Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Orkney
Orkney
is a captivating and fiercely independent archipelago of seventy or
so mostly low-lying islands, with a population of around twenty thousand.
The locals tend to refer to themselves first as Orcadians, regarding
Scotland as a separate entity, and proudly flying their own flag. For an
Orcadian, “the Mainland” invariably means the largest island in Orkney
rather than the rest of Scotland, and throughout their distinctive history
the islands have been linked to lands much further afield, principally
Scandinavia.
15
Orkney has excellent coastal walking, abundant birdlife and beautiful white-sand
beaches. It has two chief settlements:
Stromness
, an attractive old fishing town on
the far southwestern shore, and the capital,
Kirkwall
, at the dividing point between
East and West Mainland. Relatively heavily populated and farmed throughout, the
Mainland is joined by causeways to a string of southern islands, the largest of which
is
South Ronaldsay
. he island of
Hoy
, the second largest in the archipelago, south
of Mainland, presents a superbly dramatic landscape, with some of the highest sea
cliffs in the country. Hoy, however, is atypical: Orkney's smaller, much quieter
northern islands
are low-lying, fertile outcrops of rock and sand, scattered across
the ocean.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
ORKNEY
By plane
W
hial.co.uk Flybe (
T
0871 700 2000,
W
flybe
.com) operate direct flights to Kirkwall from Inverness,
Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Sumburgh in Shetland.
Be warned: weather conditions are notoriously changeable,
making flights prone to delay and even cancellation.
By ferry
Northlink run car ferries daily from Scrabster
(with a shuttle bus from Thurso) to Stromness and less
frequently from Aberdeen and Lerwick (in Shetland) to
Kirkwall; Pentland Ferries run car ferries from Gills Bay
(near John O'Groats) to St Margaret's Hope; and John
O'Groats Ferries run a small passenger ferry to Burwick.
The timetables in the text are summer frequencies - check
the internet for the latest sailing schedule and always
book ahead.
GETTING AROUND AND TOURS
By plane
T
01856 872494,
W
loganair.co.uk. Loganair
run flights from Kirkwall to most of the outer isles, using an
eight-seater plane, with discounted fares to North
Ronaldsay and Papa Westray and between the islands if
you stay over.
By ferry
T
01856 872044,
W
orkneyferries.co.uk. Getting
to the other islands by ferry from the Mainland isn't
di
cult, but travel between individual islands isn't
straightforward. Ask Orkney Ferries about additional
Sunday sailings in summer, which often make useful inter-
island connections. Tickets are expensive. Book ahead if
you're taking a vehicle.
By bus
W
orkney.gov.uk.
The bus service on Orkney
Mainland is good during the week, but skeletal on Sundays.
Except in Stromness and Kirkwall, there are no scheduled
bus stops so just stand at a safe, visible spot and flag the
bus down. On the smaller islands, a minibus usually meets
the ferry and will take you to your destination.
By bike
Cycling is an option if the weather holds, since
there are few steep hills and distances are modest, though
the wind can make it hard going.
Tours
There's a whole range of escorted tours around the
Mainland, which are great for those without a vehicle.
Wildabout Orkney (
T
01856 877737,
W
wildaboutorkney
.com) offer a variety of tours of the Mainland, with
departures from Stromness and Kirkwall, and there are
several other companies specializing in particular islands,
and mentioned in the relevant text.
Orkney festivals
p.529
Scapa Flow
p.538
North Ronaldsay sheep
p.552
