My brother David and I spent a lovely day on Flotta on May 28th 2008. There was
a thick cover of fog in the morning which lifted as the day went on, revealing Flotta in
clear light and sunshine. It was a heavenly day, one we will never forget. Below are just
some of the photographs that we took during the visit, and our recollections of the day.

All photographs courtesy of David and Singne Palmquist.

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We took this high-powered little boat across the water from Mainland Orkney to Flotta, a twenty minute trip.

Blue Bells amongst the headstones, Flotta church yard.

Flowers sheltering from the wind

Flowers at Stanger Head, Flotta. I don't know what they are, but I like them

This was such a beautiful area, a part of Flotta that we would never have seen except that we were being shown around by a "local". Incredible and terrifying rock formations and cliffs, and wildflowers everywhere

This rock tower is known as Cletts or The Cletts. It's at the southeast tip of Flotta, overlooking the Sound of Hoxa to the left and Pentland Firth to the right (south).

The Cletts again

Cottage on the south shore of Pan Hope. I think this is the cottage just to the east/northeast of the island store and post office. Golta Peninsular on the horizon

Flotta School. This is taken from the roadway near Whome, looking southeast.

Craigisla. Looking West-Northwest from the churchyard. The house in the middle foreground is Craigisla, formerly the Manse, built around 1892 or so. Behind to the left will be Hemigar, and the big house on the horizon must be Heather-Cow-Root. To the right (north) the houses on the horizon are Hunger-Him-Out and Hunger-Him-In. You can see the fog has lifted and the weather turned out to be beautiful.

Flotta cattle. This is looking east along the south shore of Pan Hope, the bay. The headland is Quoy Ness, and beyond the Sound of Hoxa are the islands of Burray on the left and South Ronaldsay on the right.

My brother and I spent a day on the Orkney island of Flotta, where some of our ancestors lived and died. The morning we arrived there was a heavy fog that gradually lifted as the day wore on. The soft colors of these old buildings in the green and misty setting caught my eye.

The churchyard is overlooking Kirk Bay on the south shore of Flotta. The house to the right of the cemetery is Bayview, built by John Simpson Hay in the 1890s

Flotta Oil Terminal: Years ago, my uncle and aunt decided not to visit Flotta because someone in Aberdeen told them the oil terminal had spoiled it. It is a shame they missed the opportunity. The terminal is there, but it is not terribly obtrusive. .

The man who lives on this side of the fence feeds them - bread of all things - and as soon as anyone comes near the fence they all come running. (Reminds me of my deer!) The fellow said that he has to be careful to not make eye contact when he's walking about his yard, or they all create a big racket with their raucous bleating - and that if he gets up at 3 a.m. to go to the bathroom and they see him through the window - they all start up too. And they are NOISY!

Flotta - west from Stanger Head This will be from the tip of Stanger Head, with the top of Cletts showing in the foreground. Cletts lies in a bit of a nook, then Stanger Head continues until at House Geo, the shoreline veers north into Kirk Bay. On the far side of Kirk Bay is Banks, and beyond that Innan Neb

From the manse property there was a view of the little 'kirk' and graveyard, shrouded in fog the morning we were there. Later we visited this cemetery and found the stones of our HAY ancestors

The gun is a sculpture from scrap metal. We're looking west, to Lyness, the former naval base, a bit less than a mile away. This is from the roadway running between the coast and the airstrip, and south of Rotten Gutter.

Kirk: This is the only church on Flotta, and while it was built after my family's time, we found our ancestors' stones here.

Kirkbay Road: the road from Kirk Bay to Flotta Community school

Lychen in the church yard

You can make out the kirkyard on the left where our ancestors lie. The house on the waterfront is Bayview, built by our great-grandfather's brother upon his return from South America around 1892.. He died soon after the house was completed.

Observation Tower at Stanger Head: Looking east from Craigisla. The house in the foreground is abandoned; the roof is slate, and has fallen in. This is Millhouse. BayView is behind, and the military observation tower at Stanger Head is visible on the horizon. Down from and to the right of the observation tower I believe is Little Bow. You can see the mouths of caves down the hill from it.In the middle of Kirk Bay, you can see Kirkie Taing, if I read the print properly

Roofless Cottage: The Island is so green. In the foreground you can see the roofless ruins of a cottage

Roosting birds on the island.

The stone Manse was situated on a lovely property on a hillside, with a small stone house converted into a garage and surrounding stone walls. The morning we arrived it was very foggy, and it wasn't until the afternoon and the fog had lifted that we saw what a beautiful view there was over the surrounding countryside and the ocean.

War Memorial, Flotta Kirk

Looking west toward Lyness area of Hoy.