gravity.

North Ronaldsay Trustwas set up in 2000 with thestated objectives “to pre-serve and restore the builtand natural heritage of theisland; to promote industryand commerce; to provide or

promote the provision ofhousing; to generally help toimprove the quality of life onthe island by creating jobopportunities and attractingpeople to the island either tolive and work or astourists.”The Trust has purchased thelighthouse buildings whichbecame vacant when thelighthouse was automated,some of which have beenconverted into a mini-mill toprocess the local wool. Thelighthouse is the only one inOrkney with guided toursfor visitors. Tours are avail-able by arrangement with W.Muir, the lighthouse keeperTel (01857) 633257. A shopand cafe for visitors to thelighthouse is open in thesummer.

The Trust publishes "TheFoghorn" which is sent outto members. The Trust alsobought and renovated theNew Kirk from the Churchof Scotland when the latterdecided that it was no longerviable as a place of worship.It has already been the venuefor weddings and otherevents.

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Observatory, established in1987, the main purpose ofwhich is to monitor themigrations through, andpopulations on, the island,by census complemented bya bird ringing program. It isa migration crossroads forbirds on passage to and fromtheir breeding grounds inIceland, Greenland andScandinavia - northwardsfrom late March to earlyJune, and southwards frommid-August to earlyNovember. Several raritiesappear every year, particu-larly with east winds and infoggy weather.

In addition to visitors theisland has many breedingspecies. There are breedingArctic and Sandwich Tern,Great and Lesser Black-

backed Gull, as well as a fewBonxie and a colony ofCormorant on Seal Skerry.Teal, Gadwall, Mallard andPochard breed on the lochs,and waders favour themarshy areas. Eider, Tystieand Rock Pipit nest alongthe shore, while Fulmarfavour the bottom of theSheep Dyke. Meadow Pipit,House Sparrow and Twitemingle around the smallcrofts. A few Corncrakealso continue to breed here.

The main spring migration istowards the end of April tomid-May when WillowWarbler, Chiffchaff, PiedFlycatcher, Robin, Redstart,Wheatear, Whitethroat andRed-backed Shrike may allbe seen. Late Septemberand early October is the

peak of the autumn migra-tion period, the latter partsometimes producing largefalls of thrushes. Raritiesoften turn up if the prevail-ing conditions are right.

Robins, Bluethroats,Whinchats, Wheatears,Barred, Garden, Willow, andYellow-browed Warblersand Chiffchaffs, are just afew of the species that arerecorded in most years. Sea-watching from the OldBeacon at Dennis Head canbe quite spectacular withvery large numbers ofFulmars, Guillemots,Kittiwakes and Gannetspassing. Shearwaters (Manxand Sooty) are regularlyseen in good numbers andall four species of Skua arerecorded in most years.Rarities such as Pallas’sGrasshopper Warbler,Yellow-browed Bunting andLittle Bustard have allpassed through recently.

The variety of habitat andagricultural practice encour-age a diversity of plants andthe wild flowers are particu-larly beautiful on the island.Both Grey and CommonSeal are common round thecoast.

Walks The island's lack ofhills makes for easy walk-ing. For the energetic the19km (12 miles) circuit ofthe shore outside the dykepresents an interesting vari-ety of shingle, sand, geosand structures old and new.The walk can be started any-

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Linklet Bay with Dennis Head in the background

The groceries come by plane!

NORTH RONALDSAY- “RINGAN’S ISLE”

NORTH RONALDSAYATTRACTIONS

Sheep Dyke - 19km longSeal Skerry - Seals & CormorantsNew Lighthouse - built 1854Old Beacon - built 1789Dennis Head - birds & whalesAncum Loch - waders & waterfowlGolf Course - nine holesNew Kirk - built 1843Airfield - established 1968Old Kirk - built in early 1800sHolland House - 18th centuryCommunity Hall - new and oldHooking Loch - waders & waterfowlThe Stan Steen - the stone with the holeBird Observatory - at the south endBroch of Burrian - Iron AgeSouth Bay - seals, birds & sheep

NORTH RONALDSAYSERVICES

Getting to North Ronaldsay byLoganair from Kirkwall. Theisland has special subsidised airfares due to the lack of a daily carferry Tel (01856) 872494. OrkneyFerries Access by sea is normallyweekly, but there is also a Sundaytrips in the summer Tel (01856)872044.Where to Stay on NorthRonaldsay Observatory GuestHouse, solar and wind poweredaccommodation with bird watchingand natural history activities***GUEST HOUSE Tel (01857)633200; Fax (01857) 633207 seeVisitOrkney or Islands of OrkneybrochuresShop & Fuel Airfield Good &Services, Mrs H Swanney (01857)633220Car Hire T&C Muir, Garsi No1Self drive, Taxis, tours (01857)633244

Satisfied golfers from USA

North Ronaldsay Bird Observatory

North Ronaldsay is low and flat - the highest point is just 23m above sea level

NORTH ISLES - NORTH RONALDSAY

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