Stronsay: Island of Bays, Sea Arch & Herring History

Stronsay is the green, low-lying heart of Orkney's North Isles — an island so deeply indented by the sea that it earned a perfect nickname: the Island of Bays. Three broad bays bite into its coast, fringed by some of the finest white-shell beaches in Orkney and joined by narrow necks of farmland. It hides Orkney's most spectacular sea arch, a fishing past that once made it one of Scotland's great herring ports, and a famous monster washed up on its shore. Quiet today and easy to reach, it's one of the most rewarding day trips — or slow weeks — in the islands. This is the full 2026 guide.

Stronsay infographic — Island of Bays with three great bays (St Catherine's, Holland and Mill Bay), the Vat of Kirbister sea arch, the herring boom (Whitehall once had 40 pubs and 15 curing stations, population swelled past 5,000), the 1808 Stronsay Beast, population 321 (2022), 3,275 hectares, and travel times by Loganair flight or Orkney Ferries from Kirkwall — Stronsay at a glance — the bays, the arch, the herring boom and the numbers behind Orkney's Island of Bays.

Orientation

Where is Stronsay?

Stronsay lies in the eastern group of Orkney's North Isles, roughly twenty-five miles north-east of Kirkwall and a short hop from its neighbours Eday and Sanday. It is large by North Isles standards — 3,275 hectares (13 square miles) — yet remarkably low and gentle, rising to just 44 metres at its highest point, so the whole island feels open to the sky and the sea. The 2022 census recorded 321 residents, a fraction of the thousands who once crowded its herring station but a steady, friendly community today, centred on the harbour village of Whitehall. Its shape is its signature: so many inlets and bays that no part of the island is far from a beach.

Size

3,275 ha · 13 sq mi

Low and fertile, rising to only 44 m. An irregular, deeply-indented coast gives it miles of shore and three great bays.

Population

321 residents (2022)

A working farming and crofting community based around Whitehall village — once one of Scotland's busiest herring ports.

From Kirkwall

~10–15 min by air · ~1½–2h ferry

Loganair flies the inter-isles route; Orkney Ferries sails daily, sometimes calling at Eday or Sanday en route. Book ahead.

Famous for

Bays, beaches & herring

The "Island of Bays", the Vat of Kirbister sea arch, and a herring boom that swelled the island past 5,000 people.

The coast

The Island of Bays — Three Beaches, Endless Shore

Stronsay's nickname is earned the moment you look at a map. Three great bays — St Catherine's Bay to the west, the Bay of Holland to the south and Mill Bay to the east — cut so deeply into the island that they are separated only by two narrow isthmuses of farmland. The result is a coastline far longer than the island's size suggests, and a string of clean, pale, almost always empty beaches.

The wide empty white shell-sand beach of St Catherine's Bay on Stronsay Orkney curving around a sheltered bay with clear turquoise shallow water, low green farmland and a couple of distant white farmhouses behind, on a bright partly-cloudy summer day — St Catherine's Bay — one of three great bays that give Stronsay its name, and a typically empty stretch of shell-white sand.

These are beaches for walking, beachcombing and quiet swimming rather than crowds. The dunes behind them shelter wildflowers and ground-nesting birds in summer, and the sheltered water of the bays makes them some of the calmest swimming spots in the islands on a still day. Bring a flask, expect to have the sand to yourself, and watch for seals following you along the shoreline.

Wild coastline

The Vat of Kirbister — Orkney's Finest Sea Arch

For all its gentle bays, Stronsay's east coast turns suddenly dramatic at the Vat of Kirbister — a great natural rock arch spanning a collapsed sea cave, widely described as the finest natural arch in Orkney. The sea surges in beneath a broad span of weathered sandstone to fill a deep, clear-water "gloup" (a Norse word for a flooded blowhole). It is the island's signature sight, and the walk out to it along the low cliffs is a highlight in its own right.

A grassy coastal path along the low shore of Stronsay Orkney with clumps of pink sea-thrift in the foreground, a broad shallow bay and a distant white farmhouse behind, under bright broken summer cloud — The low coastal paths that lead around Stronsay's bays and out to the Vat of Kirbister — easy, exposed and beautiful.

Getting there: a marked walk leads from the road end across grazing land to the clifftop above the arch. Wear sturdy footwear and keep well back from the unfenced edge — the drop into the Vat is sheer.
Best light: a bright day with the tide working through the arch shows the clear green water at its best.
Combine with: the wider east-coast cliffs, which hold nesting seabirds in early summer and are excellent for spotting seals on the rocks below.

A gentle island of bays and beaches that suddenly, on its eastern edge, throws up the most spectacular natural arch in all of Orkney — that contrast is Stronsay in a single walk.

Heritage

Whitehall and the Great Herring Boom

It is hard to believe, standing on the quiet harbour front today, that Whitehall was once one of the busiest herring ports in Scotland. Through the late 19th century and up to the First World War, the "silver darlings" drew a vast seasonal fleet to Stronsay. At its peak the village supported 15 fish-curing stations and, famously, no fewer than 40 pubs, along with bakeries, butchers, ice-cream parlours and a cinema.

Whitehall village harbour on Stronsay Orkney — a row of low white-harled and grey-stone houses along a stone harbour front, with a small fishing boat and dinghies at a slipway in the foreground and a calm blue bay behind, on a bright partly-cloudy summer day — Whitehall village — once packed with herring boats and 40 pubs, now a quiet working harbour and the island's ferry arrival point.

