Destinations > Scotland > Orkney & Shetland

Orkney & Shetland

Orkney Islands

This archipelago of 70 islands is located just a short distance off Scotland's northern coast.

This islands feature a beautiful rugged coastline and a large number of prehistoric sites that include the breathtaking Ring of Brodgar and the Standing Stones of Stenness.

Orkney's main island, known as Mainland, is home to most Orcadians and is also where you'll find the islands' two major towns, Kirkwall and Stromness.

Apart from Mainland, other islands in the Orkneys that are worth visiting include Westray and Papa Westray. Westray is the largest of the outer islands and is home to some interesting prehistoric sites, but tiny nearby Papa Westray is perhaps a greater draw with Northern Europe's oldest house, dating from 3500 BC. Papa Westray is also popular with bird watchers as it is home to Europe's largest colony of Arctic Terns.

Practical Information

Kirkwall Tourist Information Centre

6 Broad Street, Kirkwall

Tel (01856) 872 856

Website www.visitorkney.com

Open Jan-Mar Mon-Sat 1pm-3pm; Apr Mon-Sat 10am-4pm, Sun 10am-3pm; May-Aug Mon-Fri 8am-5pm, Sat-Sun 9am-4pm; Sep-Oct Mon-Sat 10am-4pm, Sun 10am-3pm; Nov-Dec Mon-Sat 1pm-3pm

Stromness Tourist Information Centre

Tel (01856) 850 716

Website www.visitorkney.com

Open Jan-Apr Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 10am-12.30pm & 1.30pm-4pm; May-Sep 8.30am-6pm daily; Oct-Dec Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 10am-12.30pm & 1.30pm-4pm

Coming & Going

The Orkney Islands are served by both air and ferry services.

Orkney's main airport is located at Kirwall and has flights to Inverness, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Wick and Sumburgh in addition to flights connecting the various islands in the group. Kirkwall airport (tel (01856) 872 421; website www.hial.co.uk/kirkwall-airport.html) is located around 4km outside the town centre and it is served by bus route 11, which meets most flights.

Three different ferry companies connect the Orkneys with the Scottish mainland. Northlink Ferries (tel (01856) 851 144; website www.northlinkferries.co.uk) sail to Stromness from Scrabster, 4km east of Thurso. John O'Groats Ferries (tel (01955) 611 353; website www.jogferry.co.uk) sail from John o' Groats to Burwick with a connecting bus to Kirkwall. The cheapest option is the ferry service provided by Pentland Ferries (tel (01856) 831 226; website www.pentlandferries.co.uk) that sails to St Margaret's Hope on South Ronaldsay from Gill's Bay near John o' Groats, with bus connections to Kirkwall.

Local Transport

Public transport on the Orkney Islands is surprisingly good considering that a small population is spread across a relatively remote area.

There are bus services on Mainland that include an hourly bus between Kirkwall and Stromness (route 1) as well as several town services in Kirkwall. There are around five buses a day between Kirkwall and St Margaret's Hope on the island of South Ronaldsay, which is connected to Mainland, via a causeway that also crosses the small island of Burray. For £6 you can buy an Orkney Rover ticket that gives you a day's unlimited bus travel on the following Orkney Coaches routes: 1, 1A, 1C, 2, 2D, 3, 4, 4A, 5B, 6, 6B, 7, 8, 8A, 8B, 8C, 9A and 10.

There is a good network of ferry routes between the islands with departures for the outer islands departing from Kirkwall.

Kirkwall airport is the Orkney's air hub with flights to most islands operated by British Airways franchisee Loganair (tel (01856) 872 421; website www.loganair.co.uk). There are also many short flights between the smaller islands including the short hop between Westray and Papa Westray, which at less than two minutes is the world's shortest scheduled commercial flight.

Accommodation

KIRKWALL

Kirkwall SYHA

Old Scapa Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1BB
Tel (01856) 872 243 or 0871 330 8533

