What not to miss in Westray

The ferry steams through Orkney’s north isles, passing Shapinsay, Egilsay, and Eday, following the route Vikings would have taken a thousand years ago. Flying is no less of an adventure, offering a bird’s eye view over our island communities.

The excitement doesn’t stop on arrival, though. In fact, there’s so much to see and do in Westray, you probably won’t stop during your entire stay. To help plan your visit, we’ve picked out some of our must see highlights of a trip to the ‘Queen o’the Isles’.

The Westray Heritage Centre is the perfect place to start your island exploration. As well as being full of local history, stories and ancestry information, it’s also home to a very famous resident - the Westray Wife, also known as the Orkney Venus. This tiny Neolithic figurine was discovered during archaeological excavations at the Links of Noltland in 2009. Made from sandstone and standing just 4cm tall, the Westray Wife was the first Neolithic carving of a human form found in Scotland.

Westray’s westside is one of the finest stretches of coastline in Orkney, full of fascinating geology, arches, seabirds and towering cliffs. If you’re feeling fit, you can walk the entire six-mile length of the west coast from Kirbest to Noup Head (note, transport would need to be arranged to return you to the start), or tackle our shorter Noup Head Circular route instead, which offers many of the highlights and a return route to your car or bicycle.

There are some fabulous food producers based in the island and local shops are only too happy to showcase everything local makers have to offer. The Westray Bakehouse produces fantastic bread, rolls, biscuits from its Pierowall base. Westray Chutney offers the perfect accompaniment to the Bakehouse’s products, with a wide range of chutneys and preserves. Meanwhile, Pierowall Fish Ltd smokes its own salmon and stocks delicious scallops alongside plenty of other fresh seafood options. Pick up all these pieces at W.I. Rendall and J. C. Tulloch in Pierowall, or at the Skello Shop in the south east of the island. You’ll find all the items at other shops across Orkney too.

If you’re visiting during the summer months, make sure you save time for a walk to the Castle of Burrian on Westray’s east coast. The squat sea stack is the best place in Orkney to grab a glimpse of puffins, with hundreds of these colourful characters calling the cliffs home between May and July. The ideal time to see them is just before sunset as they return to shore after a day spent at sea. If you’re lucky, some might even waddle within a few feet of your camera lens.

It’s hard not to be inspired by the light and landscape in Westray, which is perhaps why the island is home to so many talented creatives. Pop past Hume Sweet Hume’s shop and studio in Pierowall to browse a beautiful range of textiles, all handmade in Westray. The Westray Art Gallery is nearby where you can see some unique pieces created by Peter Brown, including paintings, sculptures and driftwood art. At the north end of the island near the airfield, the Wheeling Steen Gallery is home to artwork and photography by Edwin Rendall and his daughter Rosemary. This unique space includes the restored cabin of a 19^th century shipwreck, which is now used as Edwin’s studio space.