The beautiful islands of Orkney, lie just north of the main coast of Scotland. If you want to speak like a native, remember that the islands are called “Orkney”, not “The Orkneys”. The biggest includes the capital city of Kirkwall and is (confusingly!) called Mainland.
GETTY Some of the standing stones in Orkney are older than Stonehenge
2. Tuck into crab and lobster – Orkney is famous for seafood. You’ll also see thousands of sleek cattle grazing on the islands and Orkney beef is delicious. Excellent restaurants to try local foods include The Foveran near Kirkwall or The Ferry Inn in the enchanting little port of Stromness. thefoveran.com and ferryinn.com
3. Go seal watching. Seals can often be seen bobbing around offshore, and if you are lucky you’ll come across some basking on the rocks. You can often see them lying around on the little islands that lie in the harbour of Stromness, called Inner and Outer Holm. You can walk across to these islands in a few minutes at low tide but be careful not to get stranded and check the tide times first.
5. Discover what life was like 5,000 years ago on these islands and explore the stone age village of Skara Brae. It was only revealed when it was uncovered by a raging storm in 1850. The cosy stone-built homes are complete with their beds, cupboards and fireplaces. Some even have an en suite toilet. To find out more, search for Skara Brae on the website historic-scotland.gov.uk
6. Most people stay on the biggest of the islands, which is confusing called Mainland. But it is fun to take a ferry to Westray if you like bird watching. During summer, the dramatic cliffs here are alive with thousands of guillemots, razorbills and kittiwakes, and this is the best place to spot puffins. The ferries don’t have room for many cars, so book a few days ahead if you have a vehicle. orkneyferries.co.uk
GETTY Stone Age houses at Skara Brae. They were uncovered by a storm in 1850
8. Walk on water. The Brough of Birsay is a little tidal island off the west coast of Mainland. It boasts the remains of a Viking town, a lighthouse and spectacular cliff walks. But you need to check the tide times – you can only walk across the causeway to the island for about 2 hours before and after low tide. To check tide: surf-forecast.com
GETTY The Old Man of Hoy looks out on to Scapa Flow
By Anne Gorringe Express (Source)
The Small Group U.K Tour Experts
Welcome2Britain
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