Spring clearly gets the feet going and the photographic motivation too. This Sunday morning was so lovely that Arthur and I went out for a real walk.
We decided to check out one particularly nice short walk that we have nearby: a quick re-inspection round of Hoxa Head. (See map at end of post).
Because it has not rained for a while, the fields were dry enough to tramp through, so on this occasion, with the light also right, I at last took a photograph of this homely little fireplace without a home. I suppose it was the only stone part of a wooden hut long rotted away.
It now stands to the side of the service units...
after which one gets to Hoxa's very Head...
...where a tourist was sitting taking in the view beside a reinforced observation post. Orkney-style, we had a quick friendly chat, and then rounded the Head, now our our way back towards the car...
...passing another reinforced concrete pill box, looking across the entrance to Scapa Flow at a battery on the island of Flotta on the other side of the entrance.
The direction of our walk now has us looking right across Scapa Flow and we can even see Kirkwall and with the naked eye discern the spire of St Magnus Cathedral on the other side of the flow. See enlargement:
Now that's what I call digital zoom!
After that we walked past the Balfour Battery , where the big guns were.
The concrete is still practically pristine, but the big guns have sadly gone, so we won't be able to shoot any Russians, should they decide to invade.
Map of the walk:
