Calf of Eday Island

Address: Calf of Eday, off Eday, Orkney Islands, Scotland, UK

The Calf of Eday is a small, uninhabited island off Eday in the Orkney archipelago, northern Scotland. It is noted for its coastal cliffs and seabird habitat.

The island offers rugged shoreline, nesting sites for seabirds and coastal scenery typical of Orkney’s smaller isles. Visits are occasional and usually by private boat from nearby islands.

Historically the Calf of Eday, like many small Orkney isles, was used intermittently for grazing and resource gathering but has no permanent settlement today. Its primary value is ecological.

It lies immediately off Eday within Orkney, part of Scotland’s northern island group in the North Sea.

• Wildlife viewing: Uninhabited and primarily visited for wildlife observation, especially seabirds and seals where present along the rocky shores.

• Calf of Eday is uninhabited and best experienced from a boat - check local operators out of Eday, Sanday or surrounding Orkney islands for landing options, and time landings to calm sea conditions.
• If you plan to land, arrange transport with a skipper who knows the island's limited landing spots and tidal conditions; many informal landing attempts fail when swell or tides are unfavourable.
• See the island from the water as well as ashore: the south coast sea stacks and cliffs are best appreciated from a small boat trip, and those geological and seabird features are often missed by people who only make a short landing.