Ayre's Rock Hostel and Camp Site

8.7 3 reviews

Pitches with view of the sea (added by manager 23 Jul 2012)

Campsite overlooking the beach watch local wildlife from your unit

Small, peaceful and friendly site on the beach-filled island of Sanday
On the beachfront and in a wildlife haven
Cooking area and laundry facilities

Scottish islands, you may have already figured, are rather what you might call spectacular. And so it is with the Isle of Sanday, belonging to the Orkney family and a place of smashingly sandy beaches, prehistory and legend, kayaking and surfing, and even a nine-hole golf course… And on the isle there's Ayre's Rock Hostel and Camp Site, a small, peaceful and amiable place set on the beachfront and run by warm and welcoming owners Julie and Paul. Naturally the site's surrounds and the island as a whole are a wildlife haven as well: spot otters ashore and the odd basking shark or porpoise in the surrounding waters, as well as puffins colourfully sitting a short walk away around the cliff. Or you could just wander the bays and white and clean sands the island is named for, fish for trout in the lochs, visit the ancient archaeological sites, climb the sand dunes to see those spectacular Sanday views. Ayres Rock Hostel and Camp Site has cleanly-kept facilities including toilets, a shower, a washing-up area and laundry. A cooking area is available for guests' use.

Site type

Open now

Tourist board rating

Languages spoken

English

Open from Sun, 31 Mar to Thu, 31 Oct 2024

Nearby sites that are bookable on Pitchup.com

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable sites.

Features

Dogs allowed

Campfires allowed

Leisure on site

Bar or club house Cycle hire Evening entertainment Fishing Fitness centre Games room Indoor swimming pool Kids' club On-site restaurant/cafe Outdoor swimming pool Play area TV room Take away Tennis Watersports

Amenities on site

Bath available Car parking by pitch/unit Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Food shop Free wifi Ice pack freezing Internet access Launderette Parent & baby washroom Pick-up from public transport Portable toilet Pub toilets Public telephone Shower available Toilet block Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

D. of E. welcome Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Rallies welcome Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

Barbecue provided Barbecues allowed Campfires allowed Commercial vehicles allowed Dogs allowed Dogs allowed all year

Themes

Budget/backpacker Peaceful Remote location Spectacular scenery Walkers' paradise Wild camping Wildlife haven

Utilities

Charging facilities Chemical disposal Communal fridge Electric car charging point(s) Gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby Public transport nearby Shop nearby

Type

Small (11-25 pitches)

Accessibility

Disabled facilities

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Cycle hire nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horse riding nearby Indoor pool nearby Restaurant nearby Watersports nearby

Location

Ayre's Rock Hostel and Camp Site

Ayre

Coo Road

Isle Of Sanday

Orkney Islands

Scotland

KW17 2AY

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London +0100 (GMT+01:00)

GPS

59.25603°N
-2.61235°W

Route directions

The ferry from Kirkwall to Sanday takes approximately 1 hour 40 minutes, then from Loth ferry port the campsite is 6 miles away. Head north from the port and at the junction signposted airport, turn left on to Coo Road. The Sanday airfield is 2 miles away - the flight from Kirkwall takes just 11 minutes and from there a bus service runs all year or a taxi service is also available.

Nearest transport

Coach

Rail

Ferry

8.7 km Sanday Orkney Ferry Terminal

12.7 km Stronsay Orkney Ferry Terminal

13.6 km Eday Orkney Ferry Terminal

Airport

2.2 km Sanday Airport

11.4 km Eday Airport

11.5 km Stronsay Airport

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Local attractions

Ayres Rock Hostel and Camp Site is in a stellar spot for all manner of activities like surfing, kayaking and windsurfing, as well as archaeology hunting, guided and wandery walks, beachcombing and rockpooling or spotting the local wildlife… Attractions nearby recommended by Julie and Paul include the Neolithic Quoyness chambered cairn, dating back to at least 2000BC and one of the Orkney's best-known archaeological sites. The cairn has a main chamber and six cells and is open all year with free admission. Other options are: The tidal sandy bay and series of dunes at Cata Sand; waders and common seals can be seen here and in nearby Newark Bay. Tresness Farm, a nineteenth century horse engine house with an octagonal pyramidal roof. Tresness and the Broch of Wasso, part of the wall of the broch (a drystone hollow-walled structure unique to Scotland and dating back to the Iron Age), and the chambered tomb at the end of the Ness. The wreck of a German destroyer at the Bay of Lopness, viewable at low tide. A picnic area and information board are at the site. The lighthouse Start Point, fitted in 1806 with the first revolving light in Scotland by Robert Stevenson, grandfather of Robert Louis Stevenson. The wartime radar station at Lettan. The Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) at Northwall, an area of shallow lochans (small lochs) and wet machair (flat, low-lying sand plains), and home to waders, breeding ducks, swans and migrants. The Holms of Spurness, a breeding site of the grey seal; look out for pups in October. Tofts Ness, a prehistoric funerary complex made up of 500 burial mounds. The burial mound of Rethie Tain, probably a chambered tomb similar to Quoyness. The Pagan Viking graves of the Ness of Brough. Waders and seals at Otterswick. The nineteenth century Westove estate house at Scar and the nearby remains of a stone windmill. Boloquoy Mill, an early nineteenth-century water-driven meal mill constructed of random rubble with a slated roof. The medieval church and burial ground of Cross Kirk, dating back to the sixteenth century but probably standing on the site of a Viking settlement.

