When I decided for a last minute jaunt up to Orkney for a few days, I had mixed reactions from my Scottish friends. Hill-friends were “aw a nice wee trip to the sea” and seaside friends were “meh, I cannae be bothered” .
So I intentionally went off in search for something special about Orkney, and here is what I found…
Orkney, a place where mystique hangs in the sea air. Where the beauty is how the land gently frames the sky showcasing the brightest blue hues and crisp white clouds, magnificent slow sunsets, mysterious rolling fog at all hours of the day, and dark night skies are beautifully overwhelmed by the endless stars.
A place where history holds more secrets per condensed acre than perhaps anywhere else. And where besides tourism, local life still sustains itself from the local farms and fresh seafood.
ABOUT ORKNEY
An archipelago of around 70 islands and skerries (small rocky outcroppings), located off the north coast of mainland Scotland. Only about 20 are inhabited, and the wildlife and sheep out number the humans. Orkney ‘mainland’ island has a total population of just over 22,000 with the bulk living in the towns of Kirkwall (approx. 8,500) and Stromness (approx. 2,000). and then many little villages and settlements dotting the map. There are 5 smaller islands connected to Orkney Island by man made land bridges called the “Churchill Barriers” made during WWII are part of the northern defenses to protect the naval anchorage.
I only had 3 days so only visited the main island of Orkney (which is the following tips and recommendations) but you could spend months up there exploring the smaller inhabited islands even!
WHEN TO GO
I visited the last week of April and the weather was perfect for me. With 3 full days of sunshine and clear skies at night, it was a bit cool but there also was fewer people visiting. Keep in mind Orkney is considered the cruise ship capital of Scotland, and over 100,000 cruise ship visitors land there a year. Cruise ship season on Orkney runs May to September. In my opinion late April is best!
GETTING THERE:
** I visited Orkney on a budget, at the end of the off-season and found it easy and cheap! Currently Scottish Buses are only 2£ a ride in the Highlands & Islands regions, and with petrol/fuel prices being so high I’d be crazy to drive up here and miss the bargain opportunity.
FLIGHTS: there is well serviced airport in Kirkwall
FERRY SERVICE: There are a few different ferry options from the mainland Scotland to the main-island simply called Orkney. And then other smaller ferry boats from around the main island to the smaller islands.
MY PICK… The Pentland Ferry from Gills to St. Margaret’s Hope, Orkney.
GETTING TO ORKNEY MAIN ISLAND VIA FERRY: The best option in my opinion is from Gills to St Margaret’s Hope on Pentland Ferries.
Allowing both car and foot passengers, with 3 runs a day on a more suitable styled ferry ship for these archipelago waters. The travel takes about an hour and is a bit less expensive than the other options to Orkney.
Gills ferry port is very small and located just a few miles east of Thurso, Scotland and connects to the lovely small village port of St Margaret’s Hope.
The bus service on the mainland does align with the ferry service but you are required to arrive at least 30 minutes before departure time for boarding process. What is great is Pentland ferries will allow you to change your ticket (no fee) if you are running late (or your bus is, like mine did. Pentland is also a locally owned company and the great customer service reflects that, as I (my bus) was late and the port office called me to see if I would make it or wanted booked on the next ferry. And a good pal of mine is the current Captain of the ferry so I got a special treat to go up to the bridge for a visit with him and his friendly crew for a cup of coffee.
GETTING AROUND
Driving a car is always best but not always practical or budget friendly and luckily Orkney has a fabulous bus service. You can easily find bus stops and actually accurate times simply on GoogleMaps (putting in directions to and from locations and then selecting the bus icon instead of the default car icon) It now even live-tracks most buses in Google Maps, but the Stage Coach Bus website/app will be the most accurate to be sure and show you full time tables and stops.
WHERE/WHAT TO EAT
Orkney is one of the best places for fresh seafood in all of Scotland and most of its land is used for agricultural purposes due to the sea climate and extreme fertile soil. Farming on the island is one of the top occupations, with the most intensive agricultural areas in all of Scotland, employing roughly 10% of the island’s working population. The Orkney islands are known for high-quality beef production, with around 51,000 beef cattle, meaning cattle outnumber the human population by more than two to one. Dairy and sheep are also in great supply.
