#burray

Marram and Lochs in Orkney by Tony Via Flickr: The Ammophila grasses are widely known as examples of xerophytes, plants that can withstand dry conditions. Despite their occurrence on seacoasts, Ammophila grasses are not particularly tolerant of saline soils.

Weddell Bay, Orkney islands by Tony

Weddell Bay by Tony Via Flickr: Alongside one of the Churchill Barriers is the entrance to the North Sea. A project of this size required a substantial labour force, which peaked in 1943 at over 2,000. Much of the labour was provided by over 1,300 Italian prisoners of war who had been captured in the desert war in North Africa; they were transported to Orkney from early 1942 onwards. The prisoners were accommodated in three camps, 600 at Camp 60 on Little Holm and the remaining 700 at two camps on Burray. In 1943, those at Camp 60 built an ornate Italian Chapel, which still survives and has become a tourist attraction.

Lone Fleet by Tony Via Flickr: It was the sinking of HMS Royal Oak more than 80 years ago that set in motion plans to build these four concrete causeways. A German U-boat crawled into Scapa Flow in October 1939 and fired torpedoes at the slumbering battleship, resulting in the loss of 834 lives. The disaster prompted then First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, to order the building of the Churchill Barriers to block off the eastern approaches to the naval anchorage of Scapa Flow.

Churchill Barriers and sunken ships by Tony Via Flickr: Officially opened in May 1945, the barriers now act as causeways connecting the Orkney mainland with the isles of Lamb Holm, Glimps Holm, Burray and South Ronaldsay. It's a fascinating road trip, and you can still see the wrecks of blockships previously used to block the channels into Scapa Flow en-route.

Causway by Tony Via Flickr: The bases of the barriers were built from gabions enclosing 250,000 tonnes of broken rock, from quarries on Orkney. The gabions were dropped into place from overhead cableways into waters up to 18 metres (59 ft) deep. The bases were then covered with 66,000 locally cast concrete blocks in five-tonne and ten-tonne sizes. The five-tonne blocks were laid on the core, and the ten-tonne blocks were arranged on the sides in a random pattern to act as wave-breaks. Only minor environmental impacts have been seen as a result of their construction.