VISITING HAPPY VALLEY

The site is around one and a half miles up the Bigswell Road in Stenness, post code KW16 3LA.

We are delighted that so many people, young and old, come to enjoy Happy Valley and we want to keep it as a beautiful, welcoming place where children can play, families can picnic, birdwatchers can spot rare migrant species and everyone can enjoy the peaceful atmosphere.

There are several ways in which you can help us to keep this lovely environment for everyone to use.

Firstly, please get in touch (email) if you see any problems - whether it be a stray sheep amongst the trees, or any damage from wind, water or people. The sooner that we, or Orkney Islands Council know, the sooner we can sort it out.

Secondly, a few requests:

• Take care as paths may be slippy or muddy.
• Please take home any rubbish and dog faeces as there is not a bin on site.
• Please don't remove any wood or branches - they are great homes for fungi and insects and an important part of the ecology of a healthy woodland.
• Close gates behind you.
• Please don't put stones or branches in the burn.
• Popularity can bring its own problems and, after busy periods, there is often a lot of erosion to paths and banks and we would appreciate it if you could keep to the main path and respect any ropes, brash or signs across any areas on which we are encouraging regrowth with plants including the ever-popular bluebells.

Group Visits             

We know that many groups also come and enjoy Happy Valley and again we welcome this. Obviously we cannot guarantee you will have the place to yourselves, so please be sensitive to other users. It would be helpful if any groups planning a visit could please contact us so that we could add your date to our calendar and hopefully ensure that we can avoid more than one group at a time arriving.

Please note that access to Happy Valley is not suitable for coaches or large vehicles, has limited parking, and access for those with mobility issues is limited.