The nights are really drawing in now and the grass has stopped growing (hooray). You may be wondering what we find to do in Westray now it is dark from 4:00pm or thereabouts. Hibernation comes to mind, but no, not a chance.
We have had more than our fair share of stormy weather, as has the rest of the UK, but at least we have not been flooded out and the sea has behaved as expected as far as I know; sometimes Broughton gets the tangles thrown over the road and the seals get confused where the shoreline is, but generally life goes on as normal. The ferries were interrupted a few times, causing cancellations with my dental appointments on mainland Orkney (I lost a front crown) but video links can suffice for medical issues if necessary (obviously not dental) now we have the improved broadband.
I had to go for a blood test earlier this week and down by the harbour where the surgery is, I looked out at the few boats berthed there in total silence, just small waves lapping the boat slip and beams of sunlight showing up behind Fitty Hill (or whatever it is called if I got its name wrong). The replacement boat for the Golden Mariana, the foot ferry to Papa Westray, was moored up and generally there was nobody around. Makes you feel glad to be alive.
I first arrived here back in 1994 looking to buy a house. I stayed at the Pierowall Hotel for a few days to give me time to get to know the place. I had stayed on South Ronaldsay many times but felt I needed to be a bit more remote so when I saw a property for sale in the middle of the island here, I headed north and arranged to view it. A nice old chap called Alfie showed me round it but as you couldn’t see the sea, which is a little surprising on a small island, so I decided against buying it. Actually it would have been better knocked down but I didn’t say that. It’s still standing there in the middle of a field and Alfie passed away long ago now.
Having found my property a few months later, I made the move here and settled in, slowly putting the house to rights: new roof, central heating, new windows all round, normal sized doors, you know the thing. It all took some time as I was also working on designs for brochures, exhibitions and all things graphic, with my clients south. After a couple of years I set up a small gallery. This was a mistake as I live inland looking down to the village and at the end of a rather rough track, not easy to get to within walking distance, so I had few visitors, but enough to keep me occupied in between producing artwork for the south clients. I closed the gallery and concentrated on design work. Meanwhile having joined the Tourist Association (TA) my knowledge of promoting businesses came in handy. The TA was in its infancy in those days, having only been set up a couple of years earlier but it gained lots of members, most of whom are still active in it.
Time passes and members leave, only to be replaced by new ones. If you come here now you will see many fine examples of how the TA has affected the island. There are designated walks and downloadable leaflets, more accommodation providers offering beds from camping and hostels to B+Bs, and self catering. It is all held together by our one hotel on the island, The Pierowall Hotel. I keep meaning to tell you more about the hotel but I tend to forget when I go there for a meal, when I prefer to concentrate on eating and not take photographs as I had intended to do. That has happened three times in the past two months now and I still don’t have any interior pictures, sorry. Please be patient, I’ll get there eventually.
The first time I stayed in the Pierowall Hotel all those years back and I’ll never forget the friendly welcome I was given by the folks standing at the bar, being served by Jean and John James Fergus, the then owners. One April day I had wandered out sightseeing and I stayed out a little longer than I had intended, only to be greeted by friendly chuckles on my return, me with a bright red glowing face and bald bonce. It’s nice to feel welcome especially if you are a stranger. It’s still the same now with different landlords but the same excellent standard of welcome, food and comfort. Meantime just go to the web site, it tells you all you need to know. www.pierowallhotel.co.uk
This week I was invited to give a talk to a group of members of the Tourist Association, Westray Development Trust and Community Council about tourism. I was very nervous before I started but I relaxed a bit as time passed. It is great to hear opinions on how folk perceive tourism in the island, how it affects our way of life and how tourism help to keep the community viable. The season kicks off about May time when the ferry timetable changes and it fizzles out after the September ferry timetable change. However most places are open in the shoulder months too, March – April and September – October/November. The weather does its best to confound us at all times but we just accept that as a fact of life and get on with things. We have lots of sighting of the Merry Dancers (aurora borealis) over the winter period of course.
The puffins are here between April and the end of July, which gives us a great boost to our attractions. During the season the owners of the accommodations are kept unbelievably occupied keeping their places clean, tidy and well stocked so there is no rest for them. The tour guides can be out and about for longer periods.
It has never occurred to me before, but can you imagine having to take a bus full of weary, wet tourists out in all weathers whether you want to or not? This is a time for hard work and they never complain and that may be why we end up with very happy visitors. I often see the white tour bus parked outside in Noltland Castle car park as I look out from my lounge window across the loch of Burness. When I first arrived here there was no tour guiding, the heritage centre was very much in its infancy and the swimming pool at the school only had one depth of about a metre.
There are designated walks to take and if it’s a Wednesday or Saturday you can wander just below Kalisgarth, our care home in the village, into the Bargain Box next to the community garden for a rummage among the cornucopia of used wares from the community. I bought some lovely home-made fancies this morning.
A lot has happened in nearly thirty years here.
If you do decide to come this next season you will be very welcome. There is a big map on the bus station in the hotel car park (and a duplicate one on the back of it too, for good measure). You can plan your visit round all the great places to see while you are whiling away your spare time. A local Westray person is very likely to come over to you for a chat too, we’re not shy at coming forward.
Sorry this has been a while since my last posting, it’s a busy time of year!
There is no poem this week, sorry, I’m well past my planned 800 words. Again!