I always think that one of the nicest moments when you go away somewhere is checking out the goodies in the hotel bathroom. Obviously it’s not the sort of thing that makes or breaks a holiday, but I do like the anticipation, although occasionally it is a let down. I’m not the world’s biggest fan of small overly ornate plastic bottles with lavender scented and lavender coloured goo in them, but that’s just because I associate lavender with old age rather than aromatherapy.

Not every self catering property provides soap etc for the bathroom but we decided that we would, and rather than buy sachets of shower gel and shampoo in bulk we opted to provide and showcase the products of Orkney Soap. We do this partly because we feel we should support the local economy and publicise things that are locally made and partly because we just like them. It’s certainly what we use at home. So if you come to Poppy’s Place for a holiday you’ll find both shower gel and soap in the bathroom waiting to be used. (They won’t always be the fragrances illustrated above; the company produces a wide range and we like to ring the changes now and again)

Orkney Soap was set up under the auspices of COPE Ltd, (Community Opportunites for Participation in Enterprise) and provides support and training placements for local adults with disabilities. It was originally set up as Shetland Soap in 2002 and the Orkney offshoot came into being in 2005. The products can be purchased in various outlets throughout Orkney,as well as on Northlink Ferries, but obviously the widest range can be found in their own shop in Albert Street in Kirkwall. It’s a beautiful shop to go into , well laid out and with helpful and welcoming staff. If you want a small reminder of Orkney, or gifts for those at home, it’s well worth a visit.

Most visitors to Orkney go to Brodgar to see its neolithic stone ring or to visit the exciting summer dig at The Ness. Not everyone realises that the area is managed by the RSPB amd that it’s an excellent place to see some of Orkney’s many birdspecies. There are guided walks in summer by the RSPB and Historic Scotland Ranger Service but access is unlimited and it’s a nice place for an independent stroll, situated as it is between the two lochs of Stenness and Harray.

While the rest of the country seems to have been suffering extremely cold and wintry conditions this last weeek, Orkney has been very mild and almost windfree. So it was a good opportunity for a stroll at Brodgar. As well as the usual winter bird species, including a mass of swans on Loch Harray, both a male hen harrier and a short eared owl were to be seen flying low, doubtless looking for food.

Even more exciting was a glimpse of a family of four otters, catching and eating eels in Loch Stenness. The photograph isn’t great, but they were a little way away, and moving fast. They are otters, honestly! Otters do live on Orkney and sightings of them appear to be on the increase, but you will need patience and luck to find them.

There’s lots more information about the RSPB work at Brodgar and other parts of Orkney on the RSPB website and leaflets describing walks at Brodgar and other reserves are available from the Tourist Office in Kirkwall

While the rest of the UK has been shivering in wintry conditions rcently, we’ve had some really nice days here in Orkney. Mild temperatures, visible sun and several days without any wind at all have made it feel almost like spring. It helps that the days are getting noticeably longer too.

Last weekend the Other Half had a walk at the cliffs at Yesnaby. It wasn’t a windless day, as you will see from the pictures, but it was clear and not too cold, so a nice day for blowing away the cobwebs.

It’s a common misconception that Orkney is flat. It certainly doesn’t have the mountainous grandeur of the Highlands, which visitors will have driven through or flown over on their way to the islands. But the Vikings, who tended to the literal, weren’t being ironic when they christened Hoy (the High Island). Most of mainland Orkney is what you might call undulating, there are ups and downs which generally balance one another out and make for pleasant walks and cycling. But in places round the edges there are some tall cliffs.

Situated about 7 miles from Birsay the cliffs at Yesnaby are quite spectacular, with seastacks, arches and wonderful Atlantic views. The cliffs are of Orkney sandstone and it’s easy to see the different layers which make them up. They contain good examples of stromatalites (fossilised algae), although you may need to take that on trust.
There’s a car park next to the remains of the Second World War Naval Gunnery School wth information boards and from there there is a well marked path which you can take south to Stromness or north towards Skara Brae. Or just stand and watch the sea.

Welcome to our new website and in particular welcome to The Ourigaire Blog. With a new year in prospect we thought it was time to makeover our website and here’s the result.

This new and completely redesigned  site is aimed to be both more user freidnly and a bit more informative that our previous one. That’s the main reason for adding the blog, so that we can keep you informed about what’s going on, not only with Poppy’s Place but throughout Orkney more generally.

The intention is to update every Sunday afternoon so please keep coming back to see what we have for you. It might be newly released details of one of Orkney’s many festivals, pictures from a walk we’ve taken that, who knows? you may be doing yourself one day soon, reviews of places to eat and drink, short pieces about Orkney’s major (and minor) places of interest.

Feel free to leave a comment, or even a suggestion or two, if there’s something youre dying to hear about!