Glamping pods in Stronsay
Adjust your watch to Orkney time and embrace a quieter pace of life where sweeping sands meet endless bays in Stronsay.
- Stronsay
Popular camping styles for Stronsay
Glamping pods in Stronsay guide
Overview
Orkney’s Island of Bays is a low-lying isle to the north of Mainland where blue-green water laps white sand beaches. The coast is rich in all the quintessential components of Orkney: Neolithic chambered tombs and Iron Age brochs, a local craft trail, bird reserve, and a characterful community of farmers and fishers. Stronsay and nearby Sanday are great to explore on bike or foot and provide an excellent spot for a night or two of camping.
Where to go
The Vat of Kirbister
To the southeast of the island at Odin Bay lies a unique geological structure, the centrepiece in one of Orkney’s most renowned coastlines. The sea arch was originally formed when the roof of a cave collapsed, leaving only the mouth. Walkers can wander down to the coast and the Vat of Kirbister, then continue south past sea stacks home to early Christian hermitages and Iron Age ruins. Turn west at Lamb Head toward the Bay of Houseby to follow a nearly 13-kilometre circular loop walk.
Whitehall Village
Whitehall blossomed as the centre of Scotland’s herring industry in the 18th and 19th centuries. Now a small heritage centre in the village tells the stories of the island’s fisherfolk. Whitehall is the port of call for Orkney’s inter-island ferry service and from its quaint Victorian seafront, you can look out toward the islet of Papa Stronsay, home to an active monastery.
St.Catherine’s Bay beach
A 6.5-km walk west from the main village of Whitehall is the beach at St. Catherine’s Bay. The wild dunes, thin lip of sand, and wide, shallow bay are surrounded by farmland and offer views out toward Linga Holm and the island of Eday. On a rare windless day, the calm is interrupted only by the chatter of seabirds and grazing cattle nearby.
Rothiesholm
Stronsay is also called the “Star Island” and one of its off-kilter points is the remote peninsula of Rothiesholm. The blue-green Bay of Holland makes a stunning backdrop for a walk along the Sands of Rhothiesholm. Further along the peninsula enjoy an amble through heather and wildflowers in the summer months. The headland at Rothiesholm is home to Stronsay’s community-owned wind turbine, a staple of many of Orkney’s inner and outer isles.
