December 2018 Newsletter

December's headlines

New Orkney visitor guide is out now

If you’re starting to plan your 2019 holiday then you can get all the island inspiration you need from our new Orkney Visitor Guide. It covers everything – from our ancient sites, to nature, food, drink and craft attractions. It also features advice from experts and extensive accommodation listings. You can view the guide online now and order a copy to keep from Thursday 6th December. They can also be picked up from Visitor Information Centres throughout Scotland.

New campus showcases Orkney’s islands of innovation

A multi-million-pound project to create a new home for Orkney's wide range of energy expertise is beginning to take shape in Stromness. The Orkney Research and Innovation Campus is currently being created in the town, thanks to £6.5 million of funding from Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Orkney Islands Council. It’s hoped the project will enhance Orkney’s reputation as a research venue of global significance and attract more people from around the world to come and study and live here. Watch our video to find out more.

December in Orkney

The build-up to Christmas in Orkney is one full of festive fun, with tree-lighting ceremonies, concerts and fantastic shopping opportunities on offer.

For many local residents, though, the weeks leading up to the 25^th of December are dominated by one thing, and it isn’t a visit from Santa! The Kirkwall Ba’ returns for the annual battle through the streets of this old town. Christmas Day and New Year’s Day see hundreds of men and boys, separated into the ‘Uppies’ and ‘Doonies’, take part in the traditional street football games. The aim is to carry a hand-crafted leather ball to their respective goals at either end of the town.

This ancient game really is a sight to behold. The action is fast and frantic, with a swirling scrum and regular breaks both up and down the street. Being there is the only way to really experience the atmosphere, but always keep a safe distance and don’t get too close to the main action. Both days start at 10am on Broad Street with the boy’s game, then the men follow at 1pm. Don’t miss this unique and special event!

Stromness also has a fantastic festive tradition which was brought back to life last year. The Yule Log will once again be played out on the flagstone streets of the town. Teams of ‘Northenders’ and ‘Soothenders’ will be pitched against each other with the aim of dragging a huge log to their goals in the town centre. The game was a highlight of the Stromness festive calendar until 1937 before being revived in 2017.

This year will see the introduction of a junior Yule Log for the first time as part of Scotland’s Year of Young People. It will begin at 2.30pm on Hogmanay, with the main competition set to start at 4pm. There will also be musical entertainment at the pierhead throughout and a fireworks display at the end, bringing something special to Stromness at the end of the year.

Back to the start of the month now, and you can get that festive feeling early with tree lighting ceremonies across Orkney on the 1^st. The Kirkwall event sees the traditional St Lucy procession at St Magnus Cathedral. The doors open at 4.45pm, with the Kirkwall City Pipe Band parading on Broad Street from 5.15pm, and the tree lighting following at 5.30pm.

Elsewhere, there will be tree lighting ceremonies in Sanday and Westray too. December 2^nd brings the traditional tree lighting concert at St Magnus Cathedral, featuring the Mayfield Singers & musicians from Norway. It starts at 8pm.

Now, it wouldn’t be Christmas without a good panto, and there are plenty of options in Orkney. On December 1^st, the Stromness Drama Club has ‘Treasure Island’, a pop-up panto, in the Town Hall from 7.30pm. December 4^th sees the launch of the Kirkwall Arts Club panto, ‘Rapunzel’, in the Orkney Theatre at 7.30pm. It’s on between the 4^th and 8^th and tickets can be bought at The Reel in Kirkwall. The Birsay Drama Group’s pantomime, ‘Snow White & The Magnificent Seven’ will be held in the Birsay Hall on the 4^th, too. Tickets can be bought at Palace Stores.

Orkney is a fantastic place to pick up some perfect presents for Christmas. Kirkwall BID’s Festive Day Out is on December 2^nd, featuring promotions, tastings, beauty treatments and treats throughout the town’s shops between 12pm and 5pm. There’s also a Christmas Bazaar in the Cromarty Hall in St Margaret’s Hope on the 2^nd between 11am and 4pm.

Music is a big part of the Orkney events calendar at this time of year. There are concerts and gigs galore to enjoy. There’s an afternoon of Christmas music in the St Nicholas Kirk in Holm, accompanied by warm Christmas punch, from 2.30pm on December 2^nd. Then, on December 9^th, take in a Christmas concert at the Orphir church between 7pm and 9pm.

Orkney Camerata’s winter choir will be performing in St Magnus Cathedral on the 9^th from 7.30pm, too. Tickets can be bought at Sheila Fleet Jewellery, Kirkness & Gorie and the Pier Arts Centre. Then, if you’re still looking for some festive fun post-Christmas, the Sound Archive at the Old Library in Kirkwall has a series of fantastic gigs planned. Find out more via the official Facebook page. The Birsay Hall also hosts its annual Festive Fling on December 29^th with live music by Wayward from 9.30pm. Tickets will be on sale at the hall on the 1^st between 2pm and 3pm.

There are still plenty of chances to get out and about during December. On the 2^nd, join Orkney Field Club members for a walk around the RSPB Brodgar reserve, where you will get the chance to see large flocks of wintering wildfowl. Meet at the Ring of Brodgar car park at 1pm. Then, on December 8^th, join the RSPB at the Cottascarth reserve in Rendall to learn how to make festive treats for the birds in your garden. It’s on between 10am and 2pm. The Orkney Field Club will also be hosting a walk at the Orkneyinga Saga Centre in Orphir on the 16^th from 11am.

