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Out of Doors

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Out of Doors: A Westray Special

Out of Doors in Westray

A Westray Special

BBC Radio Scotland - Out of Doors, A Westray Special

Mark Stephen and Euan McIlwraith visit the island of Westray in Orkney.

Mark Stephen and Euan McIlwraith visit the island of Westray in Orkney. They explore the community and visit the sites of this thriving wee island.

We visit Westray. The sixth largest of the Orkney Islands with a population of around 600, also known as The Queen o' the Isles.

Mark and Euan meet the Church of Scotland minister Iain MacDonald who has made Westray his home along with the nearby island of Papay. He loves the sense of community which makes things like the community garden possible. Mark takes a look at what they're growing.

And Euan takes a tour of Westray Processors who handle crab caught off the island for local consumption as well as export. 

Andy and Karen Penn run Westraak tours taking mini-buses of tourists round the landmarks of the island. Mark and Euan accompany them up to Noup Head, one of the best places to spot seabirds on the island. 

We meet farmer turned artist Edwin Rendall who keeps beef cattle as well as running an art gallery on his 250 acre farm. Farming is still one of the main occupations on Westray and Jason and Nina Wilson keep dairy cows and produce award winning cheese from their milk. All from their farm and dairy looking across to Noltland Castle. 

Like a lot of Orkney, Westray is home to important Neolithic remains. Hazel Moore is an archaeologist who lives on the island. She shows Mark around the Links of Noltland site, a brilliantly preserved farming settlement dating from about 3000 BC.

The Westray Heritage Centre is home to one of the island's most famous residents, the Westray Wife. Nancy Scott tells Mark and Euan more about her. 

Isobel Thompson shows Euan around the Westray Bargain Box and taxi driver come airport ground crew Graham Maben tells us more about life on the island as we depart for our next destination, the neighbouring island of Papa-Westray.

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