SCALPA, a village, in the parish of Kirkwall-and-St-Ola,
Island of Pomona, county of Orkney, 1^ mile
(S.) from Kirkwall. This is a small village, giving name
to a safe and commodious bay, and is the usual place
of landing from the coast of Caithness. The bay, called
Scalpa Flow, is a beautiful piece of water, being, as it
were, a small Mediterranean about fifty miles in circumference,
formed by twelve different islands, through
which are various outlets to the Pentland Firth, the
North Sea, and Atlantic Ocean. In time of war, Scalpa
Flow is the great thoroughfare for vessels coming north.
It abounds with numerous safe roadsteads and good
harbours for vessels of large size, such as Holm sound,
Floxa sound, the bay of Howton, St. Margaret's Hope,
and other places, where is excellent anchorage with sufficient
depth of water for ships of the largest class. The
principal entrance to the Flow from the east is through
Holm sound, and from the west through Hoyraouth.
On coming in, the tide is remarkably rapid, but it soon
subsides and becomes scarcely perceptible: the course
of the flood is, with little variation, from east to west;
and on one part of the coast, where the current is intercepted
by a reef of rocks, it runs nine hours in one direction,
and three in the direction opposite. The smacks
employed throughout the season in fishing, and carrying
lobsters to the London market, all rendezvous in one or
other of the harbours encircling the Flow. In fine weather,
the sea-banks near the village offer most pleasant
walks to the inhabitants of Kirkwall.