Sea and landscapes intertwine in a scenically stunning corner of Scotland. This is an area shaped by the forces of nature - and by the hand of man. World famous archaeology provides the clearest of evidence that people have found this a productive place to live since Neolithic (late stone-age) times. Farming remains a cornerstone of the local economy, with Orkney renowned for the quality of its beef cattle.
The islands and the northeast corner of Caithness have a gently rolling landscape skirted by the turbulent waters of the Atlantic, the Pentland Firth and the North Sea. Fields of grass and arable crops border hill-land and large freshwater lochs. Rock formations like the Old Man of Hoy and the Stacks of Duncansby shape a dramatic coastline where thousands of seabirds nest in vast colonies.
The fields themselves are alive with bird song, while the hills offer nesting sites to internationally important populations of hen harrier, great skua and red-throated diver. The lochs support a profusion of wildfowl and also provide some of the finest brown trout fishing in Britain. Salmon rivers and other watercourses in Caithness provide a home for water voles, with dark-coated animals present in unusually high numbers.
The Orkney vole, as its name suggests, is unique to the islands and provides an important source of food for harriers and short-eared owls. In early summer keep a look out in Orkney and Caithness for the tiny Primula scotica, the Scottish primrose. You can also find rare plant communities on higher ground - the Hills of Hoy have a flora similar to the Cairngorm Mountains. Mature clumps of planted broadleaved trees are a feature of the Caithness landscape, with well established community woodlands at Dunnet and Achvarasdale.
In Orkney you'll hardly see trees or woods, though the most northerly native woodland in Britain is found at Berriedale on Hoy.
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