Eday is at the centre of Orkney’s North Isles and has a rich heritage and history to explore as well as being at the forefront of research for the modern renewable energy industry.

Eight miles long, Eday is home to 150 people who are vastly outnumbered by the isle’s wildlife and bird population.  There is upland moor, grasslands, freshwater lochs, including Mill Loch with its bird hide and a stunning coastland with beaches of sand, flagstone and boulder and dramatic cliffs.  Eday’s yellow sandstone was quarried for St Magnus Cathedral and the Earl’s Palace in Kirkwall.  The quarry is now a habitat for fuchsia, mosses and lichen.

Routes to historic and archaeological sites are guided by the signposted Eday Heritage Walk.  There are visible remains from the Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Pictish and Norse periods.  Highlights include Vinquoy Chambered Cairn and Bronze Age field boundaries and burnt mounds.  The islet, the Calf of Eday, is also rich in remains.

Carrick House at Calf Sound is a 17th century laird’s house which witnessed the capture of Orkney pirate John Gow who ran aground as he prepared to attack the house.  It is open to visitors at certain times in the summer.  At the Red House Croft Restoration project you can view a threshing mill, grain drying kilns, a forge and get refreshed at the café.  Eday Heritage Centre also offers refreshments and island artefacts, working models and an insight into island life through the Eday Oral History Project recordings.  In the North School nautical displays include the control room of a submarine and items salvaged from sub HMS Otter.  There are many other walks and guided trails with the Eday Ranger service.

The island’s past industries include kelp processing and peat which was sent to whisky distilleries in Scotland.  The main industry now is livestock farming of sheep, cattle and small-scale chicken rearing and vegetable growing.  OpenHydro has been testing marine energy turbines west of Eday at the Falls of Warness at the European Marine Energy Centre’s tidal test facility.  Marine currents race at 7.8 knots on a spring tide.

Eday has a daily ferry service, weekly flights on Wednesdays to its London Airport and an inter-isles fast ferry in the summer.  Car and bike hire is available and accommodation in B&Bs and a hostel.