N.b the excursion described in the following review did not run during 2024. The ferry business previously doing so was up for sale with no indication as to whether it will ever restart.

I report below on a way of visiting the Orkney WHS not yet described among the numerous reviews to date - a “1 day return coach tour” from John O’Groats (J O’G). We had previously visited Orkney and its WHS across several days with our own car and, if you have got that far north in UK, have never previously visited and have the time, then the islands definitely deserve more than the tour I am about to describe. On the other hand, if you are short of time, then this option is worth considering if you at least want to pick up the WHS (and a bit more!!). There is plenty written about the WHS so I will concentrate on the logistics as we investigated and experienced them other than saying that, whatever logistical choices you make, then give top priority to ensuring that you see Scara Brea!

There are 3 "short sea" ferry routes between the north coast of Scotland and the Orkneys. Unfortunately for “day trippers” the first 2 of these below operate their daily first/last sailings Southwards/Northwards respectively which reduces the “1 day island time” for those going in the opposite directions. “Last check in” is also 30 mins absolute minimum pre departure on the return - thus further reducing such time. All prices and timetables used are as at May 2022.

1. Scrabster to Stromness. Car Ferry. 90 minutes sailing. Dept Sc 8.45/St 16.45. Goes past the Old Man of Hoy. Stromness is well placed for the WHS as well as onward transport options and accommodation. Scrabster is only 2 miles from Thurso. 1 day island time 6 hrs max (less if you followed the "1hr recommended" pre departure check in time with a car!).
2. Gills Bay (GB) to St Margaret’s Hope (SMH). Car ferry. 1 hour sailing. Dept GB 9.30/SMH 17.00. Cheaper than 1. especially in summer as it doesn’t operate variable pricing by season. Probably the better route with a car (unless seeing the “Old Man” is important – you will need best part of a day to reach and see it once on Orkney) The routes could also be “mixed” as there are no “return” discounts. For pedestrians this route connects Mo-Fr with buses from/to Thurso and Wick for the first and last sailings (GB is 3 miles W of J O'G) and between SMH and Kirkwall and on to Stromness. 1 day island time 6 hrs max  
3. J O’G to Burwick. Pedestrians only (and cycles for free!). 40 minutes sailing. Dept J O’G 8.45/B 17.30. The single ferry fare is £16 - plus £4 if you go on by bus to Kirkwall. There is absolutely nothing at Burwick so, if you are not taking the tour, you will need at least to take this onward bus immediately. There are connecting buses on Mo-Fr from/to Thurso and on to Wick on return. (But not, as I understand it, up from Wick in the morning). 1 day island time c 8 hrs

So – all 3 offer the possibility of a 1 day trip with at least 6 hrs on Orkney. But how are you going to get around?

a. With your own car - Ferry 2. is £40 each way v ferry 1 @ £56/£64 (season dependent). 6hrs should be enough to see the WHS together with a fair bit of the “Mainland island” and those connected by causeways. With passenger tickets at £17 each way, this will cost £74 each plus petrol if split across 2 PAX.
b. Rentacar “might” be available at Stromness   but hasn’t updated its Web site in years! Extra travel hassle between SMH/Burwick and Kirkwall (where cars are available from £62 pd plus add ons) would seem to kill off those options. 
c. What about buses? The morning T11 Kirkwall return "hop-on hop-off" connects with Ferry 1 in Stromness at 10.45 and, for £16, gives you 85 minutes at SB, 30 mins at Brodgar and "drive bys" for Maes Howe/Stennes. How good the booking system is to guarantee you a seat starting at Stromness (see Els's review for bus capacity issues!) I don't know. It gets you back to Kirkwall at 1.35 and you would then need another bus to return to Stromness after seeing Kirkwall. See here for details. Arrival on Ferry 2 at SMH/Burwick faces you with additional journeys/problems getting to/from Kirkwall and doesn't connect with the 10am T11 dept from Kirkwall
d. Bike Rental? Possibly available at Stromness  . The ride to SB, returning via the other 3 WHS elements is c18 miles and, the route, whilst not flat, isn’t particularly hilly. With the return passenger fare on ferry 1 costing between £36 and £42 return (dependent on Season) and a bike hire at around £13(?), I reckon that this is the cheapest way to see the WHS! BUT – you will see little else of Orkney (though, if you are confident in your cycling ability it should be possible to take in the Cliffs, Stacs and Puffins with a diversion to Yesnaby  on the way out to SB).
e. Ferry/Coach tour! Ferry route 3. offers a combined Ferry/Coach tour ticket for £79 per pax - and thus "guarantees" connections and visits. So the coach tour is an additional £39 on top of the Kirkwall return fare. BUT this also includes the ticket for SB worth £12 at full rate – so £67 per pax for the ferries and bus tour – significantly cheaper than taking a car for a single traveler but a “judgement call” for 2 PAX v option a above?

