A circular walk along the shores of Scapa Flow, passing Howequoy Head near where HMS Royal Oak was sunk in 1939, and continuing inland to return to St Mary's past the Loch Of Ayre.
Coastal path, a little overgrown, minor roads
Buses from Kirkwall and St Margaret's Hope.
Parking area near Loch of Ayre, St Mary's.
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There is a parking area near the sea just off the A961 road where it bends sharply at the Loch of Ayre in St Mary's. The village was once a thriving fishing port which expanded rapidly during the 19th century herring boom. The pier which you can see today from the car park was built in 1877 together with some of the larger, older properties. The decision to block access to Scapa Flow using sunken ships at the outbreak of the first world war meant boats could no longer head directly to the North Sea from St Mary's and the fortunes of the village (along with St Margaret's Hope) declined rapidly.
Follow the track away from the village to pass between the waters of the bay and the loch where swans and various ducks breed. At the end of the track continue on the coastal path which runs to the left of a fence. This soon rounds Skaildaquoy Point. It was in the waters near here that a German U-boat, having squeezed between the sunken block ships and made its way into Scapa Flow, torpedoed the British battleship HMS Royal Oak with the tragic loss of 833 lives.
It was after this incident that Churchill ordered the building of the barrier causeways to permanently block access to the Flow and it's naval fleet. Continue along the shore which is a good area for bird watching, there is a faint path either on pebbles or through grass. Go over a stile keeping the fence on your right.
A more open area above slightly higher sea cliffs (to your left) leads to another stile over a fence. Once over this continue past an old military concrete building and then at a marker post bear right to head diagonally inland heading for a farm gate and a green track between two fields.
Go through the gate and the next one and pass the large nissan hut and house and keep straight on as the road bears slightly right. Follow this back towards St Mary's with the loch to the right. At the main road, cross and turn right to return to the start, passing a large Nissan hut which is now a house but once housed a cinema used to entertain troops stationed at nearby batteries during the second world war. You may also be able to make out a low mound near the northern end of the loch which is the site of an iron-age broch.
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