Orkney - The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands - page 330

ORKNEY FESTIVALS
Kirkwall's chief cultural bash is the week-long St Magnus Festival ( W stmagnusfestival.com),
a superb arts festival held in the middle of June, with some events in Stromness. July is
peppered with several Island regattas and agricultural shows, culminating in the agricultural
County Show held in Kirkwall in the middle of August.
To find out what's on (and the weather forecast), tune in to Radio Orkney on 93.7FM, buy
yourself a copy of The Orcadian , which comes out on Thursdays, or log on to W orkneynews
today.co.uk.

have become “ferryloupers” (incomers), moving to Orkney in search of peace and the
apparent simplicity of island life.
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 runs 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 runs car ferries from Gills Bay
(near John O'Groats) to St Margaret's Hope; and John
O'Groats Ferries runs 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.

7

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. However, a careful study of timetables
may reduce the need to travel via Kirkwall. It's worth
enquiring from Orkney Ferries about its additional Sunday
sailings in summer, which often make useful interisland
connections. Be warned, ticket prices on Orkney Ferries
are expensive, and it's essential to book your passage in
advance if you're taking a vehicle.
By bus W orkney.gov.uk. The bus service on Orkney

Mainland is pretty good during the week, but skeletal on
Sundays - a free timetable is available from the tourist o ce.
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 depar-
tures from Stromness and Kirkwall, and there are several
other companies specializing in particular islands and
mentioned in the relevant text.

Stromness
STROMNESS is a quite enchanting port at which to arrive by boat, its picturesque
waterfront a procession of tiny sandstone jetties and slate roofs nestling below the green
hill of Brinkies Brae. It's well worth spending a day exploring, or using as a base in
preference to Kirkwall. Its natural sheltered harbour (known as Hamnavoe) was
probably used in Viking times, but the town itself only really took off in the eighteenth
century when the Hudson's Bay Company made Stromness its main base from which to
make the long journey across the North Atlantic. Crews from Stromness were also
hired for herring and whaling expeditions - and press-ganged into the Royal Navy.
By 1842, the town boasted forty or so pubs, and reports circulated of “outrageous
and turbulent proceedings of seamen and others who frequent the harbour”. The
herring boom brought large numbers of small boats, along with thousands of young