News From Orkney Islands Council
Orkney Islands Council is to develop an Active Travel Plan for Stenness and the adjacent World Heritage Site area.
Active travel means making journeys by physically active means, like walking or cycling. These are usually short journeys, like walking to a shop or other community facility, walking the kids to school or cycling to work.
A public consultation drop-in event is being held in April aimed at understanding if, and how, local people currently use active travel methods in the area and what facilities could be developed in future to help them do this more often.
There will be the opportunity to meet the consultants developing the Active Travel Plan, and to contribute to the consultation process. The team are particularly interested in hearing from people who live and work in Stenness and the surrounding area, but all are welcome.
An online consultation questionnaire is also available – please visit:
https://forms.gle/JCGiebBo4tcpaugT6
Funding for the Plan is being provided by Sustrans Scotland through the Places For Everyone programme which aims to create safe, attractive, healthier places by increasing the number of trips made by walking, cycling and wheeling for everyday journeys.
Sustrans provides advice, support and funding for the creation of infrastructure that makes it easier for people to walk and cycle for everyday journeys. Funded by Transport Scotland, Sustrans have used their knowledge and experience to back hundreds of projects across Scotland since 2010. https://www.sustrans.org.uk/scotland/places-for-everyone
The public consultation drop-in event is being held on Thursday 25th April 2.30-7.30pm at Stenness Community Centre.
Stones of Stenness
Categories: Uncategorized
Here’s something I wrote to someone a few years ago, when I heard that the Stenness church was being sold, and I hoped it would be bought by, maybe HES/OIC, and turned into an Interpretive Centre of the Neolithic Heart of Orkney. That ain’t going to happen! But – I think this is relevant to these plans…….
“The position in the landscape is very good. A path could go from there, to Maes Howe, without crossing the dreaded road ( though I don’t, personally, see the problem with the road, people don’t fling themselves, lemming-like into the road!), maybe I should say, the perceived problem with the road. Tormiston Mill, could be used as something separate, maybe a craft centre, gallery, or exhibited as what it is, a mill. Everything is already in place. Also, the farmer could quite easily remove the path to Maes Howe and restore his field, so that you’d never know there had been a connection between the mill and the field ( except for the archaeological evidence, of course! And the family connection).
It all looks like a reasonable idea, using a building which is already there, rather than imposing yet another building on the landscape. Also, what might turn up, as they make new paths etc.? If the path from the Stenness stones to Brodgar gets the go-ahead, we could end up with a whole network of paths, enabling people to walk from site to site, which isn’t really possible now, well, it’s possible, but awkward.
Anyway, thought I’d mention this to you. Many plans have come and gone, so we’ll see if this one turns into reality, or not. I’m in favour, as it’s not as intrusive as some others, and would make use of a lovely old building, which I believe to be on a place which is part of the whole she-bang, anyway.
There you go.”
The Stenness – Brodgar path did get the go-ahead, as described, here…………..
https://theorkneynews.scot/2017/04/06/bernie-bell-orkney-walks-with-stories-the-procession/
Add a path from Maes Howe to Barnhouse – picture it…….Maes Howe to Barnhouse – Barnhouse/Stenness to Brodgar path already in place, taking in the Ness on the way. Some steps up to the Ness, from the existing loch side path, would be helpful.
There you go.