Walking Scotland’S Orkney Islands

The trip starts at Inverness Rail Station at 14.00. After meeting we have a scenic drive (3hrs) along the northeast coast of the Highlands to Scrabster port, where our ferry sails (1.5hrs) across the Pentland Firth to Stromness town on Mainland, the principal island of Orkney. From here we drive to our hotel base for the holiday in the historic town of Kirkwall. It is possible to eat on the ferry and the expected arrival time at the hotel is around 21.00. The Tour Leader plans to meet for the introductory briefing upon arrival in the hotel, or after check in. Kirkwall is situated on the northern coast of Mainland and is the largest settlement and administrative capital of the Orkneys with a population of about 9,300. At its heart stands St. Magnus Cathedral, which was founded in memory of Saint Magnus Erlendsson, one of the Norse earls of Orkney (1108-1117), who became its patron saint. Next to the Cathedral are the ruins of the former Bishop's Palace and Earl's Palace. Kirkwall has many 17th-18th century houses and other structures in the local vernacular style. It is possible to reach Kirkwall by flight or ferry from Aberdeen. Please advise us at time of booking if you intend on making your own way to the hotel. Please note that the order of days may be changed around in accordance with the weather and ferry schedules. Departures on 20May23, 10Jun23, 24Jun22, 19Aug23 and 02Sep23 stay at The Orkney Hotel. Departures on 13May23, 08Jul23, 29Jul23, 05Aug23 and 16Sep23 stay at The Albert Hotel.

The Deerness Peninsula is on the easternmost part of the Mainland. Here we start our first walk and before long reach the Brough of Deerness - a well-preserved Viking Age settlement on top of a sea stack - and an impressive collapsed sea cave called the Gloup that produces strange gurgling noises! From here we continue along the coastline around Mull Head until we reach the Covenanters Memorial - commemorating 200 prisoners who perished off the coast in 1679. Finally our walk brings us back to the vehicles. Later we drive to see the simple Italian Chapel (small fee for entry) on Lambholm Island, built by POWs in WWII, and discover more wartime history at the Churchill Barriers and Scapa Flow. We will usually be back in Kirkwall late afternoon, where you can visit St Magnus Cathedral (closes 5pm). Today's leisurely-graded walk will take approximately 3 hours and will cover a distance of 10 kilometres along grassy trails with a total ascent and descent of 150 metres.

We take the ferry from Kirkwall harbour to Westray in the far northwest, a fantastic voyage out along the old Viking sea route called the Swan's Path that will take about 1.5 hours. It is the second largest of the Orkney Isles, affectionately known as the 'Queen o' the Isles', with a population of just 600 people. Today's highlight is a circular walk out to Noup Head to see one of the largest seabird colonies in the British Isles, second only to St Kilda. Here we'll find guillemot, kittiwake, razorbill, shag and fulmar as well as wild flowers, caves and lighthouses. Puffins are normally seen on Westray between the end of April and mid-August. The open ground above the cliffs offers superb views and is often beautifully carpeted with yellow, white and purple flowers. From here we continue our walk south along the west coast of Westray. After the walk we visit Noltland Castle ruins, built around 1560 for Mary Queen of Scots. If time permits we may visit Pierowall village before catching the ferry back to Kirkwall. Today's leisurely-graded walk will take approximately 3 hours and will cover a distance of 9 kilometres along grassy clifftop trails with a total ascent and descent of 200 metres.