This is Orkney’s biggest sand dune system and is an important habitat for an array of important wildflowers and birds, so much so that it is protected by several layers of wildlife legislation. At the west end of Cata Sand is the peninsula of Tresness, the site of a recently excavated stalled burial cairn from the Neolithic and Bronze age periods. In recent years a domestic settlement site from the same period was excavated on the beach at Cata Sand, and archaeologists believe the inhabitants may have buried their dead at the stalled cairn at Tresness. Both sites are highly vulnerable to coastal erosion. The peninsula to the west of Tresness, Quoyness, is the site of one of Sanday’s most impressive monuments: the Quoyness chambered cairn, which is open to the public.
Check out this YouTube video to see Prof. Vicky Cummings explaining a recent excavation of the site. during one of the recent excavations:
