Diary of a Shopkeeper, 18th July

For the first time in nine hundred years, the seaside is coming to the steps of St Magnus Cathedral.

In medieval times, tidal shallows where Broad Street now lies were gradually turned into dry land.  The pushing back of the shoreline continued for centuries.  When James Kirkness opened his grocery and wine shop in 1859, at the end of his garden was a pier into The Oyce, as the Peedie Sea was then known.  My shopkeeping predecessor could receive or despatch goods across the county by boat.

But in 1865, the last of the old castle was knocked down to improve traffic flow in the increasingly busy town centre, creating Castle Street as we know it today.  In the same year, Junction Road was built on yet more newly reclaimed land.  It was needed to allow large quantities of kye to bypass the town centre while being herded to the harbour, before being shipped south. 

The arrival of modern commercial farming in the middle of the 19th century brought real wealth to Orkney, but it also brought huge changes to the countryside and its trading hub.  The town was in an uproar of construction and improvement for decades, making the recent controversy over the siting of a few bollards seem like very small beer.

In August this year, the beach will return to Broad Street.  For one glorious long weekend, Kirkwall BID will be turning the Kirk Green carpark (next to the much-missed Reel) into an urban beach: Broad Street Sands.

With the aid of several tons of heavy shell-rich sand provided by Orkney Builders, and an ingenious system of barriers and fibre mats to contain it no matter the weather, a golden beach will be created for all to enjoy from Thursday 5th to Monday 9th August.

A whole flock of deck chairs will be provided for relaxing in.  (Surely the sun that has shone all month will oblige us by continuing into early August?) For more energetic folk, a crazy putting course will be established on the north side of the Kirk Green, between the beach and the path.

Local shops will feature seaside-themed window displays, and sell everything you need to enjoy a day at the seaside: beach towels, picnic rugs, buckets and spades. And will those buckets and spades be used to build sandcastles?  We certainly hope so, and there will be an online competition to record and reward the most imaginative entries.

There won’t be ice cream stalls on this beach.  No need: the town centre is already provided with excellent purveyors not just of ice cream, but all kinds of snacks and refreshments ideal for enjoying while sitting on the only beach with a cathedral view.

Likewise, once all that fresh sea air has given you an appetite, no need to wander far for something more substantial to eat: the town is full of great cafes, pubs and restaurants.

BID is running the event over five days to allow people to enjoy the beach in a relaxed and safe environment.  The deck chairs will be arranged in a socially distanced way so that families or friends can sit together but not too close to anyone else.  There will be stringent cleaning procedures for all equipment.

BID has missed organising its usual popular town centre events for the past 18 months.  We can’t safely return to normal big-crowd events yet, but this special outdoor experience is a welcome splash of summer excitement.

It’s made possible by the generous support of Orkney Builders, OIC’s Community Learning and Development Team, Young Scot, and Northlink Ferries.  And it’s made special by all BID’s member businesses and the pizzazz they bring to it. Most of all it will be made a success by the Orkney public, young and old, coming out to enjoy the five-day experience.  The cost to you will be…absolutely nothing.

So, write those dates in your diary, roll up your trouser legs, and get your picnic basket ready.  I look forward to seeing you on the Costa del Kirkwall!

Watch local press, or follow Kirkwall BID on Facebook and Instagram for details.

This diary appeared in The Orcadian on 23rd July. Other diaries continue to appear weekly. I am posting them in this blog a few days after each newspaper appearance, with added illustrations., and occasional small corrections or additions.