# Orkney Islands Advice Invited



## StewartJ (Nov 20, 2009)

Hi All,

Thinking of a 10 day trip to the Orkneys in May, any advice, suggestions or recommendations appreciated. 

Stewart


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

We have been there twice. It's well worth the trip, lot's to see. Nice place, nice people. Go for it. 

You can go on to Shetland if that takes your fancy, it's also worth the trip, Alan.


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## HH66 (Oct 19, 2008)

Ferry from Gills bay to South Ronaldsay is a good (quick) way to get there and you can then drive up across the barriers. Tourist Info in Kirkwall very helpful.

We were up there last Feb. Cold but beautiful. 
Hoy is well worth a look. Car park at Rackwick Bay ok for a stay (no drinking water in toilets though). 
The community centre at Deerness (mainland) has hookups and showers - not easy to find though.

Lots of places to wild camp and a large central campsite in Kirkwall (which is worth a visit - great cathedral and museum).

Stromness has a good cafe opposite the ferry terminal - sorry, can't remember the name.

If you like cairns and tombs a lot of the more out-of-the-way ones are worth a look (all marked on OS maps). Most have a handy torch outside but it's always worth carrying a spare.

Maes Howe - get there early for a quieter tour.
Skara Brae - fascinating. Again, get there early or late.

Ferries to the outer islands aren't cheap. Consider leaving the van and doing day trips on foot.
My partner was researching a travel guide so we did lots of exploring.
Hope this helps. 
Heleyne


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## Hezbez (Feb 7, 2009)

Only been once for a day trip from John O'Groats.
Really interesting place, would like to go back with the van sometime.

Loads of history from the war - Churchill Barriers, Italian Chapel etc.
Kirkwall and Stromness are interesting towns.

This is a good planning website;
http://www.visitorkney.com/index.asp

Enjoy and let us know how you get on.


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## Andysam (May 10, 2005)

We went in Aug 11. 6m MH, 2 adults, 3 kids and a dog. About £180 IIRC. Were going for 2 nights, thought it was fantastic and stayed for 6! All wildcamping (which was really easy).


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## bigtwin (May 24, 2008)

StewartJ said:


> Hi All,
> 
> Thinking of a 10 day trip to the Orkneys in May, any advice, .......... appreciated.
> 
> Stewart


Only that you should refer to it as 'Orkney' or 'The Orkney Islands' but NEVER 'The Orkneys'!!!!!

After all, you would never refer to 'The Channels' or 'The Westerns' now would you?

 :wink:


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## Jagman (Feb 16, 2008)

Hi Stewart

Went last summer sailed from Scrabster to Stromness, great view of the Old Man of Hoy from the boat. Camped at Pickaquoy centre in Kirkwall 01856879900

www.pickaquoy.com

excellent wetroom type facilities, good pitches and ehu, excellent disposal services. I booked to make sure of a pitch. A bit pricey but we felt it was worth it. If you want to wildcamp, lots of places, if you want a comfortable site go to the 'Piccy'.

In 10 days you can see pretty well everything on 'Mainland' so buy a collective ticket for all the main historical/archaeological sites and save quite a bit of money: Maes Howe; Skara Brae; Brough of Birsay; Broch of Gurness; Hoy Martello Tower and Battery; and maybe the Bishops Palace and the Earls Palace in Kirkwall too. St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall is fabulous, one of the best I've ever been in, and its free entry. The Brough of Birsay is reached by a footpath/causeway which is covered at high tide but it is well worth the wait if you arrive too early!! Remarkable, easy and safe cliff-top walk to the east from the Brough of Birsay car park (MH friendly), fantastic views of cliffs and bays and great rock formations. Causeway plus cliffs make this a day out not just a quick visit!

If you read up about Scapa Flow and its role in the two World Wars you will want to visit the Churchill Barriers, Italian Chapel and any old fortifications you might read about. Its all very easy to access and parking is usually good.