There is a fabulous ORKNEY FOOD & DRINK TRAIL you can follow that will take all the guess work on where to go as well as make you loosen a belt loop or two! The picnic spots across the island are endless but so are the cafes & restaurants.
- Loki Seafood Shack: (located on the edge of Stromness) only open for lunch and often sell out- an amazing place with fabulous owners! Plus they have a great retail shop with fresh fish and ready made meals and other Scottish nibbles.
- The Murray Arms Hotel & Restaurant: (in St Margaret’s Hope) you must order their tremendous Seafood Platter! And the scallops are so perfect here, in part to them also owning their own scallop diving vessel. I definitely recommend a reservation and especially if you want something specific for dinner let them know in advance. Supper nice folks and great young chef in the kitchen.
Make sure to try the following!
- Fresh local Seafood – it’s everywhere!
- Orkney Butter .. absolutely amazing stuff! available everywhere even in the major grocery chains.
- Smoked cheeses from The Island Smokery
- Traditional baked goodies such as Butter Biscuits, Parkin Biscuits, Berra barley baked items such as Beremeal Bannocks
- Steak or lamb, locally sourced on the island truly is mouth watering!
- Orkney Brewing for some really WELL done small batch brewing with a full range of beer styles.
- Spirit Distilling: there is a long tradition of whisky on the island. Highland Park & Scapa are two of the oldest on the island but there are also many new distilleries offering fabulously crafted gins and vodkas as well.
THINGS TO SEE
Orkney’s most notable feature is its numerous well preserved Neolithic archaeological sites scattered across its landscape. There are over 200 scheduled* ancient monuments and over 3000 identified archaeological sites spanning 8,000 years of history, with an average of 3 sites per square mile. From the domestic advancements of Skara Brae’s primitive housing settlement to the purpose of the multiple standing stones and circles on the Ness of Brodgar, possibly the ancient heart of Orkney’s early inhabitants – you will be left in awe of just how NOT primitive early humans actually were.
- Skara Brae : A remarkably preserved ancient settlement discovered in 1850 after a massive storm stripped the turf from the mound, that shows just how advanced ‘primitive’ humans were. From well designed interiors and built in furnishings to interior drainage systems. And then the real mystery, why was it all abandoned over 4500 years ago. Visit right when it opens or at the very end of the day for the best experience and fewer other tourists. Between May and September advance booking is suggested.
- Rings of Brodgar: A massive 130m diameter stone circle and henge. Open 24 hrs , Beautiful sunset viewing over the hills beyond the Loch it sits beside.
- Stone of Stenness: One of the earliest stone circles in the British Isles. Open 24 hrs , great sunset view over the hills beyond the Loch it sits beside. And follow the side path down beyond to the Barnhouse Neolithic Settlement, a 5,000-year-old village situated only a couple of hundred yards away on the banks of the Loch of Harray.
- Maeshowe: A chambered cairn designed to align with the setting sun during the winter solstice, featuring Viking, runic inscriptions. Daily entry is limited so do book tickets in advance to avoid disappointment.
- Tomb of the Eagles: This is a very special site I did not get to visit this trip, but will! The community-owned Isbister Chambered Cairn & Museum—better known today as the ‘Tomb of the Eagles’—is one of Orkney’s top archaeological sites. Discovered by chance by a local farmer in the 1950s, the Stone Age tomb revealed an amazing collection of bones and artefacts including a horde of ancient eagle talons, placed here some 5,000 years ago. You uniquely enter the tomb via a lying on your back and rolling into the tomb on a board with a rope. They do not have online booking, Open 7 days from 10am. Last entry at 3.30pm, site & carpark close at 5pm.
A HANDY GUIDE TO ALL THE ANCIENT SITES: I found a great webpage created by Brodgar Georgian House Self Catering Stay, that compiled a fabulous listing of all the sites with extra details (like where the flash light is to use inside, etc.) , listing by FREE or TICKETED and also listing active summer archeological dig sites you can visit. Brodgar’s owners also offer guided tours, accommodations, time travel events and artwork.
THINGS TO DO
Picnic next to crystal blue shoreline wildlife watching for puffins, gannets, seals & whales , explore the scenic backroads winding through small settlements & villages surrounded by endless rolling hills of farm fields, or visit one of the MANY little museums of folk culture, history and quirky collections.
