Wideford is one of the few hills to climb in Orkney.
Walking from Kirkwall to Wideford is fairly straightforward – either on the road or up the tracks. Once at the top the views of Orkney are wonderful – patchwork fields, the outer islands, the Hoy Hills and a bird’s-eye view of the town and when you walk around, a view of the West including snippets of lochs and a snippet of the North Atlantic far in the distance.
Throughout the year Wideford goes through seasonal changes. The cultivated land is worked and remarked, livestock come and go leaving tracks in the fields, while the untouched patches covered in heather subtly shift their colour, becoming more lush before fading back to their winter coat. Greens, browns, golds catch the light and highlight the contours of the land.
This movement in the landscape is what encouraged a new limited Edition Print. Made at Soulisquoy Printmakers, printed on their Columbian Press. Over this last eighteen months while painting the new collection of work, the linocut has been reworked with various colour combinations and small adjustments. The final linocut has been added and the limited edition of ten will be available, ready for Glimro at the Scottish Gallery in March.
Another exciting thing that can be found on Wideford Hill is the Chambered Cairn. An excellent example of Neolithic design and construction. It is well preserved, with a high central chamber and three cells opening off it. The tomb can be accessed through the roof, rather than original long and narrow original passage from the west. Inside there are rare examples of Neolithic scratch art.
Layers of history disguised by heather and grass.
To find out more visit Orkney.com or better still if in Orkney, go a walk and explore.
I’m gonna attempt a soggy walk today – not up Wideford but at the coast. The wind, rain and little light has been relentless this month. Mixing the rain with the sea spray in the hope that it’s refreshing and invigorating – best go get wrapped up in waterproofs!
Perhaps I’ll write about how the walk actually was, next week?
Laura Drever 