Eday - 21/09/04

Can't wait to put the heating on in the morning, it's freezing. Weathercloudy and very windy, with frequent short sharp showers. Head northalong the main road. Pass two ruinous churches, then reach the island'sconvenience store. Buy some food as well as a small torch. After theshop, the showers continue apace. Take the second road left and findmyself at Carrick Farm. At this point it's absolutely teeming with rainand I have some difficulty finding my route. Go to a pier by the shoreof Carrick Sound. A hilly island, Calf of Eday, lies off-shore. Thewest coast of Sanday is not that far away. I finally decide to ignorethe PRIVATE signs and dash through the back gardens of Carrick House.

(Pictured: Carrick House, picture courtesy Peter Burges, 1970)
It's very wet and muddy on the far side. Start to trudge up thehillside, above the lighthouse. Once across a small stream, I take abreak for lunch and try not to get entangled in the barbed-wire fences.Rise up afterwards and proceed up the hill, to end up on Noup Hill.Views are very good. Because of the unstable, strongly showery weather,visibility between showers is excellent. Only problem is the force 9wind that roars over the top of the ridge. You see Westray to the NW,Papa Westray to the NNW. Sanday stretches northeast. Head back southagain, but do not go back to Carrick. Instead, I make my way southacross Vinquoy Hill. Although only 76 m in height, this again offersnice views, this time over the northern part of Eday. I proceed througha few bunkers until I come out on a raod. Go southeast along it for afew hundred yards, then strike off southwest along a path which shouldhopefully deliver me on the next road. Have all sorts of fun and gamestrying to cross fencing withouth damaging clothing. Finally gain theroad from North Ayre to Millbounds, which I follow as far as Newark.Head down a track through some fanks, which then passes thorugh somefields. Crossing the fences becomes ever more difficult as they fall indisrepair. Derelict houses provide a reason for that. Turn up by ahouse that is also empty, but not ruinous. I now look out over the Edayairstrip, which I cannot reach due to an insurmountable wall. I battlemy way through bracken to the hostel, which I reach at 5 pm. Engage the heating, do my laundry in the washing-machine provided and prepare my meal. It's cold outside, and the strong wind does not help. Taking a shower is not an option conditions like that, too blinking cold.