St Margaret’s Hope is a picturesque old fishing village in South Ronaldsay, Orkney. It used to be the commercial centre for Orkney’s South Isles. To the west lies Scapa Flow, one of the great natural harbours of the world. Norway is to the east, and the Scottish mainland is just over an hour’s ferry trip away on Pentland Ferries to the south. South Ronaldsay is connected to Burray and the Orkney Mainland by the Churchill Barriers, causeways built during the Second World War to protect Royal Navy ships in the Flow. Orkney is closer to the Arctic Circle than it is to London.
The village is the third-largest settlement in Orkney after Kirkwall and Stromness. Many islanders continue to earn their living from the sea and the land and enjoy a range of community activities. Click for details of local services and activities.
All of the members of Hope Cohousing have been heavily involved with local initiatives – and on these pages, we feature three: Marengo Community Garden, The Workshop and Loft Gallery, and The Cromarty Hall.