On this occasion we chose option e. and our tour went thus

a. Daily departure from J O’G (May to Sept) at 8.45 with only a 10 minute earlier check in. Full day parking at the ferry is £2 (you could probably avoid this by parking up the hill and walking to the harbour). The boat is smaller than others crossing the Pentland Firth and (we were told) doesn’t operate in more than a 15/20ft swell (!!!). There was nothing like that for us and we arrived and transferred on time.

b. In theory you have from 10.45 to 12 noon in Kirkwall   – on your own to do what you want. This has a fair bit of spare – presumably in case of rough crossings and late arrival at Burwick . In fact we got from 10.15 to noon. The interesting Cathedral  (See Christer Sundberg’s review) and the excellent (free) Orkney Museum  will easily take up this, leaving only time for the outside of the Bishop's and Earl's' palaces and a quick perusal of the town centre

c. Lunch at Stromness 12.45 to 1.45. Not a lot of eating choice - better to come prepared. 1hr is enough for a snack and seeing Stromness town/harbour.

d. Scara Brea 2 to 3pm. N.b If you are not visiting on a tour then on line pre-booking now seems essential (and cheaper). Notices stating “No Walk ins” were out when we visited. It appears that a large proportion of daily visit “slots” (certainly excluding early and late ones) are taken up by tour groups and our daily tour gets “first pick” at the 2pm one. Kirkwall is now a significant “cruise port” and, whilst some will drop 500 pax, others disgorge as many as 4000+ - and a lot of them will want to go to SB!!! If you are flexible, then check on THIS to avoid a cruise day – if only to avoid crowds. IMO, 1 hr is not quite enough for SB but then I like to savour archaeological sites. Except in winter, the ticket also includes a visit to the adjacent “Skaill House”, for which you pay slightly more whether you wish to see it or not. This is a nicely presented/furnished manor house going back to the 16th C which, in other circumstances, would be worth viewing in detail …but on a fixed tour every minute there is 1 less at SB!

e. Ring of Brodgar 3.15 to 3.45.  With a walk from/to the car park this only gives time for a single circuit of the ring and a read of the information boards but I don’t think we would have spent much more even without any time pressure. “Site management” policies are now controlling access to the stones and we were not “allowed” to go into the Ring and touch them.

f. “Drive past” the Stones of Stenness and Maes Howe. In fact we were given 10 minutes at the Stones (most people stayed on the bus – typical “Coach Tourists”!!!!) and I am not sure we would have wanted much more if on our own. You also pass and have a quick view of the Ness of Brodgar and its excavations (which are open for visits in July and most of August  - in May they are all covered by tarpaulin and old tyres). We had visited Maes Howe ourselves many years ago but anyone wanting to go inside now has to book in advance (very limited) at £9.50 pp within their available time. Those not doing so might be interested to investigate the “Grey Cairns of Camster” on the mainland 26 miles south of J O’G. These are Neolithic tombs you can go in for free but without the, much later and Viking, Runic script carvings…...and not of course “WHS”. 

g. Finally there is a short stop at Kirkwall, followed by a return crossing of the “Churchill Barriers”  at Scapa Flow and a 15 minute stop at the “Italian Chapel” built in 1943/4 by Italian POWs. There is an extra entry fee if you want to go in. And so back to the 17.30 ferry with 10 mins to spare...…a short crossing and on time arrival into J O’G at 6.10pm.

We were reasonably pleased with what we got. The “coach tour aspects” weren’t too onerous with only short drives and no “grouped visits” (none of them was “guided”), the driver’s chatter wasn’t too excruciating and the fellow passengers were no “bother”. We had no congenitally “late arrivers” and we kept to time, no inane questions, no personal introductions, no “sing song” and no tips at the end…! The impression was that this was all “situation normal” for this tour. We hadn’t wanted to go for an in depth wildlife visit (In all honesty there are good locations for this on the mainland) or a “full house” of islands. Whether it is the right “1 day” option for you, only you can decide. IMO - if you don’t have a car it could well be – especially as you could do the Thurso to Wick bus trips as part of it. If you do - then do you want the “uncertainties” of option a. with the extra freedom and slight extra cost or the “certainties” of option e with the loss of freedom and a slightly reduced cost? In the words of the old English saying “You pays your money and you takes your choice!”