201. Doun Helzie

My day on Sanday could not have gone better. Well, perhaps I could’ve done with a few more hours as there were beaches I hadn’t visited (Otterswick, Sandquoy, Saville), but I was so pleased to have visited on what was the only nice day of the week. It was miserable when I arrived on Orkney the day before and an impending 48-hour storm had led me to cancel the next two days of my trip (including visits to North Ronaldsay and Stronsay), so to get this beautiful sunny day on this island of beaches was magical. There was one last beach I knew I had to visit and it was the very remote Doun Helzie (known locally as Doon Helly). Parking near the settlement of Stove, a track leads towards the cliffs, from where you pick up a meandering overgrown path along the top of the cliff to this stunning hidden beach. At first sight, a route down to the sand seems unlikely but a way soon becomes apparent. When the tide is out you can explore the caves below the high cliffs here but my choice was limited on this occasion. It was a great place to enjoy the evening sunshine. Once back at the car, it was a short walk down to Bay of Stove but the tide almost covered the beach here and I decided not to include it in the project until next time. And that was it, an unforgettable day on a wonderful island.