Take a walk back in time to visit the castle
..just up the road past the school and turn right and follow your nose
It will not take you long to walk to the castle, depending on how many times you stop to take in the view. I never cease to be amazed at how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful island and the chances are that en-route you are bound to encounter someone to chat with.
Out on my bike a couple of days ago I met three cyclists coming towards me, they were heading for the castle and I was doing my best not to bump into them. I smiled and said “good morning” but I struggled to get a reply. This occasionally happens so I just shrug and carry on with my journey. Perhaps visiting folks are not used to friendly natives where they come from, as we all tend to greet each other warmly when out and about. If you have been here you may have noticed car drivers waving to each other on approaching. It’s what we do.
I digress. All our roads are narrow so it’s not unusual for there to be a bit of a traffic jam as we pull over to let others pass or slowly move over to pass pedestrians. Here’s a hint, if you are in a group, please do all go to the same side of the road when a car passes, it gives the car driver more room to manoeuvre round them. We usually give a friendly wave to walkers too, even though we probably do not know them.
Back to the walk. You can’t miss the castle, it’s that great big building looking down at you on the left hand side as you approach the golf course. More about our golf course in a later posting when I have got my facts right.
Not being a golfer I know little about the game, but I do know that six years ago when I was easing in my new hip, it was a real pleasure to wander round the lush grass on my crutches when nobody was playing on the golf course. Stopping for a blether with the greensmen added to the pleasure. Much as I would like to learn the game of golf I will not attempt it. I was average to poor at tennis, badminton and squash despite playing squash regularly a minimum of twice a week, mainly because I had a moving target, that little black ball of rubber, to aim for. However, with a stationary white golf ball, I’m totally useless. Useless! Enough said.
By now it is only a cock-stride over to the castle. There is parking on the far side of the building directly off the road so if you are in a vehicle, it will be safe there. Carefully tended by Historic Environment Scotland, the castle is in very good condition despite its age, and entry is free. Sadly this is one monument that wheelchair access is very limited. Find out more from:
https://www.historicenvironment.scot
If you follow the link above and insert Noltland Castle into the HES web site search box, you will be informed of an Orkney digital guide that you can download to your phone. I would suggest you do this as it gives lots of information on four HES monuments in Westray: Noltland Castle, Links of Noltland, Pierowall Church and Westside Church (all to be covered here at a later date). It also gives lots more information on other islands’ HES sites and also all the mainland Orkney sites. Most Mainland sites have an entry fee, Westray sites are free to enter.
The App costs just £3.
The famous Noltland Archway, often used by photographers at Westray Weddings with bride and groom posing beneath the arch.
This post has taken you past the golf course and up to Noltland Castle, both on the road leading towards Noup Head, described previously. This area is known as Dykeside and if you look from the top of the castle if you have climbed up the stairs, look out of one of the windows towards the hill opposite and with a pair of binoculars you will just about make out the remnants of the original dyke of Dykeside (Dyke is the old name for a stone wall). The castle windows have a plexiglass not glass pane so there is no danger that you will break it and fall through.
The best way to see round Westray as I have mentioned before, is to take with you either a knowledgeable local person or ideally book a place on the Westraak Tours minibus.
I shall follow up with a separate post on the Westray Golf Club later in the year and also on Noltland Castle. So far I am giving my readers tasters of the delights of Westray as I have only just scratched the surface. I shall continue to point out places of interest and as we progress, there will be eBooks to download, some free and some for a small charge, which will go to a local charity.
Coming soon, Heritage, Art, Knitting, Archaeology and Relaxing. (Well, that’s next month sorted out!)
Keep following me and I’ll give you more insights into living on a remote (but highly civilised) Orkney island.
My Robert Rendall poem for this week;
As a Boy in a Field I stood in a little field, A daisy in my hand And wondered what lay concealed In a thing so perfectly planned. I plucked with finger and thumb The petals one by one And saw their image become A metaphor of the sun. I broke the flaming cone But nothing at all was there But a green lining lightly thrown Around invisible air. Robert Rendall (1898-1967)