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On July 5th 2008 Picture House Films spent the day filming aboard the MV Hamnavoe which provides the lifeline ferry service to Orkney between Scrabster on mainland Scotland to Stromness. The filming is part of production of a forthcoming documentary feature about the ferry services of the Pentland Firth which is due for premiere late next year. Here we present some stills captured from the footage of the days' filming.
The topmost deck not open to the public.
Looking from the bridge to the bow.
Approaching the Orkney Isles from the south offers one of Britains most striking views. The north of Scotland has incredable light and amazing scenery.
The Old Man of Hoy is one of the attractions of this route as the largest rock column in the UK.
The reception area with marble counters.
The ship has a number of bars, lounges and a resteraunt as well as a soft play area.
The games room
One of the spacious, comfortable bars
Excellent hot meals served in the resteraunt.
The shop sells gifts, souvenirs, refreshments as well as newspapers and magazines
The large cargo deck provides plenty space for the vehicles
A non-public view of the open bow doors
Below the cargo deck are the major workings of the vessel with cables and pipes, engines, generators and water treatment plant
The port side propellar shaft in motion
The engine head of the port engine
Travelers gather on the observation deck to view the Old Man O' Hoy (for those who might ask, there isn't a new one)
Hey look everybody, it's The Big Gig! (Shameless promotion)
The Old Man is the tallest bloke in the crowd
St John's Point, Hoy is Britains tallest vertical sea cliff at nearly 1000ft
Standing ever watchful over the North Atlantic, the Old Man has seen many ships and many peoples pass this way
The spectacular cliffs at St John's Point with the Old Man in the distance
A view from the bridge looking onto Scapa Flow and Hoy in the distance as the Hamnavoe leaves Stromness
Plain sailing, the Pentland Firth is one the most dangerous seaways in the world yet one of the most beautiful
The turbulance at the stern at full speed
The bow nose cruising at a steady 19knots
The MV Hamnavoe is a beautiful modern vessel purpose built for the service between Scrabster and Stromness. The Kirkwall registered ship is built to cruise-ship standard and is very comfortable. She makes the journey in 90 minutes with only 60 minutes in the open sea. The crossing offers the opportunity of spectacular views and the chance to sea all kinds of sealife including whales and dolphins.
The documentary we are working on still has a bit of work to go through and steady progress is being made. We are extremely greatful to Northlink Ferries and the other companies supporting the project and will be adding pages about each ferry service as images become available.
In the meantime if you are interested in visiting Caithness and Orkney click the link