- St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall: I was fascinated to learn this remote archipelago was home to a magnificent 12th century cathedral! Definitely worth a visit to and though you can wander in and look around on your own I highly recommend taking their 10am guided tour. There is a remarkable amount of rare features, artifacts and hidden bits in this cathedral you will only learn about on the tour. AND check out which days are the special ‘upper’ tour days and plan accordingly. The guides are extremely knowledgable and friendly as well.
- Orkney Fossil & Heritage Center: intriguing collection of fossils from Orkney and around the world, including some rare and beautifully preserved specimens
- Orkney Music Collection: (inside the Fossil Center) Alongside their much-loved fossil and geology displays, in 2026 there is a temporary exhibition explores Orkney’s musical past, featuring records, tapes and CDs from the 1930s to recent, collected by Orkney and Shetland locals and showcasing Robert Milne and other local musicians who helped keep Orcadian music alive.
- Barony Mill: the last working watermill in Orkney – and the only place on Earth still grinding bere, an ancient barley grown on this island since Neolithic times. (definitely prebook your visit to avoid disappointment)
- Scapa Flow Museum: Scapa Flow is a vast, sheltered natural harbour in Scotland’s Orkney Islands, acting as a premier, historically significant anchorage for over 1,000 years. Famous as the primary British naval base in both World Wars, it is now world-renowned for diving on the scuttled 1919 German High Seas Fleet wrecks. Here the museum gives you a glimpse of how important this was to WWII defensives.
- The Orkney Museum: telling the story of Orkney from prehistory to the present day. It is an excellent overview and introduction to the history of Orkney and its treasures.
- Orkney Wireless Museum: is a treasure chest of history. It tells the story of radio from its very beginnings through times of war and on to today. Plus a great collection of ‘spy era’ radio and recording devices!
- The Italian Chapel: A highly ornate Catholic chapel on Lamb Holm island, connected by land bridge to Orkney mainland. It was built during the Second World War by Italian prisoners of war.
FOR A LISTING OF ALL OF MANY MORE ORKNEY’S MUSEUMS go HERE!
WHERE TO STAY:
I personally love a small village stay, and St Margaret’s Hope is idyllic. Located on South Ronaldsay Island (connected to Orkney main via a land bridge), with a ferry port, hourly bus service, a post office shop, 2 eateries and 2 pubs, and located on a gorgeous inner harbour. The locals were lovely to visit with and my simple accommodation was perfect to base out of.
I stayed at The Anchorage. A small inn located by the old harbour and across the street from the bus stop. It’s basic but very comfortable and clean. My room was newly remodeled with all I needed as well as a full kitchen and dining room guests can use to prepare their own meals. Kept extremely tidy and ran by such nice owners. A solo twin room during the last week of April cost me 35£.
There are numerous accommodation options across the main island. A great resource list of all styles of accommodations (from camping sites, to hotels & BnBs) check out Orkney Islander Magazine’s listings and click the photo below to go to Orkney.com’s accommodation listing.
For last minute options (as it can be tough in the summer season to find a place) check out the locally ran Facebook page called ORKNEY LATE AVAILABILITY. Here accommodation owners post last minute availability.
For most scenic and luxurious you might enjoy Orkney Lux Lodges, beautiful pod stay each with a private hot tub and fabulous views looking over the small town of Stomness, of Hoy island and sunset .
Also Orkney Retreats offers various historic properties that have been restored in beautiful fashion. With multiple room size options and experiences from Victorian Farm House to romantic Scandi stays.
DID I FIND THE MYSTIQUE TO ORKNEY
Yes! The allure is the beauty in the subtle landscape and dramatic sea and sky, the rich history and plethora of historic sites, the fabulous local foods and the tremendously friendly island folks waiting to welcome you and share a smile and a story.
For a more complete listing of ALL things Orkney go to ORKNEY.COM
*a ‘scheduled’ site in the UK is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building in the UK that is legally protected under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.
DISCLAIMER: Because it seems you have to in these modern times – this is strictly me a travel lover and professional just sharing some great travel tips that were helpful in my own personal trip planning, no advertisements and no payment or compensation was shared given to me.
** all pictures were taken by me unless captioned otherwise with source.