Must see

Skara Brae 47.2 km

Cycle routes

Find local routes on the National Cycle Network - over 12,000 miles of cycling routes.

Other

NORTH HILL (CURRENT BOUNDARY FROM 24/03/2006) 20.4 km

ONZIEBUST (CURRENT BOUNDARY FROM 13/08/2002) 21.5 km

TRUMLAND (CURRENT BOUNDARY FROM 16/09/1985) 25.9 km

NOUP CLIFFS (CURRENT BOUNDARY FROM 01/01/1975) 26.6 km

MILL DAM (CURRENT BOUNDARY FROM 25/05/1993) 28.7 km

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Reviews

would recommend this site to a friend

would stay here again

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Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

Location Grass pitch excellent and level Friendly welcome from owners Good campers kitchen…

Overall	10/10
Location	10
Value for money	10
Accommodation	8
Facilities / Activities	8
Customer service	10
Child friendliness	No rating
Cleanliness	8
Wifi	6

DAVID M. Sept 2023

Non-electric grass motorhome pitch (sea view)

Liked: Location Grass pitch excellent and level Friendly welcome from owners Good campers kitchen

Disliked: The toilet and shower was limited - but there was only one other tent staying so it was OK . If busy summer then might need to wait a while

Recommend to friends Visit again

Really liked this site. The friendly welcome with clean facilities

Overall	8/10
Location	10
Value for money	10
Accommodation	10
Facilities / Activities	8
Customer service	10
Child friendliness	10
Cleanliness	10
Wifi	8

Richard S. Aug 2022

Non-electric grass motorhome pitch (sea view)

Liked: The views, the location and wild life spotting from our pitch. Friendly welcome. Clean facilities.

Disliked: Not a dislike, but more of an observation. Could possibly do with more than one shower for the campers.

Recommend to friends Visit again

A great site, we'd go again, but a few things to consider.

Overall	8/10
Location	8
Value for money	8
Accommodation	8
Facilities / Activities	8
Customer service	8
Child friendliness	10
Cleanliness	10
Wifi	6

Rob L. Aug 2022

Side Field non-electric grass tent pitch (sea view, family)

Liked: A lovely friendly site. However, beware of some details... There are two tent sites. There is "the field" which is what the PitchUp refers to, and "The Campsite" which is the Camping and Caravan Club Associated site. We switched from the field to the site, more expensive, as we have young kids and access to the toilets involved crossing a lane from the field. It's a very quiet lane, but wee kids and traffic don't mix. The facilities are all good, clean and following the relevant ScotGov guidance for Covid. It was all quite nice. The camping kitchen was good, but we didn't use it much. A well run site in reasonable repair.

Disliked: "The field" is very close to the site, but doesn't include some facilities in the fee. You have to pay more for the Campsite, neither has Electric Hookup for Tents even if you have your own cable and breaker ( Insurance(?!?) ). We were put at the end of the Campsite as the other pitches had reservations, who in a week never turned up. Having pitched to counter strong winds, there wasn't much room using a family Zenobia 6. There used to be a joke in Caravan Club circles many years ago "Slightly Sloping", meant anything from the north face of the Eiger to a 1 cm drop in 6m. The end pitch here is "slightly sloping" 6cm in 60cm (?)with the traces of ruts. It's fine, but flat it is not. My son (4) rolled out of his camp bed and had to be fished out the back of the tent on more than one occasion. The site is lovely, and very moderately protected from wind in all direction except the North. We found our tent larger than we'd have liked to be using. The porch whilst offering somewhere to cook out the rain, didn't like the wind. The last night of our stay the wind turned from the North, which is unusual, and we had to bug out at 4am due to our ground sheet lifting in 30+mph gusting winds and driving rain, despite being fully storm guyed and tight. There is no protection from the North in the Campsite, none.. just sea. The field however, has more protection and might be a better option for larger tents. It's all a bit of a balancing act. The WiFi works, if you sit in the right place and don't expect much bandwidth. No 02 mobile coverage, the whole Island is pretty much the same.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Frequently asked questions

Does Ayre's Rock Hostel and Camp Site have a swimming pool? No View all features
Is Ayre's Rock Hostel and Camp Site dog friendly? Yes View all features
What attractions are near Ayre's Rock Hostel and Camp Site? Ayres Rock Hostel and Camp Site is in a stellar spot for all manner of activities like surfing, kayaking and windsurfing, as well as archaeology hunting, guided and wandery walks, beachcombing and … Read more