Hello again, Many thanks for all the interesting and thought provoking ideas for the graveyards. Having considered the facts and especially the one important fact that no one has been able to come up with any documented historical reason for the locations, I am off the opinion that perhaps it stems from an ancient pagan mixed with Christian belief that over the centuries has been lost in antiquity. Although digging in sandy ground would be easy, you cannot dismiss the fact that soft easy digging could also been achieved in many parts of Orkney, not just the sea shore. When these graves were dug, none were dug to deeply, unlike today when a new grave has to go down the whole 6 feet and 4 feet 6 inches for a re-open. Does anyone know about the site on the sea shore in Costa?, it lies almost directly below the cottage of Brekan, on the corner of the Whitemire road. I remember this site as a child, at which time there was the remains of a low wall, only about 18 inches high. Within the site there was a quite few stone markers, not proper grave stones as such. The nearest proper graveyard to Costa would be the one in Evie I think, down at Aikerness. So perhaps the site in Costa is a very old graveyard for long forgotten Costa departed inhabitants! There was a church at the corner of the Whitemire road (still there but converted into a house), and there was no graveyard beside the church. Take care Grumpy