By Bernie Bell

We have been to this little bay for a walk once before….. https://theorkneynews.scot/2018/06/18/good-things-in-deerness-tankerness/ .  This time we decided to go there because the day was very windy, with a strong wind from the West, so we thought somewhere a bit sheltered would be a good idea.  And……..there’s a Broch there – am I getting obsessed with Brochs?  Maybe Brochtoberfest has something to do with it………..https://orkneyarchaeologysociety.org.uk/event/brochtoberfest/

I’m thinking of things like – a cake in the shape of a Broch, maybe called ‘Dun Brochin’ – Geddit?  Or…..an ordinary shaped cake, with an outline of a Broch in icing on the top.  It could be a Brocholate cake!  Or…..Broch biscuits – the shape of a Broch with the details in icing.  Or…..a jumper with a Broch on the front – maybe a bit ambitious – makes a change from runes though!

Mike has accused me of becoming a Broch-head.  There are worse things to be!

Anyway, back to our walk to visit Eves Broch…..following the OS map of Deerness, turn off the B9051, between North Keigar and South Kaigar, onto a smaller road.  Just before this road becomes the track to Mirkady Farm, there is a small parking area.

You then walk down to the right of the stream.  Since the last time we were there the path has become very over-grown, in fact we thought it had disappeared, but we could see a groove through the reeds so we got into the groove and came out, with the stream, onto the beach.

We turned left, wading the stream and thanking whoever invented Wellingtons as we did so, and headed for Eves Howe – Broch (rems of), with its accompanying Eves Loch.

We carried on walking along the stony shore ….

…..seeing a smiley-stone and a heart-stone……

…and one of those stones which is a piece of Nature’s Art-work, trailing a wave of sea-weed….

Turning to walk back along the beach, we had a good view of Eves Howe from the other side….

AND………we found a triangular stone which will become the lintel for the door of the mini-broch which Mike is building in our garden  https://theorkneynews.scot/2021/09/24/bell-builds-a-broch/. A very fitting find – this pleases us – a piece of a broch, from by a broch.

Other finds which we brought home include sea-glass, bits of pottery and a Queen Scallop shell – the place is hooching with them….

We were picturing a very prim lady, sitting up very straight, sipping tea from the delicate teacup which that handle once belonged to. And also, the chunky soup tureen belonging to the stumpy handle, being brought to the table full of a warming winter soup.

Then, wandering back along the shore singing the Mock Turtle’s song from ‘Alice’…….“Beaooootiful souuuuuup, so rich and greeeen, waiting in a hot tureeeeen.”

This was a short walk, in a lovely place.  It wasn’t as sheltered as we thought it would be, but the wind blew away the cobwebs and it did us both a world of good.