After the Neolithic treasures, a walking tour on Hoy, the Churchill Barriers in the South, and Kirkwall, I had a feeling that I had seen all of Orkney. But far from it. Orkney still had some treasures left to share. Like Yesnaby, an amazing coast line not far from the Ring of Brodnar on the west side of Mainland. There we learned about the story of these rocks: 400 million years ago Orkney was south of the equator and lay in a lake. Anyway the rocks are all part of a long history, so let’s just enjoy this magic coastline.
along the coast of Yesnaby @Orkney
see how tall the cliffs are compared to us humans @Yesnaby
The plan was to walk to the Yesnaby Castle, another sea stack, not as high as the Old Man of Hoy though.
the coastline along Yesnaby @Orkney
The was a really strong wind going, plus I was stopping every couple of meters to take another picture. The coast was just too impressive to dash to the Yesnaby Castle without documenting the rest.
rock formations @Yesnaby
further along the coast @Yesnaby
Even the sun came out for a bit. That’s the advantage of a lot of wind. The weather can change within minutes, sometimes even for the better.
the sun comes out for a while @Yesnaby
Although we had walked already for a bit the parking with the gun battery is clearly visible on the picture below.
looking back to the gun battery next to parking @Yesnaby
But also in the other direction the coast looked spectacular.
still walking in the direction of the Yesnaby Castle @Orkney
Eventually we came to a stretch of coast where there was no water for a moment. Doesn’t it look very peaceful?
where has the water gone @Yesnaby
Honestly the landscape is so scenic there that I couldn’t stop taking pictures all the time. But it’s so beautiful.
rugged coast @Yesnbay
some water inland @Yesnaby
The sun was leaving and the cliffs were getting higher. There is so much water pressure that sea rushes up on the foot path in a spray.
higher cliffs again @Yesnaby
spray coming up from the sea @Yesnaby
The sun was really gone when I finally arrived a the Yesnaby Castle, still it looked amazing. The ‘Castle’ is as high as the cliffs around it. It’s also much stockier than the ‘Old Man’.
Yesnaby Castle @Orkney
Upon turning around to head back to the parking the coast was again breathtaking.
heading back to the parking @Yesnaby
Already heading back the sun suddenly decided to come out again. I took my chance and turned around again to get a shot at the ‘Castle’ in color.
Yesnaby Castle in sunshine @Orkney
the Yesnaby Castle is definitely higher that the cliffs around @Orkney
Of course the coastal walk is way longer than just going to Yesnaby Castle. But the wind made the going though and it was actually quite cold. Still, sometimes I wish there was no time limit to traveling and one can walk forever. Yours, Pollybert
