Walk: Rerwick Head – concrete coast

📌 Tankerness, Orkney Mainland
★★★

Cliffs, coves and crumbling concrete combine at Rerwick Head to create a nicely varied coastal stroll over a very short distance. WWII defences and gun emplacements add character to this stretch of coastline overlooking Shapinsay Sound – many can flood and / or are dangerous to enter, but a couple still act as excellent lookout points, often with curious seals staring right back. Further on, cliffs rise out of the sea in perfect block shapes, the seaward ends popular with shags and cormorants on our visit.

📷 Chronological photo guide

🌍 Location

📌 Start / finish at track end, Rerwick, Orkney Mainland

🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: HY 539116

🛰️ GPS coordinates: 58.989281,-2.804285

❌ No public transport within 1 mi

🚗 Car park – last 0.5 mi on rough track with high camber (not advised for vehicles with very low ground clearance)

📝 Key info

▶ 1 km / <1 mi | ▲ 10 m | ⌛ 30 min

Features: 🌊 Rerwick Head coastline & wartime defences

⬤ Easy | Faint, grassy tracks for majority, some track sections.

➡️ Clockwise circuit: start – track north to coast – follow coast east to 🧭 HY 542116 – start

Download file for GPS

🥾 On our last visit

Wildlife: Seals, fulmars, shags, cormorants, oystercatchers, plover, redshank.

Weather: Sunny with little wind, but a rain shower arriving at the very end of the walk.

July 2016