Stromness Harbour, Orkney, Scotland, U.K Houses in Stromness. Stromness is the main Town on Orkney, The come in from Thurso to Stromness. In times past, a whale stranding on Orkney would have been considered a lucky extra source of food. Pods of small whales were deliberately driven onshore for food and oil. And, in the 19th century, Orcadian sailors, renowned for their skill in small boats, were regularly recruited for whaling ships heading for the South Atlantic. The port of Stromness on the West Mainland, Orkney's second-largest town, was once regularly visited by whaling fleets and visitors should look out for whale bones still decorating many of its houses. The name "Stromness" comes from the Norse Straumsnes. Straum refers to the strong tides that rip past the Point of Ness through Hoy Sound to the south of the town. Nes means "headland". Stromness thus means "headland protruding into the tidal stream". In Viking times the anchorage where Stromness now stands was called Hamnavoe, meaning "peaceful" or "safe harbour". A long-established seaport, Stromness has a population of approximately 2,190 residents. The old town is clustered along the characterful and winding main street, flanked by houses and shops built from local stone, with narrow lanes and alleys branching off it. There is a ferry link from Stromness to Scrabster on the north coast of mainland Scotland. First recorded as the site of an inn in the

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