You ever feel like the modern world is just too much? The noise, the notifications, the endless rush—it’s exhausting. Most people looking for an escape head to the Highlands or maybe Skye, but if you really want to disappear into something ancient and honest, you go north. Then you go further north.
Papa Westray, or just "Papay" if you want to sound like you know the place, is a tiny speck in the Orkney Islands that most travelers completely overlook. It’s barely four miles long. There are maybe 90 people living there. Honestly, it’s the kind of place where you can walk for hours and the only "traffic" you’ll encounter is a suspicious-looking sheep or a dive-bombing Arctic skua.
But here’s the thing: Papay is basically the center of the world if you care about history that actually feels real. It’s not a polished museum. It’s a raw, windswept rock that happens to hold the oldest standing houses in northern Europe.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Orkney Islands
When people talk about Orkney, they usually mean the Mainland. They think of the Ring of Brodgar or Skara Brae. Those are great, don't get me wrong, but they’re crowded. You’re behind ropes. You’re following a path.
In Papa Westray, history is just... there.
Take the Knap of Howar. These two stone farm buildings date back to 3700 BC. That’s older than the Pyramids of Giza. It’s older than Skara Brae. And the wild part? You can just walk right into them. You can stand where a Neolithic farmer stood 5,000 years ago, looking out at the same Atlantic waves. There are stone cupboards still built into the walls. It feels less like an "archaeological site" and more like the owners just stepped out for a minute and might be back with some grain.
The island’s name itself tells a story. "Papar-ey" basically translates to "Island of the Priests." Long before the Vikings showed up with their longships and axes, Celtic monks were living here in total solitude. They wanted to get away from everything, and frankly, they picked a pretty good spot for it.
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The World’s Shortest Flight (And Why You Should Take It)
If you’re coming to Papay, you’ve probably heard about the flight. It’s a bit of a legend in travel circles. The hop between Westray and Papa Westray is officially the shortest scheduled flight in the world.
How short?
The record is 53 seconds.
Usually, it takes about 90 seconds from takeoff to touchdown. You spend more time buckling your seatbelt than you do in the air. Loganair runs it using these tiny eight-seater Britten-Norman Islander planes. You’re sitting right behind the pilot. You can see the dials, the switches, the back of his head—it’s the most intimate flying experience you’ll ever have.
Is it practical? Sorta. There’s a ferry, too, but the flight is a lifeline for the community. It brings in the mail, the doctors, and the occasional wide-eyed tourist who wants the certificate Loganair hands out to prove they survived the "epic" journey. It’s a quirk of island life that reminds you how different things are up here.
Walking the Edge of the World at North Hill
The northern tip of the island is dominated by the North Hill RSPB Reserve. If you go in the summer, be prepared for noise. It’s a maritime heathland that becomes a massive, chaotic nursery for seabirds.
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We're talking:
- Arctic Terns: Beautiful birds, but they are incredibly protective. They will dive at your head if you get too close to a nest. Pro tip: hold a walking stick or an umbrella above your head. They’ll aim for the highest point.
- Great Skuas: Locally called "Bonxies." They’re the pirates of the bird world.
- Puffins: You’ll find them nesting on the low cliffs at Fowl Craig. They look like little worried clowns, and honestly, you never get tired of watching them.
But it’s not just about the birds. North Hill is one of the few places where you can find the Scottish Primrose (Primula scotica). It’s this tiny, delicate purple flower that only grows in the far north of Scotland and Orkney. It blooms in May and then again in July. Finding one feels like winning a scavenger hunt because they’re so small you could easily step over them without noticing.
The Ghostly Vibe of St Tredwell’s Loch
There’s a weird energy at St Tredwell’s Loch. It’s a freshwater loch with a small mound of ruins jutting into it. This was once a major pilgrimage site.
The legend is pretty grim. St Tredwell (or Triduana) was a 7th-century woman who supposedly gouged her own eyes out and sent them to a local king because he wouldn't stop commenting on how beautiful they were. In the centuries that followed, people would travel from all over the Orkney Islands to bathe their eyes in the loch's water, hoping for a miracle cure.
Even today, standing by the water when the mist is low, you get a sense of why people believed this place was thin—where the gap between our world and the spirit world was just a bit narrower.
Life on the Island Today
Don't make the mistake of thinking Papay is just a museum. It’s a living community. There’s a community-run shop that’s basically the heart of the island. There’s the Kelp Store, which has been turned into a heritage and arts center.
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If you’re there on a Saturday night, the "pub" at Beltane House is where everyone ends up. It’s not a pub in the traditional sense—it’s more like a living room where everyone knows everyone’s business, but they’re happy to let you sit in the corner and listen to the stories.
People here are resilient. You have to be when the winter gales start blowing and the ferries get canceled for days on end. There’s a grit to island life that you can’t help but respect. They aren't just surviving here; they’re thriving, running their own development trust and keeping the island's unique culture alive.
Practical Steps for Your Trip
If you're actually going to do this, don't just wing it. Papay doesn't handle "accidental" visitors very well because there's nowhere to just disappear into a crowd.
- Book the flight early. The Loganair plane only has eight seats. If a local needs to get to a doctor's appointment in Kirkwall, they get priority, but generally, if you book a few weeks out, you're fine.
- Talk to the Ranger. Jonathan Ford is the island ranger, and he is a fountain of knowledge. He does tours that cover everything from the Neolithic sites to the best spots for birding. It’s worth every penny.
- Check the ferry schedule. If you aren't flying, the "Papay Flyer" (the passenger ferry) runs from Pierowall in Westray. It’s a short crossing, but the North Sea doesn't care about your plans. Check the weather.
- Bring layers. It doesn't matter if the forecast says sun. In the Orkney Islands, you can experience four seasons in twenty minutes. A windproof jacket is your best friend.
- Respect the "Papar." This is a small community. Say hello to people you pass. Close the gates behind you when you're walking through fields.
Actionable Insights for the Curious Traveler
Papa Westray isn't a place for everyone. If you need a nightlife scene or five-star hotels, stay in Edinburgh. But if you want to see what life looks like when it’s stripped down to the essentials—the sea, the wind, and a few thousand years of history—this is it.
Start by booking a flight from Kirkwall to Westray and ask for the "inter-island hopper" to Papay. Spend at least two nights. Walk the coastline of North Hill at sunset. Stand inside the Knap of Howar when nobody else is around.
You’ll realize pretty quickly that the world hasn't really changed that much in 5,000 years; we've just gotten a lot louder. Papay is the place where you can finally hear yourself think again.