You can take advantage of free guided walks at the Standing Stones of Stenness every Wednesday (not December 26^th) at 10am, and at the Ring of Brodgar on Thursdays (not December 27^th) at 1pm. Tours of the upper levels of St Magnus Cathedral are also available on Thursdays and Saturdays at 11am and 2pm – phone 01856 874 894 to book.

If the winter weather is wild then you can always retreat indoors. There are some fantastic exhibitions on across the islands this month. The Pier Arts Centre has its annual Open Exhibition, featuring work by local artists and makers, until December 22^nd. The town’s Northlight Gallery has ‘Woman’s Suffrage: A Work in Progress’ until the 6^th, and the Waterfront Gallery hosts ‘Feast’, by local and guest artists, until mid-February.

Catch ‘Six of the Best’, featuring work by artists including Diana Leslie and Carry Welling, at the Loft Gallery in St Margaret’s Hope until the 18^th, and ‘The Art of The Ba’ at the Old Library in Kirkwall until the 5^th of January.

History-fans can visit the Orkney Museum between December 8^th and February 2^nd to see ‘Vanishing Point – Paintings by Jeanne B Rose’, with work inspired by the Ness of Brodgar’s artist-in-residence scheme. Meanwhile, the Stromness Museum has its ‘Great Expectations’ and ‘From the Trowel’s Edge’ exhibitions until March 31^st.

That’s just a taste of events in Orkney during December. There’s always lots more happening around the islands – keep up to date with our events page, pick up a copy of local newspaper ‘The Orcadian’ every Thursday or tune into BBC Radio Orkney every weekday morning from 0730 on 93.7FM or on Facebook.

Wild Orkney

December can be a tough month for wildlife watching in Orkney! But, there are still some places that are perfect for experiencing wild Orkney in terms of wildlife, and sheltering from wild Orkney in terms of weather!

Kirkwall’s Peedie Sea is a great example of getting the best of both worlds. You can see some beautiful birds at this old boating pond, but you’re also just a short walk from Kirkwall’s town centre and a hot drink, or something stronger!

A wander around the Peedie Sea can bring plenty of wildlife delights. At this time of year, you might see mallards, mute swans, tufted ducks, goldeneyes, wigeons – you name it! Keep your eyes open for some stunning long-tailed ducks too, which will be back in Orkney after a summer on northern tundras.

They’re on the red list of threatened species, so getting the chance to see them in the centre of Kirkwall is really special.

Elsewhere in Orkney, we’d definitely recommend taking a trip to one of the RSPB hides across the islands. The Eddie Balfour hide at Cottiscarth in Rendall is one of the very best, with views out across the moorland. It’s a prime spot to see hen-harriers on their way to roost, and ravens displaying in late winter.

Another brilliant hide to head to is at the Loons and Loch of Banks reserve in Orkney’s west mainland. Tucked away overlooking a large wetland area, you could see flocks of Greenland white-fronted geese, or perhaps a water rail in the reedbeds.

Of course, if you want to brave the December weather, then there are plenty of wildlife opportunities throughout the islands, including seal pup-watching. Just remember to wrap up warm!

Focus on photography

We’ve had some fantastic images from our featured photographers over the past year, showcasing Orkney through the eyes of our talented residents. We’ve picked some of our favourites to enjoy once again.

Our featured photographers in 2018 have come from across the islands, all with different ideas and inspirations. We’ve had images of island life from Eday, coastal scenes in South Ronaldsay and wonderful wildlife shots too. They’ve also shared some of their favourite photography haunts and advice over the months.

As you can imagine, Orkney’s stunning coastal scenery regularly makes an appearance in our features. James Grieve was our November photographer and we loved his shot of a snowy Scapa Flow.

Explore uncovered Orkney

Every month we try to highlight an Orkney attraction that might pass you by when you’re visiting the islands. To round things off for the year, we’re focusing on a special little spot, right in the heart of Kirkwall, a stone’s throw from St Magnus Cathedral.

Tankerness House Gardens, behind what is now the Orkney Museum, is a green haven in the centre of this old Viking town. And, at the bottom of the beautiful garden, is the ‘Groatie Hoose’, one of the most unique buildings you’ll see anywhere in the islands.

It has a quite incredible history. It was originally constructed as a summer house for former Provost of Kirkwall, James Traill. It was built using volcanic stones salvaged from the ballast of infamous pirate John Gow’s ship, ‘Revenge’. Gow, known as ‘the Orkney pirate’, was captured in the islands in 1725 before being hung in London in 1729.

The summer house made from his ship’s ballast sat in the grounds of Traill’s house on Kirkwall’s Bridge Street for centuries, surviving his death, renovations, building works and, eventually, a huge fire in the late 1930s.

Then, in 2005, the building – known locally as the ‘Groatie Hoose’ because of its spire decorated with cowrie shells, or ‘groatie buckies’ in Orcadian dialect – was moved piece by piece to its current home in Tankerness House Gardens.

So, next time you visit the gardens on a bright, summers day, make sure you pay a visit to the Groatie Hoose – a beautiful building with a brilliant and fascinating story behind it.

Explore our other Orkney locations with our special map.

And finally...

Thank you for taking the time to read our latest newsletter – hopefully there has been something to inspire you to make a visit to Orkney, for a short trip or a more permanent stay.

We’re always keen to hear from you too - share your news, views and comments on the newsletter, Orkney.com and your Orkney experiences with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or E-mail.

We hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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