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Stroma
Island In The Pentland Firth

Pentland Firth  Map of Area

A to Z

Bettina Danica Wrecked 1994

Mestag Castle

Pier At Netherton Goe

White House

School

The Lighthouse

The Gloup

The Harbour
Stroma Harbour is mostly tidal and not very suitable for single keeled deep drafted yachts. Except for two hours before high water (Dover) and two hours after. The inner harbour at stroma has about 5 feet of water at ebb tide and dead tides, but dries out completely on stream tide, slack tide in the inner sound
is about 3 quarters to 1 hour after high water (Dover)

Stroma Cemetery

War Memorial Plaque  

Houses On Stroma
Numbered as Map)
71A  71B  71C  71D  71E

A History Project

Margaret Aitken Article

More Stroma Views

Bill Fernie On Stroma

The Vegetation Of The Isle Of Stroma

Latest on Stroma

2 December 2019
The Stoma Cattle Boat 'Bee' - Pdf article
The Stroma Yole Bee used for transporting cattle
The Stroma cattle boat called 'Bee' was rescued from, its slow but inevitable, disintegration and rebuilt by John William Laird of Eastend, Duncansby.
Last surviving Viking-inspired boat that served a now- abandoned island goes up for auction  -
Scotsman - 28 November 2019

Obituary on Jimmy Simpson, Laird of Stroma Born 5 April 1928 Died 2nd June 2019

5 June 2017
The eerie photographs of the abandoned island of Stroma  -
Scotsman
The images show traces of a life once lived on the island of Stroma that was abandoned by its last resident more than 50 years ago.

29 October 06
Stroma Gathering 2006

The annual Stroma Gathering took place at the Seaview Hotel, John O'Groats on Friday 27 October.

The Vegetation Of The Isle Of Stroma
This article by Ken Butler was written for the Caithness Field club Bulleting of April 1979

Stroma Church and Manse 
Here is the Stroma church and Manse many years ago.


 

Heatherbell Number 53
Sent in by Sheila Moir to add to the growing Stroma collection.   The house is Heatherbell number 53 on our map and the house where Andy Moir Sheila's husband was born. Believed to be his  granny and two sisters in the photo

19 March 06
House Number 11
These photos were taken in 2001 and the number refers to the map numbering and not the number of the house if it had one.

 

Stroma Gathering 2005

25 May 05
Photos Found On Stroma - Who Are They?
Do You Know?
The island of Stroma off the Caithness coast can still throw up a few surprises.  Catherine Byrne found these photos on the island.  Can anyone help identify the people from the baby who may be Agnes Elizabeth or Uncle George to the much older photo of a man in a suit with waistcoat to the family picnic outing. email Catherinbyrne@aol.com and bill@caithness.org if you can help.

First Stroma Bus Tour 1950

12 December 04
Larger Version Of The Map showing Houses
This is a larger version of the map showing the houses.  We have been aware that the original one pasted was difficult to read but now that Broadband is around we have posted this larger version that will take longer to download if you are still using a modem.  But it is easier to read the information.

12 December 04
Stroma Houses
Number 12

Stroma Gathering 2004

25 November 04
Stroma Houses
Number 3

24 November 04
Stroma Houses
Number 2
The number relates to the map and not to the number of the house


 

17 September 03
Waybaggers Walk Stroma
It was even warm sitting on the boat sailing from Gills to Stroma. We walked up the middle of the island towards the lighthouse which sits at the north end. Hundreds of terns were nesting round it and we were constantly dive bombed by them until we left their territory. The cliffs behind the lighthouse are only 15-20 feet high with shoals of rocks reaching far out into the sea. Several dozen seals were either basking on the rocks or swimming in the shallow sea..............

28 July 03
Journal of Bishop Falconar of 1762
On the dead bodies on Stroma..............

Stroma Poems 21 July 2003
Old Anne’s Yarn - The Swelchie of Stroma
Lost at Sea in a Fog The Stroma Man’s Yarn

Stroma Gathering 2002 2 December 2002
Catherine Byrne who =was the last baby to be born on Stroma has sent in pictures of the 2002 gathering that takes place every year at John O'Groats.  Catherine left Stroma when she was 10 years old.

Inside Stroma Kirk 2 December 2002
Another picture from Catherine Byrne showing the inside of the church on Stroma

 

 

Aerial Gallery 2 December 2002
A new gallery with a couple of new pictures from the air.  Over time further pictures will be added to the gallery.

Stroma: The Island That Died by Donald Omand
First published in Caithness Field Club Bulletin 1992

17 April 2002
Caithness.org Team & Robert Richmond Take North Coast Marine Adventure Trip To Stroma

A jet boat trip on a sunny but windy night with a full tide flowing.

Mestag Castle Reconstruction

Pictures Of the Bettina Danica Wrecked in 1994

2 November 2001
Margaret Aitken's Stroma Memories

Margaret Aitken was a lighthouse keeper's wife and she wrote a book about her experiences "12 Light Years" in 1988.  The book has been out of print for some years but will be re issued in May or June 2002.  Margaret has kindly allowed us to publish an article she has just had published in the BBC Magazine Homes & antiques.

Castles On Stroma
There was a castle on Stroma known locally as  Mestag castle was built by the vikings - "maastack" (seagull rock).  All that remains are a few courses of the original masonry.  the castle site lies on a stack  in the south west of the island.
Another site described as a castle is on a rocky promontary at Flendie Clett in the south east corner - shown on the 1872 Ordnance survey map.

James Miller 1991 in the book "Stroma" edited by Donald Young says "Mestag, at least probably dates from Norse times and may be contemporary with such other Norse forts as Lambaborg (now Buchollie) at Freswick.  It is not mentioned in any of the Sagas and nothing is known of who built it, although from its exposed position we can surmise that it may have been planned as an emergency refuge in times of strife."  The Stroma book is out of print.


Aerial Views


Map showing Some of Later Residents


Stroma Mains Farm

Views From Above Via Local Live
From any view you can move around the island - zoom in or out.

Stroma
Stroma Cemetery
Stroma Lighthouse
Stroma Mains Farm
Stroma - Nethertown
Stroma - School
Stroma - The Gloup
Stroma - Uppertown
Stroma - Part of Wreck of Bettina Danica