Orkney and North Caithness Coastal Character Assessment

LUC completed a coastal character assessment of the Orkney Islands and northern Caithness. The work was commissioned by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and was designed to improve the evidence base for coastal planning in an area with competing demands from energy, shipping, recreation and fishing. With the involvement of Marine Scotland, the work will help to guide policy and decision making in Scotland's new marine planning regime.

The work provided an opportunity to pilot SNH's newly-developed approach to coastal character assessment. We also explored the relationship between coastal character and the terrestrial landscapes that LUC analysed around twenty years ago as part of SNH's national programme of landscape character assessment.

As if assessing the coastal character of a complex archipelago wasn't enough, the LUC team also had to cope with the very short days and challenging weather of an Orkney winter, giving new significance to the shipping forecast. The assessment was carried out from public roads, beaches and coastal paths, with the team using ferries to access more remote islands as well as to assess views of the coastline from the sea.

The final report provides details of key characteristics of the marine, coastal and hinterland aspects of the coast. It highlights the contrast between the dramatic sea cliffs of Hoy and Caithness, and the softer bays and dunes of Sanday; rocky islands and sheltered sounds. It also points to the way that humans have left their mark on the coastal landscape, taking the form of contemporary development at John O'Groats, the Second World War wrecks of Scapa Flow or the prehistoric legacy including Skara Brae. The unique character and history of this coastline are reflected in placenames as diverse as Tingly Loup, Tongue of Gangsta, Twistin Nevi and Gorehouse.