We went by ferry to Hoy (as foot passengers) to look at the Lyness Museum which was excellent and there was an Arriva 'bus tour' of the island for about two quid which was fantastic - if they are doing it in 2012 you must do it. It was actually a 'service bus' but it would stop if you wanted to take photos; there was some uncertainty about it running in 2012. If you get an early ferry from Houton to Lyness, and there is ample parking at Houton for your MH, you'll be able to spend enough time on Hoy to see all the military stuff plus Longhope Lifeboat Museum if the 'Arriva Tour' is running.

Both Kirkwall and Stromness are well worth exploring but don't take your MH deep into Stromness as the 'main street' just keeps getting narrower and narrower 8O. Park up near the docks and walk a few yards!!

I could go on! A brilliant holiday for both of us and its still a toss up whether we go back in 2012 or stick with loner term plan to do the Outer Hebrides from Barra to Lewis again. The lure of Barra and the Uists will probably win but it will be a close thing!

Enjoy reading up about it all before you go and have a great trip!!

Jagman


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## sallytrafic (Jan 17, 2006)

This part of my blog includes Orkney

http://www.motorhomefacts.com/blog-display-jid-541.html


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## Hezbez (Feb 7, 2009)

This thread has whet my appetite for taking the van to Orkney (and maybe Shetland too).

How long do you think you would need to do both areas justice - would it be better to do them on spearate holidays?

Do you get a better deal booking the ferry that does both Orkney and Shetland on the one trip?

Thanks


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## Jagman (Feb 16, 2008)

Hi Hezbez

We almost included Shetland in our Orkney trip but eventually decided that in the fifteen days or so we had available we'd visit favourite mainland places on our journey north, so Aviemore for old times sake, Ullapool for UK's best fish and chips, Durness for mainland's most expensive diesel, Dunnet sands for best site ever, etc etc  ...... and then spend minimum of eight days on Orkney leaving Shetland for another adventure. Five days would be the minimum useful stay imho.

Getting to Shetland by sea is quite a serious trip, 12 hours over potentially a very lively crossing. Best way seemed to be the Northlink Aberdeen/Kirkwall/Lerwick three nights per week ferry (last year), and we would have dropped off on Orkney on the way up then continued north a few days later.

We met people who had been to Shetland and they said because it was 'long and thin' with basically one main road (rather insulting simplification of course) you could 'do it' in a couple of days but obviously that's missing the point. We MHers generally do not use the 'if its Tuesday it must be Belgium' approach but rather meander around a bit and discover things (don't we?) so we decided a week would be a minimum for Shetland too, not the least reason being that getting there in itself would be a fairly costly and time consuming effort.

So our masterplan  (as if we ever have masterplans) ended up being major Orkney trip one year (ie 2011) followed within three years by Shetland trip from Aberdeen stopping of for three days or so at Kirkwall to revisit Orkney (we like revisiting places) then off for serious Shetland trip.

........... did someone mention the Faroes 8O 8O 8O 

masterplan emerging :lol: 

PS If you lot go independent (wouldn't blame you!) you'd probably say cheerio to Orkney and Shetland who would do better with Norway :evil: ..... sorry, just being evil, but what else would you expect from the English  

I'm hooked on exploring Northern France at the moment but whatever tours lie ahead we will always include at least two Scottish adventures in our MHing year, its just the most fabulous place and the further north you go the better it gets!

PPS No midges on Orkney (except for hilly bit of Hoy), too windy!


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## PhilK (Jul 1, 2005)

*Shetland flight*

Has anyone taken a day trip to Shetland by air from Orkney? If so, how much, how difficult to orginise, etc.

Philk


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## Bernies (Mar 22, 2007)

Hi Stewart have you made it to Orkney yet? we arrived yesterday nice crossing but has turned a bit wild this morning. But hey t hats all the fun of motorhoming, we are in an Auto-trail Cherokee we just might bump into each other have fun.

regards

Bernie :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## StewartJ (Nov 20, 2009)

Yo Bernie

We arrived here last Tuesday (8th) thoroughly enjoying the island though todays weather is wild with a capital W.

