Where to base yourself
Kirkwall
The capital, with hotels on the harbour front, guesthouses in the lanes, the main shops and supermarkets, the bus station and the Aberdeen ferry. Central for everything, and the best choice without a car.
Stromness
A smaller, more atmospheric harbour town with a couple of hotels, B&Bs and hostels, closer to Skara Brae and Brodgar and right by the Scrabster ferry. Quiet in the evenings.
West Mainland and the countryside
Farmhouse B&Bs, country hotels and self-catering cottages near the lochs, cliffs and stone circles. Ideal with a car for dawn and dusk at the monuments.
South Ronaldsay, Hoy and the northern isles
St Margaret’s Hope is a pretty village by the short ferry. Hoy, Westray, Sanday and the other outer islands have a handful of small hotels and B&Bs for those who want real remoteness.
Food & drink
Orkney farms and fishes for a living, and it shows on the plate: famously good beef and lamb (including the seaweed-eating sheep of North Ronaldsay), crab, lobster, scallops and herring, farmhouse cheeses, oatcakes and beremeal bannocks made from an ancient local barley. Kirkwall and Stromness have good restaurants, cafés and pubs; elsewhere, book or bring a picnic. To drink, there are two whisky distilleries — Highland Park and Scapa — along with gin distillers and two craft breweries.
Tips: saving money and staying safe
- Check the cruise-ship schedule published by Orkney’s harbour authority. Kirkwall is one of the busiest cruise ports in the UK; on big-ship days, visit Skara Brae and Brodgar early or late and Kirkwall in the middle of the day.
- Book Maeshowe and, in summer, Skara Brae in advance. Both are covered by the Historic Scotland Explorer Pass.
- The wind is relentless and there is almost no shelter: bring a windproof jacket, hat and gloves even in June. Umbrellas are useless.
- Check tide times for the Brough of Birsay causeway, and keep back from cliff edges, which are unfenced and can be undercut.
- Book ferries, hire cars and rooms early for May to September.
- Many of the best things are free: the stone circles, the cathedral, the Orkney Museum, the Scapa Flow Museum, the cliffs.
Sample plans
One day
- Skara Brae at opening time.
- The Ring of Brodgar and the Stones of Stenness; a timed visit to Maeshowe.
- Lunch in Stromness and a walk along its street.
- Kirkwall and St Magnus Cathedral in the late afternoon.
Two days
- Day 1 as above.
- Day 2: south across the Churchill Barriers to the Italian Chapel and St Margaret’s Hope.
- Afternoon on the west coast: Yesnaby cliffs, the Brough of Birsay at low tide and the Broch of Gurness.
- A distillery tour or the Orkney Museum if the weather turns.
Three days
- Take the ferry to Hoy for the walk from Rackwick to the Old Man and the Scapa Flow Museum at Lyness,
- or fly or sail to Westray for puffins (May to July) and empty beaches.
Where to stay: Orkney
The Kirkwall Hotel
A Victorian hotel on the harbour front in Kirkwall, a few minutes’ walk from the cathedral and the bus station.
Albert Hotel
A friendly, central hotel in the lanes of Kirkwall with popular bars and a restaurant.
Ayre Hotel & Ayre Apartments
A long-established hotel facing Kirkwall harbour, with self-catering apartments alongside.