During the few weeks of the season the island's population, normally around 1,200 at the time, would swell to over 5,000 — gutters, packers, coopers and crews from all over. Local lore holds that the boats queued so thickly you could walk across their decks from Whitehall to the neighbouring isle of Papa Stronsay without wetting your feet. The old Fish Mart on the pier tells the story today as a small heritage centre and café. It's a vivid reminder that these quiet islands were once humming centres of industry.

Wildlife & folklore

Seals, Seabirds and the Stronsay Beast

Stronsay is a quietly outstanding wildlife island. Grey and common seals haul out on the rocks around the bays, and the island is regarded as one of the best places in Orkney to watch for migrant birds, with rarities turning up along its shores in spring and autumn.

A close-up of a single grey seal hauled out on seaweed-covered rocks on the shore of Stronsay Orkney, a plump grey-brown adult with a long Roman-nose snout and large dark eyes looking toward the camera, calm sea behind, bright summer light — A grey seal hauled out on Stronsay's shore — the bays and skerries are reliable spots to watch seals and migrant birds.

And then there is the island's strangest claim to fame. In 1808, after a storm, a vast 55-foot carcass washed ashore on Stronsay. Locals and early naturalists declared it a new species of sea serpent — the "Stronsay Beast" — and it caused a genuine scientific sensation before cooler heads identified it as the decayed remains of a basking shark. The legend lives on as one of Orkney's best folklore tales. For the wider picture of what swims off these coasts, see the guide to Orkney's seals and marine life, and for the migrants that make landfall here, where to watch birds across Orkney.

Plan the trip

Getting to Stronsay

Stronsay is one of the easier North Isles to reach, with both a daily ferry and a quick flight from Kirkwall.

By air (Loganair): roughly 10–15 minutes from Kirkwall Airport on the inter-isles service, operated under an Orkney Islands Council Public Service Obligation contract. Daily except Sundays, in the small Britten-Norman Islander aircraft.
By sea (Orkney Ferries): daily sailings from Kirkwall, a crossing of roughly 1½ to 2 hours depending on whether the sailing also calls at Eday or Sanday. The ferry takes vehicles — handy if you want to explore the bays by car.
Fares: both are subsidised and good value, but timetables and prices change — check current fares and sailings directly with Loganair and Orkney Ferries before you travel.
On the island: there's no public transport; bring a bike or car, or arrange a lift through your accommodation. The flat terrain makes cycling between the bays a pleasure.

With a daily ferry and a short flight, Stronsay works well as a day trip, but it really rewards a night or two — and it slots neatly into a longer week of island-hopping around the North Isles. If you're building a multi-island route, the northernmost stop, North Ronaldsay, makes a memorable finale.

Great bays give the island its name

Pubs in Whitehall at the herring peak

1808

The Stronsay Beast washed ashore

321

Island residents at the 2022 census

Sleeping & eating

Where to Stay on Stronsay

Stronsay has a small, genuine choice of places to stay and eat — book ahead, especially in summer.

The Stronsay Hotel: the island's hotel and pub, on the Whitehall waterfront — recently taken into community ownership and refurbished. The social hub for a meal and a pint.
The Fish Mart: the old herring mart by the pier, now home to a café and a hostel with simple, good-value beds — handy for ferry arrivals.
Self-catering cottages: a handful of crofts and converted houses around the island, ideal for a few quiet, self-sufficient days among the bays.
Provisions: the island shop covers essentials; there is no supermarket, so bring anything specific you need and plan to self-cater for some meals.

Frequently asked

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Stronsay called the Island of Bays?

Because its coastline is so deeply indented by the sea. Three large bays — St Catherine's Bay, the Bay of Holland and Mill Bay — cut into the island and are separated only by two narrow necks of land, giving Stronsay miles of shore and a string of beaches for its modest size. The nickname is used by the island's own community and tourism sites.

What is the Vat of Kirbister?

The Vat of Kirbister is a natural rock arch on Stronsay's east coast, formed where a sea cave collapsed to leave a span of sandstone over a deep, flooded inlet (a "gloup"). It is widely described as the finest natural arch in Orkney and is reached on a marked clifftop walk — keep well back from the unfenced edge.

What was the Stronsay Beast?

In 1808 a 55-foot carcass washed ashore on Stronsay after a storm. It was briefly hailed as a new species of sea serpent and caused a scientific sensation, before being identified as the decomposed remains of a basking shark. It remains one of Orkney's most famous pieces of folklore.

How do you get to Stronsay?

Two ways: a Loganair flight from Kirkwall Airport (about 10–15 minutes, daily except Sundays) or an Orkney Ferries sailing from Kirkwall (roughly 1½–2 hours, daily, sometimes calling at Eday or Sanday). The ferry carries vehicles. Both are subsidised; check current fares and sailing times directly before you travel.

When is the best time to visit Stronsay?

Late spring to early autumn (May–September) is best — the beaches are at their most inviting, wildflowers and seabirds are out, and the migrant-bird watching peaks in spring and autumn. The full ferry and flight timetable runs in summer; services thin out and Sundays are reduced outside the season.

Is there anywhere to stay on Stronsay?

Yes. The community-owned Stronsay Hotel on the Whitehall waterfront offers rooms and a bar; the Fish Mart by the pier has a café and hostel beds; and there are self-catering cottages around the island. There is no large hotel or supermarket, so book ahead and plan to self-cater for some meals.

Stronsay is the quiet all-rounder of Orkney's North Isles — empty beaches around every headland, the finest sea arch in the islands, an astonishing herring history written into a sleepy harbour, and a monster legend to tell over dinner. Easy to reach and easy to love, it deserves far more than the day most visitors give it.