Peedie Hostel

1 Ayre Houses, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1QX
Tel (01856) 875 477

STROMNESS

Browns Hostel

45/47 Victoria Street, Stromness, Orkney KW16 3BS
Tel (01856) 850661

SOUTH RONALDSAY

St Margarets Hope Backpackers Hostel

Back Road, St Margarets Hope, Orkney KW17 2SP
Tel (01856) 831 225

Wheems Hostel

Wheems, Eastside, South Ronaldsay, Orkney KW17 2TJ
Tel (01856) 831 537

HOY

Hoy Centre

Hoy Centre, Hoy, Orkney KW16 3NJ
Tel (01856) 873 535

Rackwick Hostel

Hoy, Orkney
Tel (01856) 791 316

ROUSAY

Trumland Farm Hostel

Trumland Organic Farm, Rousay, Orkney KW17 2PU
Tel (01856) 821 252

EDAY

Eday SYHA Hostel

London Bay, Eday, Orkney, KW17 2AB
Tel (01867) 622 206

WESTRAY

Bis Geos

Pierowall, Westray KW17 2DW
Tel (01857) 677 420

The Barn

Chalmersquoy, Westray, Orkney KW17 2BZ
Tel (01857) 677 214

PAPA WESTRAY

Papa Westray SYHA

Beltane House, Papa Westray, Orkney, KW17 2BU
Tel (01857) 644267

Sights

KIRKWALL

Bishop's & Earl's Palaces

The Bishop's Palace dates from the 12th century but the palace's round tower was added in the 16th century. The adjoining Earl's Palace was built between 1600 and 1607 by Patrick Stewart, Earl of Orkney.

Palace Road, Kirkwall

Tel (01856) 875 461

Website www.historic-scotland.gov.uk

Admission £2.20

Open Apr-Sep 9.30am-6.30pm daily

Orkney Museum

This small museum has exhibits on 5000 years of local history.

Tankerness House, Broad Street, Kirkwall

Tel (01856) 873 191

Admission free

Open Jan-Mar Mon-Sat 10.30am-12.30pm & 1.30pm-5pm; Apr Mon-Sat 10.30am-5pm; May-Sep Mon-Sat 10.30am-5pm, Sun 2pm-5pm; Oct-Dec Mon-Sat 10.30am-12.30pm & 1.30pm-5pm

St Magnus Cathedral

Dating from 1137, Britain's most northern cathedral is documented in the Orkneying Saga and it contains the remains of St Magnus. This fine medieval cathedral is the only cathedral in Britain with its own dungeon.

Broad Street, Kirkwall

Tel (01856) 874 894

Admission free

Open Jan-Mar Mon-Sat 9am-1pm & 2pm-5pm; Apr-Sep Mon-Sat 9am-7pm, Sun 2pm-6pm; Oct-Dec Mon-Sat 9am-1pm & 2pm-5pm

STROMNESS

Stromness Museum

This museum details Orkney's seafaring tradition and the pioneering role of the Orcadians who sailed to Canada in the 18th and 19th centuries.

52 Alfred Street, Stromness

Tel (01856) 850 025

Admission £2.50

Open Jan-Apr Mon-Sat 10am-5pm; May-Sep Sun 10.30am-12.30pm & 1.30pm-5pm; Oct-Dec Mon-Sat 10am-5pm

AROUND MAINLAND

Broch of Gurness

This broch, dating from the first century, is surrounded by Iron Age structures and it contains artefacts from the Viking period.

Evie, Orkney

Tel (01856) 751 414

Website www.historic-scotland.gov.uk

Admission £3

Open Apr-Sep 9.30am-6.30pm daily (last entry 6pm)

Maeshowe Chambered Cairn

This Neolithic tomb dates before 2700 BC. It features a stone passageway leading to a burial chamber with Runic inscriptions.

A965, Stennes, 14.5km west of Kirkwall

Tel (01856) 761 606

Website www.historic-scotland.gov.uk

Admission £3

Tours depart Jan-Mar 9.45am, 10.30am, 11.15am, noon, 12.45pm, 1.30pm, 2.15pm, 3pm, 3.45pm daily; Apr-Sep 9.45am, 10.30am, 11.15am, noon, 12.45pm, 1.30pm, 2.15pm, 3pm, 3.45pm, 4.30pm, 5.15pm daily; Oct-Dec 9.45am, 10.30am, 11.15am, noon, 12.45pm, 1.30pm, 2.15pm, 3pm, 3.45pm daily

Ring of Brogar

This majestic stone circle dates from Neolithic times. It is a World Heritage site and it is located close to the Stones of Stenness.

B9055, 8km north east of Stromness

Tel (01856) 841 815

Website www.historic-scotland.gov.uk

Skara Brae Prehistoric Village

This well preserved collection of houses dates from the Stone Age. It was unearthed during a storm in 1850 and the houses feature stone furniture, painting a picture of life during Neolithic times.

