Beaches!

You might not think of Scotland as a great place for beaches - but they are stunning. Cold, windy and often rainy - but stunning. 

A five minute drive from Kirkwall brought us to this beach on the edge of Scapa Flow. Scapa Flow is a fairly protected bay in the center of the Orkney island. The Vikings used it, and it was a big deal during both World War I and II. 

Another favorite for us is Dingieshowe Beach, which is in the small spit of land east of Kirkwall, just before a piece of land that would be its own island if the water level were a bit higher. We walked through sand dunes to get to the beach. I waded in the water, we watched the shags and gulls on the water, and were intrigued by the seaweed shapes.