A bright start had turned to more dreich-ness by the time we got ourselves organised and set off from home following a tried and trusted route down to the coast between Branstane and Cubbigeo, but if we let poor weather put us off we'd never have left the house this summer.

We skirted around Branstane and along the track past Jinno's and Taphland to Sandsend beach, generously covered in ware after some recent stormy weather in the Northern Isles. The drizzly rain threatened to make the whole thing a bit of a chore and crossing the wet, slippery rocks to Tuquoy Bay needed a lot of care.




By the time we reached Roadside the rain had at least stopped and we perched ourselves on the wall for our first teabreak - no point in hurrying around!

Turning east, we walked up to the island's main road, took a right turn and then just before we went left towards the old house at Cleat the heavens opened for a few minutes. I considered heading straight home along the main road, but Sally is ever the optimist and it turns out she was dead right.



Once by Cleat we waited while Steven moved a dozen or more cattle out of the way, then dropped down from the farm to Bay of Cleat where we found a spot to sit by the shore and have lunch in rapidly brightening weather.



From here the going got a bit rougher as we followed an overgrown track along the shore before it became impassable at the "Height of the World" (a name marked on the map, but I've never heard it mentioned in Westray) on the coast below Sneuksbrae. We dropped down onto the large flat rocks and made our way round to Swartmill Bay where I sat and waited for Sally to finish peering into rockpools.





We usually head straight home along the road from here, but I looked across the bay in the every improving weather and had an idea.

We made our way around to then old Swartmill house and went straight ahead towards Sponess. The road here is private, but considerate walkers are welcome (although no dogs as there are farm animals about) and there's a gate opposite the house which lets you down onto the beach.

We sat here and paddled for a while - a real rare treat this year - before we set off around the coast again. This was a rough and ready part of the walk with no path, a couple of fences and some cattle before we reached Ramsay where we cut up to the road, stopping for ice cream at Skello Shop before the last half-mile home.