Ringing the bell
Thirty-six hours in Orkney
Saturday was a glorious day - it really felt like the beginning of spring. In celebration, we set out on a 7km walk. Grimness Head to the Lythes Road towards the South Parish of South Ronaldsay, our Orkney island. A great walk along the coast path. Three of us and two dogs in the sunshine with two of us in tee-shirts, at least for some of the way. In Orkney. In March!
The first landmark was the wreck of the Irene, a merchant ship stranded on the rocks near the Head. It was telling that it had deteriorated so much in the easterly storms of this winter.
7km doesn’t sound very far, but the path at the start of the walk was criss-crossed with sheep tracks demanding focus on balancing and, on this occasion, many rabbit carcasses picked bare as myxomatosis has been somewhat rampant over recent months. Nature asserting its checks and balances as there had been too many rabbits in the crops and vegetable gardens. The dogs were a bit over interested in the bones.
Next stop was a tea-break by a ruined cottage. We warmed our backs where the sun had soaked into its stones. Then onwards down to St Peter’s Kirk with its wonderful long table communion pews, and Newark Beach. I’ve never seen Newark with the tide so low and the 1.5km or so walk along it in the deep, soft sand left by the winter told on me later.
The south end of the beach and the walk up the hill were new territory for me. Why do hills always come at the end of walks?! Thankfully our friend Malc had bowls of delicious fish chowder at the ready to restore us, and Nick had arrived to transport us home. The rest of my day was spent in front of the TV for the final three matches of the Six Nations rugby. I felt justified at being a couch potato.
Sunday morning and I was in St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall. It is where my exploration as to what part I can play in the lay ministry of the Church of Scotland started, although that has developed further in the village kirk here in The Hup. Amongst other contributions to the service I was to ring the bell of HMS Royal Oak during the prayers of Remembrance and Hope. Sunday was the fifty-fifth anniversary of the Longhope Lifeboat Disaster. The Irene was one of the two vessels that the Longhope boat set out to save.
This Sunday we will be ringing the Royal Oak bell again, this time in celebration of the 200th anniversary of the RNLI. The brave men and women, all volunteers, who risk their lives to rescue anyone in danger at sea. When you live on an island you cannot help but be aware of the might of the sea around us. Its danger and its healing. Its rhythms and mood swings, and just how much it demands to be respected.
