Cruising in Orkney — an ‘intimate’ Papay experience

North Isles residents offer a royal welcome to cruise passengers, in return for community investment — but some companies snub the “local experience”.

Papa Westray is famous as the destination of the world’s shortest scheduled flight — but an increasing number of visitors are choosing to arrive by cruise liner.

On Monday, amid beaming sunshine, the latest vessel anchored to the east of the island, bringing 80-or-so passengers ashore by rib. 

They benefitted from the knowledge of local guides as they went on either an archaeological adventure to the Knap of Howar, or bird watching at North Hill.

Afterwards, they enjoyed a hearty isles welcome at the Papa Westray Hostel, where drinks including Orkney beer were laid on with plates of nibbles, accompanied by live traditional music.

Read about how high volume cruise tourism impacts our infrastructure here.

“Everyone is so welcoming”

“Everyone is so welcoming,” said Rosalyn Harris, who came from Connecticut to board a Scottish cruise on Aurora Expeditions’ Sylvia Earle. 

“It’s made the trip much more intimate. 

“You get to meet people in their place and learn more from them about the beauty of the place and the cultural history of it.”

Passengers aboard Sylvia Earle tend to be seeking out that deeper wisdom that one might find from a local.

Indeed, this reporter found herself chatting to hungry ears about box beds and Orkney chairs during a quick look inside the Bothy Museum. 

This intimate and educational experience is exactly what Aurora Expeditions hopes to offer via low-volume, high-quality cruises. 

Read about cruise tourism’s impact on Kirkwall businesses here.

“We get to know all our guests”

“We get to know all our guests,” said David MacDonald, who is among university academics who give lectures back aboard the ship about the cruise stops, as well as leading tours ashore. 

“With this particular voyage we have ten days at sea, from Troon to Aberdeen. We only have 80 guests, so we get to know them quite well, and almost every guest can talk to almost every member of staff if they want to. 

“They have lecturers on the big ships, but if you want to ask that lecturer a question, if you want to go into more detail, you would be disappointed on the big ships. 

“Whereas here we actually deal with every guest one-on-one.”

As we spoke, David — a geology professor — was in the midst of a hunt for laminated rock on the shore by Papay’s Kelp Store, where crew and passengers arrived at the slipway.

He and his colleagues were soon joined by Papay historian and farmer Jocelyn Rendall, and Tim Dodman, secretary of Papay Community Co-operative. They were on hand to help get tourists where they needed to be — be that on foot or by minibus — and offer a special brand of isles wisdom.

In return, the community benefits financially.

Read about how businesses in Stromness feel about cruise visitors here.

“Quite a lot of local folk are involved”

Tim says: “When we have ships come and organise in advance and request services, then for sure we do benefit, because we’ll provide some transport, food and drink, music, and then of course we provide guides for the walks as well. 

“That means quite a lot of local folk are involved as well, so everyone will usually benefit a wee bit.”

This benefit is felt by the community co-op, which organises these services and also opens its shop stocked with local goods and crafts, in time for the visitors’ arrival back at the adjacent hostel. 

Tim found himself doing “a little bit of everything” on Monday, including driving groups back and forth, serving food at the hostel, and helping musicians with sound tech. Among it all, a host of other volunteers put together the spread of oatcakes and shortbread treats, as well as serving drink. 

Papay is just one of a number of island cruise destinations on the roster this summer, with North Ronaldsay, Westray, Stronsay, Sanday and Hoy all set to welcome passengers.

But some cruise companies choose not to bother with this unique island welcome. 

“Sometimes we have ships come here without making any contact, and then they just land and walk around,” explains Tim.

“I would say that’s up to them, but the island community doesn’t really benefit from that.”

“We sort of have some level of control over it”

That being said, the impression given by islanders is that the current handful of between three and five hands-on cruise visits a summer is probably enough for them to handle. Ultimately, all of these services are provided on a voluntary basis without any guaranteed individual benefit. 

Tim’s daughter, Taya, who was helping on the bar at the hostel, feels that the small-scale cruise visits that Papay sees are preferable to the stereotypical mega-ships often spotted at Hatston.

“I think it’s a lot better here than it is in the Mainland,” she said. 

“We sort of have some level of control over it. 

“We are ferrying folk north and south, we benefit, we’re making things for them and there’s food and music — and it’s not too often, which means it still feels unusual.”