If you’re visiting, or planning to visit, Sanday this year, you might like to contact the Sanday Ranger who would be delighted to hear from you.
Roderick Thorne has lived on the island for over 25 years, and is interested in all aspects of natural history, archaeology, and the island’s heritage in all its aspects. He’s employed by the island’s Development Trust, and has researched and written a series of information leaflets about the island – specialising in Birds, Flowers, Mammals and Archaeology; a fifth in that series, about Shells, is due to be printed this year. These, along with two more leaflets (‘Sanday at War’ and ‘I-Spy Sanday’) are freely available on the island and on the mainland.
During the summer season, the Ranger has a series of walks, activities, and excursions designed to appeal to as many folk as possible. He’s always keen to have islanders join in – their local knowledge is greater than his; keen, too, to meet visitors with or without expertise in any aspect of natural history.
Contact him:
01857-600-341
ranger@sanday.co.uk
Roderick Thorne, Sanday Ranger, Nearhouse, SANDAY, Orkney, Scotland KW17 2BW
Below is an outline of events for April…
Sunday 18th April – Bag the Bruck
Bagging the Bruck at Doun Helzie
Every year ECO (Environmental Concern Orkney) organises a county-wide clean-up of beaches and verges. Volunteers in all the parishes and islands choose a target area, and fill up as many green bags as possible with old netting, rope, plastic bottles and other jetsam and flotsam. The Orkney Islands Council and local Community Council help by providing bags and gloves and – for local voluntary groups on Sanday – there’s a bounty for each bag filled, a little money to help club funds.
The Ranger’s target beach is Doun Helzie, a delightful sandy cove hidden away in the south-west of the island. Several of the Ranger walks later in the summer are to Doun Helzie, so this is a good chance to tidy the beach at the start of the season.
Sanday Saddle Club Bruck-Bagging
One of the photographs above shows a previous Doun Helzie clean-up; the other shows a small group of Saddle Cub members and a couple of their steeds.
Sunday 25th April – ‘Some Sanday Folk Tales’
A 2-3 hour minibus excursion, stopping at a few locations central to stories of monsters and mayhem. Hear about the Catwitch of Colliness, the Hogboon of Hellihow, and visit the grave of the island’s famous folklorist Walter Traill Dennison.
Hogboon of Hellihow
Bring a snack and a drink, and meet at the School’s upper car park at 2 p.m. There’ll be a small charge to cover the cost of the use of the minibus.
Tuesday 27th April – Doun Helzie
Doun Helzie from the air
This beach is hidden from the roads, but is a just a short walk from the road to Stove at the south end of Sanday. The geology of the area is quite different from the rest of the island, and there are several intriguing arches and caves to explore.
"Underneath the Arches..."
Like many of our shallow sandy beaches, there are plenty of shells to discover on the strandline, and it’s possible you may find the beautiful Faroese Sunset Shell.
Meet at the Stove sub-station at 2 p.m. Depending on the weather, the outing might take two hours or so.
