It was the U3A birdie trip to Hoy today. I had always sworn that I would never go walking on Hoy as it looks far to lumpy to me. There seems to be a flat bit round the eastern side and another bit at South Walls. The rest of Hoy is either flat bits which are high up at the top of hills or are all up and down steep slopes.
This time however we were told that there were going to be two options. An easier walk from Rackwick up to the Old Man of Hoy or a more strenuous walk up the hills and down to The Dwarfie Stane. I of course said that I would opt for the easy stroll.
When we got to Hoy however,it was decided that as very few people had opted for the easier walk, we would all go on the more strenuous climb. I am sure that I was conned.
We were dropped off near a smallish lochan called "the water of Hoy". As a bonus there were a pair of red throated divers with chicks on the lochan so it was a good start for a birdie walk. I would put up a photo of the divers and their brood but I have recently been told that not only is it illegal to publish photos but it is illegal to even take photos of category one birds on or near their nests. Whoops!!
In my defence, I was a long way away and several other people were taking photos.
Then came the nasty bit. We had to go up a 45 degree slope up to about 750 feet. Now this may not sound to bad to you (It certainly sounds bad to me) but there are no paths and we were walking over rough heather with deep, wet spagnum moss underfoot. This meant that every time I put my foot down it sank into the moss and I had to haul it out again. I think that I had to stop about 3 or 4 times on the way up for a breather. I was not the worst off though. Our gallant leader has had heart surgery and reckoned that the gubbins (valves, pacemaker or whatever) that was inside him was rattling away like a racehorse.
When we got near to the top there was a lovely view over Scapa Flow. I was sorely tempted to shout "You can see our ouse from ere". I hesitate to say that the view was worth the climb but it was a good view.
A bit more gentler climbing and we were almost at the top. At least at the top of the bit we were on. We were still overlooked by the bulk of Ward Hill on the other side of the valley.
The only birds that were about were Bonxies but at least there were a lot of them and they did not seem very nervous so we could get quite close to them. In the case of breeding pairs, some of them got a bit closer than was comfortable as they dive bombed us when they thought that we were to near their nests. One came in so low over my head that I could feel the draught as it passed. We managed to accidentally find nests with young and nests with eggs, so with the adults we had a "full set".
We had our butties at the top and then came down Trowie Glen to the bottom of the valley on the Rackwick road.
At least it was a bit easier coming down than it had been going up.
We then walked along the bottom of the valley (not on the road of course, that would be to easy) to the Dwarfie Stane, a huge boulder that has been carved out to form a neolithic chambered tomb. Then to the pier, to be more precise, back to the cafe by the pier for a much appreciated cuppa before returning on the ferry to Stromness.
At the end I was glad I had gone and I thought to myself that at least if I can do this walk then I can do any other walk in Orkney that I am likely to go on.
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