This sheltered bay, cut into andesite lava, is the site of a 19th century haaf (deep sea) fishing station.
The bay of Stenness and the isle opposite formed from andesite lava that erupted from the Eshaness volcano some 395 million years ago during the Devonian Period.
Molten lava sometimes contains bubbles of trapped gas which form cavities called vesicles when the rock solidifies. The movement of the lava as it cools can twist these cavities into strange shapes. Water percolating through the rock over millennia deposits minerals within the vesicles, building up layers of different coloured minerals that become beautiful banded agates. These are often discovered on Stenness beach.
Stenness was a haaf (deep sea) fishing station in the 19th century. As many as 40 boats operated from this bay throughout the summer. On the beach you can see the ruins of an old haaf fishing böd (booth), where the laird’s representative lived and the fish was stored and traded. Stenness was an ideal location for this type of fishing.
The bedrock has eroded to create an excellent beach for splitting, salting and drying the fish, which is protected from Atlantic storms by the Isle of Stenness opposite. The force of such storms is illustrated by a storm beach of huge boulders on the far side of the Isle.
