Map extract courtesy of National Library of Scotland

Whitemill Bay

A kelp pit at Whitemill Bay, Sanday. These features have become heavily denuded and identification is often be reliant on suitable ground and sunlight conditions. (📷 ORCA)

The kelp working site is located at the western end of Whitemill Bay, the north-east point of Burness, Sanday (NGR HY 68581 46637).

The site was assessed by ORCA in 2016 and was visited as part of the project launch during December 2023. This was followed by site recording undertaken by the ORCA team and local volunteers in May 2024.

When the site was first visited by ORCA in 2016, a large number of remains were identified, including a range of kelp pits and tangle dykes. In 2024, far fewer features were visible, with the survey identifying only three tangle dykes and three kelp pits.

A tangle dyke at Whitemill Bay, Sanday. Much of the structure has been covered by wind-blown sand that has subsequently become grass-covered. (📷 ORCA)
A tangle dyke at Whitemill Bay, Sanday. Much of the structure has been covered by wind-blown sand that has subsequently become grass-covered. (📷 ORCA)

The tangle dykes form a single group, set parallel to each other and perpendicular to the coastal section. They survive as very subtle, low linear earthworks containing earth-fast stones, and varied in length from 7.6m to 8.4m with a rough width of 1m.

The kelp pits were visible as circular depressions in the ground surface, measuring between 1.85m and 2.9m in diameter. The pits were devoid of the variation in vegetation cover seen in other examples in the North Isles, and there was no evidence for a stone lining.