OLAF - Countryside and Access

Another Walk - in Rendall this time, submitted by Brenda Blunn from Orkney Ramblers, with photographs by Doug Houghton.  Just the thing for a summer evening!

Hill of White Hamars Wildlife Reserve - we congratulate Scottish Wildlife Trust and FWAG on the opening of new access routes and interpretation at this reserve on Hoy.  The official opening on Friday 4 July will take the form of a guided walk around the reserve.  Details at www.swt.org.uk

OLAF Annual General Meeting took place in Stromness at the Royal Hotel on Monday 16 June and we had a most entertaining and enlightening talk from James Green of the Scapa Flow Landscape Partnership.  We wish them all the very best with their bid for Stage 2 funding.

Also at the meeting, Esther Pawley from SNH distributed leaflets for Dog Owners - What the Scottish Outdoor Access Code means for dog owners.  More details at www.outdooraccess-scotland.com.

The AGM was preceded by a WALK from Warebeth car park going towards the site of the wave energy developments.  We did not get very far on this walk but there was some interesting discussion about access issues and a sighting of the rare fossilised sand - aeolianite - which occurs in Orkney only at Aikerness and Warebeth, and the Stiff Sand Grass (catapodium marinum) which grows on it.

The next meeting of OLAF and Countryside Committee will take place in the Kirkwall and St Ola Community Centre on Monday 29 September at 7.30 pm.