Orkney Islands: Recommended Getaways

A little away from the mainland there are many beautiful little islands that offer breathtaking sights and great opportunity for nature lovers.

The island of Shapinsay is best known as being the birthplace of the father of Washington Irving, author of the famous `Rip Van Winkle’. Other than that, the island’s main claim to fame is the Balfour Castle, designed by David Bryce and built in the mid-19th century. The castle stands on the seashore, and is visible from Kirkwall. The castle, although it’s today used as a hotel, has a wonderful walled garden, and an interior that owes its décor to a team of some 30 Italian craftsmen.  

Hoy is home to one of the highest vertical cliffs in Britain, and off the coast is the Old Man of Hoy, a 450 ft high pinnacle of rock that can be seen for miles around. On the island, some of the main sights are the ancient tomb of Dwarfie Stane, and the Old Royal Navy Base, which is today a rather interesting Visitor’s Centre.

Rousay is for ornithologists, nature enthusiasts and historians. The former is because the island has excellent colonies of sea-birds, resident and migratory- a great place to simply watch the feathered friends, or even to do detailed studies. The latter is because the island has a whopping 200-odd historic sites, most of them ancient tombs and the like.

The island of Papa Westray, with its rather unusual name, is the place where the oldest standing house in all of northwestern Europe is situated. Called the Knap of Howar, it dates back to about 3500 BC, and is worth a visit. Also on the island are a long-chambered Scottish cairn, and two well-known churches: St Boniface Church, and St Treadwell’s Chapel.

All of these islands can be easily reached by boat from Mainland; there are ferries which do regular runs, or you can hires a boat in Kirkwall or Stromness. Visits to most of the smaller islands will necessarily be day-trips, as there are few facilities for accommodation and the like; however, if you’re really keen on spending some time on a particular isle, it would probably be a god idea to make enquiries at the Tourist Board office in Kirkwall- they’ll be able to offer advice and help you out.