Pilgrimage to Egilsay

Rousay Sound from the Eynhallow ferry, a vivid blue with choppy white waves standing out and the isles on the horizon — Rousay Sound from The Eynhallow.

A square photo showing the textures of the rocks and lichen contrasted with the blue rippling sea and seaweed. — On the rocks

Reflections of light rippling on the shallow beach on Egilsay, with clumps of seaweed visible. Rousay in the background blurred by depth of field. — Ripples on the Rousay Sound.

Yellow-brown seaweed on a rocky Egilsay shoreline, on a clear sunny day. — Seaweed on the Egilsay shoreline.

An old creel on fire on the beach. — Burning creel

A bright tellow boat called Mellow Yellow moored on the beach, pictured on a sunny day with the vivid blues and greens of the Rousay sound behind. — Electrical banana

A marker stone on the grassy sward where Magnus Erlendsson was killed. The foreground shows fading daffodils, and the marker stone is blurred by depth of field. — The site of St. Magnus’ execution by his cousin Haakon.

St Magnus Church on Egilsay.

The Albacore, a red boat sitting on the grass near egilsay pier. Bright sun casting its rays between the Rousay hills. — The Albacora aground at Egilsay pier

A soft abandoned football sitting on Egilsay pier with a derelict farm and dilapidated tractor in the backrground. — World cup

A buoy with a dead bird encircled with rope. — Buoy Beuy.

Pilgrimage to Egilsay

Egilsay is a small, sparsely populated island in Orkney, where the people seem to be heavily outnumbered by the horse-flies. There are a few small farms which face an uncertain future as Brexit threatens the EU farming subsidies they depend on for survival. Part of Egilsay is a protected habitat for the Corncrake, and this has also received EU funding.

It was on Egilsay that the peaceful, kind Magnus Erlendsson was murdered by his violent cousin Haakon Paulsson in a power struggle over the Earldom of Orkney. Magnus was killed around 1116AD, and canonised in 1136AD – a short turnaround for sainthood. St Magnus Church was built in his honour sometime in the 12th Century, possibly on the site of an older church. With a distinctive round tower, it is the dominant landmark on Egilsay.

An obelisk marks the site of Magnus’ execution, on a grassy sward not far from the church which was supposedly a barren landscape before his death. It is surrounded by fields of nesting birds. Signposts bearing the symbol of the St. Magnus Way mark access. The majority of pilgrims have four legs.