🏘️ Roughcaster in Rendall, Orkney

About Roughcasters

A roughcaster applies a textured external finish to buildings - the traditional Scottish harling that protects stone and blockwork walls from the weather while giving them a clean, uniform appearance.

Harling is one of Scotland's most common wall finishes and when it cracks, blows or starts to let in damp, getting it patched or replaced promptly prevents more expensive damage to the masonry underneath.

Ask whether they use traditional lime harling or modern cement render - on older stone buildings, lime-based finishes allow the walls to breathe and avoid the moisture problems that cement can cause.

About Rendall

Rendall is a rural parish on the northern coast of the Orkney Mainland, situated between Evie to the west and the Bay of Firth to the east.

The parish is characterised by gentle farmland sloping down to the shore, with views across to the islands of Rousay, Gairsay and Wyre.

Rendall has a small primary school, a community hall and a handful of scattered settlements, but it is otherwise a quiet agricultural area where farming and the rhythms of the land define daily life.

The coast here offers sheltered bays and easy access to the water and the proximity to Finstown and Kirkwall means services are within a short drive.

About Orkney

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Orkney is an archipelago of around 70 islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland, separated from Caithness by the Pentland Firth - one of the most powerful tidal races in Europe.

Of those 70 islands, roughly 20 are inhabited and most of the population of around 22,000 lives on the largest island, known simply as the Mainland, where the towns of Kirkwall and Stromness serve as the administrative and cultural centres.

Orkney's history stretches back over 5,000 years. The Heart of Neolithic Orkney - a UNESCO World Heritage Site comprising Skara Brae, Maeshowe, the Ring of Brodgar and the Stones of Stenness - represents some of the best-preserved prehistoric sites anywhere in northern Europe. The islands were under Norse rule for around 600 years and that Scandinavian heritage remains visible in place names, dialect and culture.

The islands are reached by ferry from Scrabster and Aberdeen and by air from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness. Orkney's economy is built on agriculture, fishing, renewable energy, whisky and tourism and the islands have a quality of life consistently rated among the highest in Scotland.

Orkney is at the forefront of marine renewable energy, home to the European Marine Energy Centre which tests tidal and wave power devices in the waters around the islands. The strong community life, low crime and dramatic landscape make Orkney one of the most distinctive and self-reliant places in Scotland.