Apparently it was throwninto the sea by the farmer sothat the Crown could notclaim it! One can only spec-ulate on the folly of this self-ish person, spurred on bystate greed. The remains offurther two brochs lie nearbyat Knowe of Grugar(HY35727) and Knowe ofStenso (HY364267), whilethere is a further one at theCraig of Ritten (HY401249),near Woodwick.

In 1929, Robert Rendall thewell-known poet, antiquari-an and naturalist, was sittingon the Knowe o’Aikernesssketching the scene. One ofthe legs of his stool sank intoa hole, and before long he

had discovered a flight ofstairs leading down into theknowe. What was tobecome known as the Brochof Gurness was soon to beexcavated. The name“Gurness” is most likely acorruption of Aikerness.

Justice, 17th century-styleAbout 1630 a young girl wasaccused of child murder andsentenced to death in themanner of the times. Shewas “to be taken to OllySmith, the lockman, have herhands bund behind her back,

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Costa Head has dramatic 125m-high cliffs

Eynhallow Sound from the Sands of Evie - or Aikerness as it is called in Orkney

The Burgar Rõst with Eynhallow monasterySummer sunset down Eynhallow Sound

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From the hide all ofOrkney’s moorland birdsmay be seen, includingMerlin, Hen Harrier, Short-eared Owl and Whimbrel.Take the signposted road offthe A966 for access. Parts ofthe Reserve can also bereached by the many peattracks which lead into thehill.

Mammals In recent yearsBasking Sharks have beenseen in Eynhallow Sound, per-haps feeding on planktonstirred up by the rapid changein depth in the Burgar Rõstwhich goes from less than10m to more than 20m in ashort distance. CommonSeals are often seen hauled out

along the shore, or foragingamong the seaweed, especial-ly near the Broch of Gurness.Otters may also be seen inEvie, and the Burn of Desso atAikerness and the WoodwickBurn being likely spots in thegloaming.

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Red-throated Diver (Loom)

Woodwick Burn and woods

EVIEATTRACTIONSBroch of GurnessBroch of BurgarKnowe of StensoLowrie’s WaterPeerie WaterLoomachunBurgar HillAerogeneratorsSands of AikernessWoodwickBirsay Moors RSPB ReserveHillside RoadEynhallow SoundCosta Head

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convoyed by the said lock-man to the oise mouth, anddrowned in the sea to thedeath”. At a time wheninfant mortality was nodoubt very high, it musthave been convenient tomurder the mother rather

than seek the real cause ofdeath.

In four centuries we havenot moved very far. Todaymothers are still persecutedfor infanticide by the estab-lishment, and often impris-

oned, only to be releasedwhen the “experts” areproven fallible.

Aerogenerators Attemptsto harness the energy of thewind have been made inEvie since the early 1950s,when a prototype aerogener-ator was installed on CostaHill. Unfortunately it blewdown in a big gale in 1953.In the 1980s several experi-mental wind turbines werebuilt on Burgar Hill(HY343261, 259m), andnow three large turbinesgenerate electricity. Thelocation was chosen due tothe high average windspeedsprevalent in Orkney. Issuessuch as nature conservationand amenity limit the num-ber of possible sites inOrkney for such develop-ments.

Research is also being con-ducted on the tidal flows ofEynhallow Sound to see if itwould be a suitable locationto install an experimentaltidal generator. While theamounts of energy involvedare very large, the engineer-ing problems are also huge.

Birsay Moors RSPBReserve spills over intoEvie, and there is a bird-hideat Lowrie's Water(HY345257), from wherebreeding Red-throatedDivers can be observedwithout causing any distur-bance. The adult’s calls canoften be heard as they flyback and forth from theirfishing grounds.

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Aerogenerators on Burgar Hill

The first experimental aerogenerator was on Costa Hill

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A recent transliteration ofthis inscription suggests thatit is in fact in Old Norse andreads, “INEITTEMUN|MATS,in memory of Mats”. Thecontext of this find isunknown, but the argumentis persuasive. The knife-blade has sadly become lostsince being found in 1931.

Parts of a Roman amphorawhich dates from AD60 orearlier were found duringexcavations in the 1930s.These were used to transportwine or olives. Roman pot-tery was also found at Oxtroand Midhowe brochs, whilecoins were recovered fromthe Broch of Lingro.Whether the artefacts are theresult of trade, exchange orare the remains of booty willprobably never be known.

The “well” in the broch inte-rior is a complex structurebuilt in a hole about 4m by5m quarried out of the rock.It includes a 18-step stair-way, chambers with cor-belled roofs and a cistern atthe bottom with an elaborateroof. Although it may havebeen used as a well the over-all impression is of some-thing symbolic rather thanpurely practical, especially

in view of the similarities toMinehowe in Tankerness.

