| North Ronaldsay |
Article Index for North |
Articles about North Ronaldsay |
Website Links For North Ronaldsay |
Information AboutNorth Ronaldsay |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT NORTH RONALDSAY | |
| islands in the orkney islands | |
| lighthouses in scotland | |
|
North Ronaldsay is the northernmost of the Orkney Islands , Scotland . GEOGRAPHY North Ronaldsay lies around 4 kilometres north of its nearest neighbour, Sanday at . The island is around 5 kilometres long along its length and is defined by two large sandy bays; Linklet Bay on the eastern shoreline and '''South Bay''' at the south. The west of the island is very rocky with many Skerries . Hollandstoun at the south of the island is the most sizable settlement lying roughly equidistant from the airfield and the pier. The island is also home to a Bird Observatory . North Ron has an unusual Dry Stane Dyke that surrounds the island whose purpose is to keep the seaweed eating North Ronaldsay Sheep ''off'' of the arable land. HISTORY Holland House was built in 1727 and the ''Old Beacon'' dating from 1789 was the third lighthouse to be built by Thomas Smith for the Commissioners Of The Northern Lights . TRANSPORT Flights link the island with Kirkwall on the Orkney Mainland , as does a weekly Ferry . ECONOMY The main industries on the island are Crofting and Sheep Farming , where unique North Ronaldsay Sheep are largely farmed collectively. Tourism also plays an important role. THE LIGHTHOUSE Dennis Head in the north east of the island is home to an historic lighthouse known as the ''Old Beacon''. The light was first established in 1789 by Thomas Smith . It was to be the first of many island lighthouse for Smith (he had previously worked on the lights at Kinnaird Head and Mull Of Kintyre ). Smith received assistance with the North Ronaldsay light from Ezekiel Walker and from his step-son Robert Stevenson . In 1809 with the consturcution of other nearby lighthouses it was decided that the North Ronaldsay light was no longer required and it was extinguished. However a new lighthouse was built nearby just 43 years later in 1852 . The modern lighthouse lies at the north of the island at Point of Sinsoss and boasts Britain's tallest land based lighthouse tower. EXTERNAL LINKS
|
|
|