I didn't quite know what to expect, when I made plans to visit the Orkney Islands. On the one hand, it's a neolithic site and those tend to be rather simple, if not outright dull. On the other hand, I have been curious about the Orkney Islands in general. Add to this me getting a WHS tick and I was good to go. As it turned out, this was the highlight of my 2019 UK trip.

The site covers so much for a neolithic site: two stone circles (Ring of Brodgar, Stones of Stenness), a winter solstice oriented tomb grave (Maeshowe) and really tangible remains of a neolithic village (Skara Brae). The cherry on top are the viking inscriptions in the tomb and the active excavation site at Ness of Brodgar (picture). And the gorgeous landscape of the Orkney's which is effectively part of the site as the tomb grave was aligned for the winter solstice with the hills of Hoy, the neighboring island.

Getting There

There are fairly expensive direct flights from Scotland (Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Inverness). You can also connect by plane to the Shetland Islands.

Seeing it’s an island, the other options always involve a ferry ride. Existing ferry lines are:

• Scrabster to Stromness: Scrabster is connected to the Scottish Rail network (Thurso).
• John o’ Groats to St. Margaret’s Hope: There is a direct bus connection from Inverness including the ferry ride.
• Aberdeen to Kirkwall: Long boat ride. Continues to the Shetlands

Be advised, that even if you are driving by car, it will probably take you the better part of a day to get from Edinburgh to the Orkneys. Also, check-in times for the ferries tend to be rather early (one hour or earlier before scheduled departure).

Getting Around

There are public buses on the island, but even in high season they don’t run frequently. In addition, google maps has the departure times wrong. I repeatedly waited for buses that didn’t come. I ended up walking from Skara Brae to the Ring of Brodgar. Be advised, that Orkney is not really nice hiking territory as they don't have trails. It’s probably smarter to simply rent a bike as the islands aren’t that big.

To see other islands, you can take several ferries that run multiple times a day.

You can also bring your car, but you must reserve a place on the ferry. It’s not ensured that you will get a place short notice in high season.

Getting In

The Ring of Brodgar and Stones of Stenness are accessible for free. Maeshowe (the hill) can be seen from the road, but to get in you need a ticket. Tours start at the visitor center and an online reservation is advised. If you don’t have a reservation, my recommendation would be to head to the visitor center first thing in the morning to get a ticket. Skara Brae also requires a (separate) ticket, but you do not need to reserve.

At Brodgar they offer free guided tours. Between Stenness and Brodgar lies the Ness of Brodgar where during the summer months active excations take place and they also offer free tours.

Where to Stay

In high season (July, August) you need to reserve your accommodation well in advance. My recommendation would be to stay in Stromness as 1) you are within walking distance of the ferry port (Scrabster) and 2) Stromness is the nicer city than Kirkwall, being an old fishing town and harbour.

While You Are There

Kirkwall boasts a Viking church. There are also two Whisky distilleries on the main island: Highland Park and Scapa. You need to reserve in advance, though, if you want to join a tour. For divers or those interested in history, the German WW1 naval fleet was scuttled in Scapa Flow.

On the island of Rousay, you can visit more prehistoric ruins, e.g. Midhowe Broch. The island of Hoy offers nice hiking and birding opportunities.