papay | Westray and Papa Westray Orkney

Papay Peedie Tours

siteAdmin — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 05:03:21 +0000

Whether you are staying in the isle or visiting for the day our thrice-weekly island tour will help you make the most of Papay’s spectacular scenery, wildlife, history and culture. Our Ranger will collect you from the boat, plane or hostel and take you by minibus and foot around the ‘must see’ 6000 year old Neolithic farmstead at the Knap of Howar, the beautifully restored old kirk at St Boniface, and the traditional farm steading and Bothy Museum at Holland. The day tour includes a guided walk along the eastern shore to look for waders and seals and up to the cliffs and heath of the RSPB North Hill reserve, where a variety of birds and flowers may be seen, often including puffins and Scottish primrose. Tours run from early May to the end of August with lunch and afternoon refreshments at the Kelp Store Craft & Heritage Centre included – you’ll be well-looked after throughout this very full day. Booking essential. Contact the Papay Ranger www.facebook.com/Papay Ranger

Enquiries

[contact-form-7]Jonathan – Papay Ranger

Tel: 07931 235213

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Papa Westray Hostel

siteAdmin — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 04:50:43 +0000

Quality hostel accommodation run by an island community co-operative. All rooms en-suite with sea views over the Holm of Papay and excellent self-catering and lounge facilities. The hostel is ideally situated within easy walking distance of beaches, archaeological sites and the community shop and is a perfect base for exploring the isle. Warm welcome guaranteed.

Papa Westray Hostel sun lounge

Papa Westray Hostel view

Enquiries

[contact-form-7]Papay Co-op
Beltane House
Papa Westray
Orkney

01857 644321
or Jennifer 01857 644224

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St Boniface Kirk

siteAdmin — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 09:25:53 +0000

Two Pictish cross-slabs that were found in the kirkyard at St Boniface are evidence that there has been a kirk on this site since at least the late 7th century – probably originally founded as a base for missionary campaigns among the pagan Picts. The present building dates from the 12th century, and was enlarged around 1720 and furnished with gallery, pulpit and box-pews. Some of these have been restored and the kirk is in occasional use and always open for visitors. In the kirkyard is a very weathered hogback tombstone which has been dated to the 12th century; these stones were a Norse type, imitating in stone the longhouse with its roof of wooden shingles. The reddish stone is not local to Papay, it has been imported to mark the burial place of an important person.

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Knap of Howar

siteAdmin — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 09:16:19 +0000

The Knap of Howar is not only one of the most significant archaeological sites in Orkney, but the site of the oldest standing houses in northern Europe. These two buildings are significantly older than the village at Skara Brae, and were inhabited from about 3800 BC by neolithic farmers who grew crops on the fertile land and raised cattle, sheep and a few pigs. The builders designed for maximum protection from the elements, digging down into the midden left by an earlier settlement so that the houses are invisible until you are almost standing on them. The long low entrance passageways sheltered the dwelling areas from the Orkney wind, and you can see the slots in the door-jambs at the inner end, for a bar to hold a door against the stone checks.

The interior of the larger house is partitioned by stone flags into two rooms, the outer one furnished with a stone sleeping platform and

the inner with a hearth and trough quern. A connecting passage leads to the smaller house which seems to have been the workshop and storage area, the innermost room lined with stone cupboards.

The Knap is not a village like Skara Brae but seems to have been the home of a single, virtually self-sufficient family unit. Excavation revealed bone and stone tools, and Unstan-ware pottery – quite different from the Grooved Ware used by the people at Skara Brae. As well as farming, the people of the Knap were highly competent deep-sea fishermen, and hunted sea-birds such as the Great Auk.

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