B9056, Sandwick, 30km north west of Kirkwall

Tel (01856) 841 815

Website www.historic-scotland.gov.uk

Admission Jan-Mar £4; Apr-Sep £5; Oct-Dec £4

Open Jan-Mar 9.30am-4.30pm daily (last entry 4pm); Apr-Sep 9.30am-6.30pm daily (last entry 6pm); Oct-Dec 9.30am-4.30pm daily (last entry 4pm)

Stones of Stenness

This ancient stone circle features a circular earthen bank. It is close to the Ring of Brogar and like Brogar, it is recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage site.

B9055, 8km northeast of Stromness, Orkney

Tel (01856) 841 815

Website www.historic-scotland.gov.uk

PAPA WESTRAY

Knap of Howar

These two houses, dating from the Neolithic period, are believed to be the oldest houses in northwestern Europe.

400m west of Holland Farm, Papa Westray

Tel (01856) 841 815

Website www.historic-scotland.gov.uk

Shetland Islands

Backpackers seldom visit this remote island group, closer to Norway than to the Scottish mainland.

There is not a real lot to see here other than birds, sheep and the famous Shetland ponies, but some travellers visit the islands to make ferry connections to Norway, the Faeroe Islands and Iceland.

Like the Orkneys, the main island is known as Mainland.

Practical Information

Lerwick Tourist Information Centre

Market Cross, Lerwick

Tel (01595) 693 434

Open Jan-Apr 9am-5pm daily; May-Sep Mon-Fri 8am-6pm, Sat 8am-4pm, Sun 10am-1pm; Oct-Dec 9am-5pm daily

Coming & Going

Northlink Ferries (tel (01856) 851 144; website www.northlinkferries.co.uk) operate ferries to Aberdeen and the Orkney Islands.

Smyril Line (website www.smyril-line.com) sails from the Shetlands to Bergen, Norway and Seydisfjördur, Iceland with a stop at Torshavn in the Faeroe Islands.

Sumburgh Airport (tel (01950) 460 654; website www.hial.co.uk/sumburgh-airport.html) has flights to Kirkwall in the Orkneys; Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Wick on mainland Scotland and Bergen and Oslo in Norway.

Local Transport

Public transport in the islands is infrequent but at least it's cheap with ferries between the islands charging no more than a couple of quid.

Accommodation

LERWICK

Lerwick SYHA

Islesburgh House, King Harald Street, Lerwick, Shetland, ZE1 0EQ
Tel (01595) 692114

PAPA STOUR

Hurdiback Backpackers

Hurdiback, Papa Stour, Shetland ZE2 9PW
Tel (01595) 873 229

Sights

LERWICK

Böd of Gremista

This restored 18th century booth previously functioned as a family home as well as a storehouse for the nearby fish-drying beach. It is also the birthplace of Arthur Anderson, the co-founder of P&O Ferries, and the museum features displays about his life.

Gemista, Lerwick

Tel (01595) 695 057

Website www.shetland-museum.org.uk/bod/

Admission free

Open 1 Jun-15 Sep Wed-Sun 10am-1pm & 2pm-5pm

Clickimin Broch

This guard tower and adjoining buildings dates from the Iron Age. It is located around 1.6km southwest of the town centre.

A970, Lerwick

Tel (01466) 793 191

Admission free

Always open

The Shetland Museum

The largest museum in Shetland is located in the centre of Lerwick and its exhibits depict Shetland archaeology and culture and include a maritime section with a collection of boats.

Lower Hillhead, Lerwick

Tel (01595) 695 057

Website www.shetland-museum.org.uk

Admission free

Open Mon 10am-7pm, Tue 10am-5pm, Wed 10am-7pm, Thu 10am-5pm, Fri 10am-7pm, Sat 10am-5pm

SUMBURGH

Crofthouse Museum

This typical Shetland thatched cottage is a good example of a 19th century crofthouse.

5km north of Sumburgh

Tel (01950) 460557

Website www.shetland-museum.org.uk/crofthouse/

Admission free

Open May-Sep 10am-1pm & 2pm-5pm

Jarlshof Prehistoric & Norse Settlement

This ancient site comprises a Bronze Age village of oval stone houses as well as an Iron Age broch tower and a Viking settlement. There is also an exhibit in the adjoining visitors' centre that details the site's history.

A970, Sumburgh Head, Sumburgh

Tel (01950) 460 112

Website www.historic-scotland.gov.uk

Admission £3.30

Open Apr-Sep 9.30am-6.30pm daily