Are you on a site or wilding, for today we are on the council site at Stromness we wilded on Friday but decided to come back on site due to forecast.

Intend driving across toward Kirkwall tomorrow by the North road and may wild depending on weather.

Driving an AT Tracker on a 60 plate if you see us about

Stewart


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Ive been twice and to Shetland once. On the last trip the aim was to get to Muckle Flugga on Shetland which involved a 9 hr drive to Aberdeen, 12 hours on the ferry, Drive across mainland Shetland, Ferry to Yell and ferry to Unst 61 degrees north. took us about four days.

On the way back we took the ferry to Orkney although we had been before.

I would say you could do them both justice in three weeks.

Not sure about Shetland but on Orkney you can get really cheap flights to the outer islands. We went to North Ronaldsay and stopped off on a couple of islands on the way back for about £30. There is an Observitory on one of them that you can stay at as well.

Dont miss the Neolithic site at Skara Brae its the best preserved in Europe.

Stromness is lovely and there is a good museum as well as a nice little campsite but plenty of wilding on the islands as well.


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## grizzlyj (Oct 14, 2008)

Hiya

We went over to Hoy just to look at the Dwarfie Stone/Stane. Not very signposted although there is a small carpark, it sticks out on the hillside as the biggest stone all by itself up on the left almost under the cliff, as the road gains height.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwarfie_Stane

I was impressed. Take a torch, even though the cavity isn't huge.


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## Bernies (Mar 22, 2007)

Hi All thats us here on Orkney arrived Sat good crossing from Gills Bay. We stayed on cl just up the road from St Mags, Hope then a couple of nights at Deerness comunity centre £10 a night elec water and shower. Were in Kirkwall tonight just met Stewart had a good chat. Thats all for now Carol has just made a cup of tea.


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## StewartJ (Nov 20, 2009)

Made my night to catch up with Bernie, thanks for the advice on Deerness site probably be there tomorrow when hopefully the weather will improve (or so say the BBC)

Enjoyed our tour of Kirkwall this afternoon the Cathedral is well worth a visit, shame about the unseasonal cold very windy weather, the wonderful fish and chips made up for it though! 

just need some settled weather to visit some of the islands.


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## DTPCHEMICALS (Jul 24, 2006)

bigtwin said:


> StewartJ said:
> 
> 
> > Hi All,
> ...


Or the Scillies. :lol:

Dave p


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## Patty123 (Oct 4, 2010)

Not Scilly Isles, but Isles of Scilly or Scilly.

I am a Scillionian :lol: 


Patty


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## DTPCHEMICALS (Jul 24, 2006)

And a beautiful and peacefull place to come from.

Dave p


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

This might not be your cup of tea but if you are into rock bands there is a local band called The Tribe. We saw them last time I was there in a pub in Kirkwall. They played for three hours and were fantastic. It was one of the most memorable nights I can remember and a fantastic atmosphere in Kirkwall. If they are still around there is a good chance they will be playing somewhere.


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## Patty123 (Oct 4, 2010)

Definately, I do go home every summer!! No Motorhomes there unfortunately!!!


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## Bernies (Mar 22, 2007)

Hi all thats us back home after a wonderful week on Orkney would recommend it to one and all. Hope you get home alright Stuart nice to meet you.

Bernie :lol: :lol:


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## StewartJ (Nov 20, 2009)

Cheers Bernie nice chatting with you, we've decided to stay till Sunday, weather has picked up, spent a night at Deerness Community Centre that was excellent so thanks for the tip more communities should take this up.

Spent last 3 nights wilding at the Sands of Wright, breathtaking views almost on the beach we are, with the usual Orkney top notch toilet block just a hundred yards away.


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