Sanday takes its name from the Old Norse for ‘sandy island’, and more than a dozen white beaches ring its coast, among them Whitemill Bay at the north end and Backaskaill near Lady village. Grey and common seals haul out on the sandbars in large numbers, especially in autumn when the grey seals pup. Inland at Els Ness, Quoyness is a Neolithic chambered cairn from around 3000 BC: a 9-metre entrance passage leads to a tall central chamber ringed by smaller cells, and you have to crawl in.
Around 490 people live on Sanday, served by Orkney Ferries from Kirkwall to Loth at the island’s south end and by Loganair flights from Kirkwall. At the island’s north-eastern tip, Start Point Lighthouse stands on a tidal island, reachable on foot only around low water — the causeway floods twice a day, so check safe crossing times before you go. From there, North Ronaldsay is visible across the water, with a lighthouse of its own.
