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| The
ferry for Papa Westray leaves from Gill Pier and the
crossing takes about 20 minutes. It is passengers only
and its main function is to take the teachers to the
smaller island and bring the older school children to
Pierowall. There is another crossing to take the doctor
across, which leaves at the more civilized hour of 9:00
AM. |
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Gill
Pier & Pierowall |
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| The
name Papa Westray (or Papay) refers to the fact that
it was once home to a monastic community (Celtic priests
were known as papae to the Vikings). One of
the most visited pilgrimage places in Orkney was the
Chapel of St. Tredwell, which was built on top of a
broch on a peninsula jutting into St. Tredwell's Loch.
Triduana was an fourth century nun who was noted for
her beautiful blue eyes. Nectan, the king of the Picts,
lusted after her and she, realizing that her eyes were
the source of his attraction, plucked them out and sent
them to him skewered on a thorn branch. Not surprisingly,
her chapel in Papay was particularly attractive to people
with eye problems. |
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Chapel
of Saint Tredwell |
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Farm
buildings with traditional flagstone roofs |
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| Our
mission on Papay was to take a pilgrimage to the prehistoric
farmstead at Knap of Howar. Like Skara Brae, it was
uncovered by a storm, in this case in the 1920's. Dating
to the first part of the fourth millennium BC, these
structures are the oldest standing buildings in Europe. |
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|
Knap
of Howar. Neolithic Farmstead |
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| There
are two conjoined buildings that make up the farming
complex. Building 1 is living quarters and includes
the remains of stone bedstead similar to those found
at Skara Brae. A line of thin slabs divides the space
into two. Building 2, which is divided into three parts,
seems to have been used for work activities and storage. |
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Knap
of Howar. Building 1 |
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Knap
of Howar. Building 2: Work & Storage Areas |
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| From
Knap of Howar we continued along the shore of Papa Sound
to the church of St. Boniface, which is the focal point
of a substantial and complex settlement of the twelfth
century. |
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The
shoreline looking towards Mull Head |
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Saint
Boniface's Church |
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| The
weather was ‘fresh’ and it was a good day
for a walk along the coast— the taste of the salt
air and the steady rolling of the waves on the shore.
|
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The
coast at the Sneck |
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Paul
on the Rocks |
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Holland
Farm |
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View
fromRendall to Westray |
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