Braeswick B&B

12/04/2024

The tides this week have combined with some wind to erode Doun Helzie's dunes and cliffs. I wanted to see the difference between now and 2018 when I first came to Sanday so I found a couple of photos and recreated them

25/02/2024

The post I was supposed to put up but kept getting distracted. The news of the island at present is this wreck which has been washed up on the beach. I believe it is thought to date from 1600-1650 but could be behind the times on the knowledge. Check out "Orkney retreats" post. I was also interested that the sea appears to have broken through the dunes in two places. Then Angus our Dog spotted this whale carcass. I have never seen one with blubber on it still. It has been identified as a Fin Whale. Sadly not a whale I have seen live.

25/02/2024

I actually have another post to make but again got distracted with differences. I liked the first picture and then looked for the reverse with sand in it. Then carried on. This time it is all Doun Helzie which I normally visit daily and am quite fascinated by. Sorry to bore you.

24/02/2024

We walked to Cata sand for the first time since the winter storms and I was a bit shocked at how different the end of the big dunes looked. Annoyingly I don't have photos from the angle I am used to seeing because I tend to take shots from the top but you can see how a mini dune at the bottom has almost completely gone and how all the face of the dune has changed.

24/03/2023

Last night was the best Northern lights I have seen.

15/11/2022

Well I can't find a picture of the seal with a net on its neck but I have found some more pictures of perhaps the same seal from 2020. This mum seems to come back to the same place each year. Seal numbers on my local cliffs are stunning this year. They have been going up since I came to Sanday but this year there are at least 4 times as many. I hope this is a good sign. I have been convinced I recognise another seal mum each year. Perhaps this is proof I am better at seal identification than I would expect. (I don't even recognise actresses in a film when they change hair between scenes!)

15/11/2022

I was hunting for a picture of a seal with a net on its neck and I found this again today. I had long lost this video and thought I could not have had my camera on the day. Instead I see on 19 April 2018 I just didn't know how to post it to facebook properly. I am therefore reposting it. I have never had such luck since! In fact it is a long time since I have seen an Otter as I normally am walking a dog now. Shame

02/04/2022

I seem to be sleeping well and not hearing my alerts lately but there were very clear lights at 3am and I was curious when dawn started to happen. Here is a selection.

11/10/2021

I have been able to show guests poor Northern Lights for a couple of nights but today on a guests birthday it has been quite good again :-)

30/09/2021

When we moved to the house Maria managed to wrap it in a rainbow for me. Tonight to celebrate our Aniversary she arranged probably the best display of lights in my four years. They were the 28th time I have seen them this year but these were 10x better than any other night. Absolutely stunning. Even to the naked eye.

24/08/2021

It has taken almost 4 years but our daughters have finally inspired us to get something to play on the bay with. It is amazing how much wildlife was caught in this clip and how little I actually saw myself!

09/05/2021

I was updating the B&B website today and realised I hadn't ever shared my photos from February with the snow. There are 360 shots of Start Point end of Sanday and the B&B end. There are more 360 shots on the More photos page that I have never put up here.

Sanday In Whiteby jonhinch11th February 20219th May 2021 It is extremely rare to see Sanday dressed in white. Here are some photos from around the island Interactive photos Regular Photos View Thumbnails