Recently, I jetted off to the Orkney Islands for a three day tour, talking about being a writer and running workshops with some of the children in the island schools. It was a fun – if occasionally dramatic – few days, and for a full report take a look at this post on my website.

While on the first of the islands I visited – Sanday – I heard tell of a place I would have loved to have visited, had I not been so pushed for time. Lady Kirk is a ruined old church, dating back to at least 1773, but probably much, much further. The walls are in excellent condition, although the roof seems to have done a bunk.

See what I mean?

Despite having no religious leanings whatsoever, I’ve always been quite interested in old churches, probably because they appeal to the horror writer side of me. But there was a specific reason I’d have liked to have gone to Lady Kirk. It’s because, according to legend, the Devil himself has been there. And he’s left his signature behind.

At the top of the stone steps which would’ve once given access to the north gallery, a series of deep grooves have been carved into the rock. They suggest a hulking brute of a creature, with at least six claws and supernatural strength. Or they suggest someone playing silly beggars with a chisel.

Take a look and decide for yourself. What do you think made those marks?

These photos are courtesy of Undiscovered Scotland. Take a look at this page on their site for more information about the clawmarks.

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