Although Orkney is a chain of islands, the word ‘beach’ doesn’t spring to mind quite as quickly as ‘prehistory’ or ‘wildlife’. And it’s a shame, as Orkney does indeed have some very respectable sandy beaches. We visited a few during our trip there back in September, including a stop off at the small sandy beach of Newark Bay on our way back from a visit to the north east of the Mainland.
Timing wise our visit wasn’t perfect: the tide was mostly in, leaving a strip of sand just a few metres wide to walk on. This didn’t bother us though as we had the whole beach to ourselves, so we still had plenty of space!
There’s a small parking area close to the beach, from where it’s a short walk down to the sand, or alternatively there is a Walkhighlands linear route which visits the bay if you like longer walks. This time we just stopped to let the dogs have a good run after a few days of being on the lead for the entirety of their walks.
We had a lovely half an hour or so strolling up and down the beach. As always on Orkney our eyes were glued to the ocean in the hopes of spotting a whale, but we didn’t have any luck! Nor did we see the ‘mermaid’ which was repeatedly spotted here in the 1890s – although I can’t help but wander if that was actually a seal, which we did see plenty of while we were in Orkney.
Dog friendly rating – 5/5. This is a great dog friendly beach: sandy, quiet and dog friendly all year round. If you do visit with your dog, make sure to take poo bags and leave the beach as lovely and clean as you find it.
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I have been on every single island up in Orkney and found every single one amazing, I always stay at the Albert Hotel in Kirkwall it’s a great place to stay and a central base to commute from. See it’s feedback.