The grave of a well-off 9th

century Norse woman whohad been buried with twolarge matching oval bronzebrooches at her breast was

discovered in one of theramparts. She wore a finelywoven cloth garment and aniron necklace. An iron sick-le was at her right side and awooden-handled knife at herleft.

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Broch of Gurness from the east showing massive defensive walls and village

Broch of Gurness from the west

Interior detail of the Broch of GurnessCell, doorjams and socket for bar inside the entrance

Ogam-inscribed knife handle

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The Broch of Gurness(HY383269) is one ofOrkney's best-preservedbrochs. The domestic build-ings around it are moreextensive and have survivedbetter than those at any otherbroch. The view downEynhallow Sound is one ofthe best in Orkney. The

excellent defensive position,adjacent good farmland, afine beach for hauling boatsand nearby fishing groundsmake it easy to see why thesite was chosen.

The houses at the entry gatewere rebuilt in their presentposition as they wereremoved to expose earlierstructures during excava-tion. One, with five cells offa central room, is typicallyPictish, while the other isoblong and either Pictish orearly Norse. They are theonly such houses on view inOrkney and resemble thePictish houses which wereexcavated at the Point ofBuckquoy in Birsay.

The broch was originallysurrounded by three massiveramparts and deep ditchesand is likely to have been atall tower. If Mousa broch inShetland is typical, theGurness structure may haveperhaps reached 13m, butthe Shetland broch is regard-ed as a late example, and

may not be untypical. Thetower would have been anexcellent source of buildingstone once it had fallen outof use.

Originally there was a cen-tral hearth and an under-ground well with steps goingdown to a collecting tank,while the subdivisions seemto be a later addition. Withinthe space between the brochand the ramparts is a smallvillage which might haveaccommodated up to 30 ormore families.

This village appears to havebeen occupied while thebroch was in use and it maybe that the whole complexwas planned from the outset.Houses share side and backwalls and are furnished instone, with hearths, cookingtanks, drains, box-beds, stor-age cupboards and even atoilet.

The broch itself may havebeen constructed about the1st century BC or earlier andoccupation continued intoearly Viking times, untilabout the 9th century AD. Aniron foundry was in use atthe site and many Pictishartefacts, including anOgam-inscribed bone knife-handle were found here.

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Aerial view of the Broch of Gurness from the northeast

The Gurness well

Pictish comb from Buckquoy, Birsay

Norse oval bronze brooch

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RENDALL, (ON Rennudalr,Valley of the Renna), a smallstream, may originally haveformed one estate, probablyincluding Gairsay, belongingat one time to SweynAsleifson, the famous Vikingso often mentioned in theOrkneyinga Saga, and hisfamily.

Iron Age The string of brochswhich line the shores of Evieand Rousay continues alongthe Rendall coast. Tingwall(HY401229) has a large brochmound above the ferry termi-nal. There are smaller exam-ples at Wass Wick, near theHall of Rendall and atKnowe o’Dishero. The brochnorth of the Hall of Rendallhas been severely eroded bythe sea, but a large part of the

west side remains, along withextensive ruins. Iron Age pot-tery and a bone weaving combhave been found here.

St Thomas’s Kirk and grave-yard lies just to the north. This12th century Norse kirk wasmost likely built by the localViking chieftain, in this caseperhaps even Sweyn himself.Since there is no kirk or grave-yard on Gairsay this wasundoubtedly the place of wor-ship and burial of the“Buckies”, or Gairsaymen.Recent storms and high tideshave exposed some of themedieval burials to the east ofthe kirk on the top of theshore. They have beenremoved, and after researchwill be reburied.

There is an interesting 17th cen-tury Doocot (HY422207) atthe Hall of Rendall. Unique inOrkney, this structure has fourexternal courses of flagstonesto discourage rodents. A holein the roof allows access forpigeons which nest in gaps inthe internal stonework Thenearby Holm of Rendall has acolony of Arctic Terns, withsome Sandwich Terns.

Another ruined chapel sitsamid a graveyard on the northside of the Bay ofHenderayre, just south of theKnowe of Dishero. In thiscase a high sea-wall protectsthe site.

A typical old Orkney FarmSteading at Mossetter(HY390197) down a track offthe A966 has many featuresfound in longhouses. Thisthree-roomed building is on aslope, with the byre at the bot-tom. Man and beast used thesame entrance, cattle turningleft, humans right into the liv-ing room.

Neuk beds and other recessesin the walls are reminiscent ofMidhowe Broch and SkaraBrae. The house was original-ly a “firehouse”, with a "fire-back" and smoke went outthrough the roof as atKirbuster Farm, but a chimneywas installed to slightlyimprove the amenities.

Views and Walks Rendallmay lack the spectacularcoastline and sites of interestof some parishes, but it offersattractions all of its own. The

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St Thomas’s Kirk with nearby broch mound, Gairsay is in the background

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