The wee dug was delighted to feel sand between his toes. We were out of the car and on the beach in a flash. We passed this spot many times during our trip and never saw the colours look quite so vivid again. The water was so turquoise it looked Caribbean and along the shore of Glims Holm was an incredible stretch of golden sand. Sunken ships loomed out of the water like iron giants, these were the blockships of WWI and WWII. My eyes struggled to take in what I was seeing – it was incredible. Crossing it is a Scottish travel moment I will never forget. 833 lives were lost in the attack.Ĭhurchill Barrier Three connects the islands of Burray and Glims Holm. Winston Churchill ordered the building of the 4 causeways during WWII after a German U-boat breached the existing defences in the early hours of 14th October 1939, sinking HMS Royal Oak which was anchored in Scapa Flow. We headed north crossing Churchill Barrier Four which connects the islands of South Ronaldsay and Burray. Despite a cold, grey start to the day our sailing was fairly calm!Īrriving on Orkney with our breakfasts intact, it was time to explore. The Pentland Firth is where the North Sea and Atlantic Ocean meet, crashing into each other head on. The Crossing has a reputation for being choppy. We sailed to Orkney with Pentland Ferries, crossing from Gills Bay to the pretty village of St Margaret’s Hope on South Ronaldsay. I want to share some of the wonders of Orkney with you, but one blog won’t do it justice, so I’ve decided to dedicate three blogs to the fascinating northern archipelago.

We managed to see and do so much, yet we barely scratched the surface.

We recently spent 3 fantastic days zipping around Orkney, taking in the sights.

Cast our glims on someone