Westray, Swartmill

Explorer Tom Westray has a useful answer for anyone who thinks an island day must choose between history and wildlife: do both, then find room for supper in Pierowall. Its farms, beaches and coastal paths sit among Neolithic and Viking traces, while summer seabirds turn the headlands into a noisy argument over nesting space. Tom says the puffins are the loudest; the guillemots have filed an objection. At the Castle of Burrian, a sea stack on the east coast becomes one of Orkney's best places to watch puffins in season. Keep a respectful distance and let binoculars do the work. Noup Head offers a longer coastal walk past a lighthouse and cliffs crowded with birds. Away from the edge, Pierowall has shops, food and an island heritage centre, a reminder that Westray is an active community rather than a bird reserve with a ferry attached. The island's older remains ask for time too; there is far more here than one famous stack. A ferry from Kirkwall reaches Westray, with connections onward to Papa Westray. Check current sailings and plan for weather rather than assuming an island connection runs to your preferred minute. The Noup Head route is exposed and cliff edges require care, especially in wind or poor visibility. Puffins are seasonal; the sea and sky are not. Give Westray a whole day if you can. Watch the birds, walk a little, then return to Pierowall and let the island's ordinary life be part of the memory. Tom will still be trying to referee the seabird argument when the ferry calls.