Campsites in Sanday
What’s in a name? Postcard-worthy stretches of sand and turquoise sea await you on the Orkney island of Sanday.
- Sanday
Popular camping styles for Sanday
Campsites in Sanday guide
Overview
The low-lying island of Sanday stands out for a few reasons, but chief among them is its endless stretches of white-sand beaches lapped by blue-green waters. All along the coast, seabirds chatter and seals pop their heads out of the sea inquisitively or laze around on the shore. From Start Point Lighthouse, look toward North Ronaldsay, the last in the island chain. Sanday proves a welcome place for camping and a great way for Hipcampers to get beyond the mainland Orkney tourist loop, with access via ferry or a short flight from Kirkwall.
Where to go
Tresness
At the thin wisp of sand known as Tresness beach, you’d be forgiven for thinking you had been transported to the Caribbean...until you dip a toe in the water, that is. The arcing beach, interspersed with wind-whipped dune, is one of the top in Orkney for a reason. Just inland of Tresness is the wide swath of Cata Sand, where Neolithic homes have recently been uncovered by a team of archeologists.
Quoyness Chambered Cairn
One of the many examples of Neolithic burial tombs scattered across the Orkney Islands, the 5,000-year-old Quoyness Chambered Cairn is open year round. It’s free for visitors to explore and chances are you’ll have the historic site all to yourself. Turn your sightseeing into a wildlife tour by walking the five miles out to the cairn and back from Lady Village, keeping your eyes peeled for Curlew, Meadow Pipit and Wheatear.
Whitemill Bay
Who can get enough of strolling an empty beach? Your time in Sanday will be full of shoreline exploring, and Whitemill Bay is another must. On the island’s northern fork, a circular route takes you along a stretch of sand backed by loose rock and a bed of high grass. As is the case across most of the coastline, keep your eyes peeled for sea creatures, birdlife and, in the summer season, a sea of wildflowers.
Start Point Lighthouse
The black-and-white striped lighthouse at the north point of Sanday is hard to miss. At low tide, keen walkers can cross the flats to the tidal island where the Lighthouse stands for views out to North Ronaldsay and the meeting of the North Atlantic and North Sea.
Kettletoft and Lady Village
The two main hamlets on Sanday provide the basic amenities Hipcampers may require for their island adventure. Kettletoft is the port of call for Orkney’s inter-island ferry service and sits next to the idyllic beach at Backaskaill Bay. A circular walk takes you along the beach and past the ruins of a 16th-century chapel. Lady, near the centre of the island, is home to a heritage centre and a couple small shops.
