Visiting Orkney - any tips?

[John Fenna]

I will be visiting Orkney some time this year and wondered if anyone had any tips for me to get the best out of my time there?
First some questions
What is the best time of year to go?
August is out (I am not missing the Moot!) and my wife is keen to do some whale watching, we want decent hours of daylight, zero midges (are they a problem on Orkney?), not too much in the way of gales and rain and we must have lots of time to visit all the prehistoric remains.
Other interests are prehistory, walking, folk music, prehistory, history and prehistory - not to mention prehistory!
Does anyone have experience of Orkney and recommendations of accomodation (just the 2 of us probably looking at self catering) or places to avoid?
Any good pubs/cafes/restaurants?
Any "must see" remote bays/hills/glens?
What "rip-offs" are out there to avoid and what bargains to find?
Thanks in advance.
John

 

[Elen Sentier]

What is the best time of year to go? – April/May. We (Magpiewolf & me) went last April. Loads of daylight, fab sun, a bit of damp, a bit of wind. NO MIDGES !!!


Other interests are prehistory, walking, folk music, prehistory, history and prehistory - not to mention prehistory! – prehistory coming out of your ears! Out of the ground certainly. Do visit the Banks Tomb, nearby Tomb of Eagles and still being dug. I was able to touch (!) a 5000 year old antler and see/touch bones and skulls still sticking out the earth.

They have a good bistro there – he catches the fish himself – which is fun for a change of meal, and they do lunch, with “dreadful” Orkney ice cream for pud (to die for).


Does anyone have experience of Orkney and recommendations of accomodation (just the 2 of us probably looking at self catering) or places to avoid?

We camped, very good. But there’s loads of self catering.


Any good pubs/cafes/restaurants?

As above. Kirkwall worth a looksee. Ask the locals about music and just poke your nose in.


Any "must see" remote bays/hills/glens?

Yesnaby Bay near Skara Brae – and camp the night there, It’s absolutely stunning. Good walks along the cliffs, seals, masses of seabirds, swallows, limpets for lunch. Sat on the cliffs at the end of the walk for hours, wanted to spend night there but hadn’t taken bivi.

Pulse Skerry beach a bit further down near Stromness. Other end of the scale as low down and watching Hoy.

You MUST go to Hoy! There may be self-catering but there’s certainly camping. Fabulous place, goes back in time. Imagine reindeer there.

Lot's of lovely spots ... just turn right, or left and folow your nose.


What "rip-offs" are out there to avoid and what bargains to find?

Good – North Ronaldsay wool and fleeces – super stuff. Orkeny beer and fruit wines are to die for. Orkney ice cream. Cheeses. Some fab art and weaving near St Margaret’s Hope. Good map shop (in case you forgot one like me) in Kirkwall.
Bad – The posh sort of crafty shop in Kirkwall, waste of money!

I could bore for England on the subject PM me for more if you want.

 

[widu13]

I went at the end of Aug 2011. We took a motorhome. We went overnight and ended up spending 5 nights there. I thought the island(s) are fantastic. The are a vast amount of burial mounds and prehistoric villages. I found them all fascinating, but after about 12 they all become a bit blurred!

We didn't use any pubs or clubs but the prices were on par with the highlands, where everything is about 5-10% more than prices in more accessible parts of the UK.

The outlying islands all bear ex war installations, burial mounds and prehistoric villages!

You're going to see many possible practical BOLs!

We swam in the Bay of Birsay (NW corner) with dolphins...well they only came within 20' but one of the kids swore one brushed against him. It was blimey cold! No midges on the islands. We confined ourselves the the "mainland"

In a short list we visited:

Brough of Birsay
Earl's Palace
Boardhouse Mill
Bay of Skaill
Skara Brae
Broch of Gurness
Rennibister Earth House
Ring of Brodgar
Maeshowe
Waulkmill
Italian Chapel
Brough of Deerness
Minehowe

and lots, lots more:

http://www.visitorkney.com/placestovisit/index.asp

In case you didn't realise; we were impressed.

 

[Chiseller]

I'm sold on it :thumbup: somewhere I'd not thought of till reading those endorsements :thumbup: cheers

 

[Bigfoot]

You'll have a great time there, the folk are very friendly and you will find a beautiful woman behind every tree

 

[John Fenna]

You'll have a great time there, the folk are very friendly and you will find a beautiful woman behind every tree

Hmmm - two problems with that...
1/ There are no trees
2/ Even if I find a tree complete with beautiful woman - I am going with my wife!

 

[ebt.]

In addition to the prehistoric stuff its worth visiting the scapa naval museum on lyness and even the weefy (probably spelt wrong). If that floats your boat (baddoom tish!).

 

[Elen Sentier]

Hmmm - two problems with that...
1/ There are no trees
2/ Even if I find a tree complete with beautiful woman - I am going with my wife!

There are nice men under the odd bush too ... so ...

 

[kiltedpict]

I have family and friends up there and many amazing memories from being a student on placement at the hospital and going up for holidays- I even participated in the new year's day "Ba"- terrifying!!!!

I echo all the above John, you'll not be disappointed whatever you do. I've never seen a midge there regardless of the time of year by the way (too windy!!)

 

[decorum]

>>>> I echo all the above Red,

Red??? Surely John's Pink .

No absolute knowledge of the area. However I have heard a rumour that, when approaching a stranger, an accepted local greeting is to hold a plastic spork above you head whilst shouting 'This is my spork. There are many like it, but this one is mine. My spork is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life'.
I've no idea whether the rumour is true , but possibly worth trying.

 

[kiltedpict]

***insert embarrassed smiley here****

sincere apologies, I blame the error on the distraction created by wife coughing up a lung and the kids shrieking at the tv!

Post edited!

KP

 

[Scots_Charles_River]

There is amazing Caves and scenery pn the coast and some cool beaches, maybe Sea Kayak for a day or 3 ?

Possibly some sheltered areas for open Boating on the coast.

Some inspiration here (not my photos)
http://www.oska.org.uk/picasa.php

 

[Marco1981]

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[xylaria]

rip off; ginger biscuits on the ferry. Very pricey and if it is a tad breezy very needed. I would strongly advise travel sickness pills if you are going by ferry, the sea can get really very rough indeed. It docks in the middle of night in orkney. We saw dophins following the boat as we left aberdeen. We didnt go orkney we went shetland, stunning is an understatement.

 

[Marco1981]

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[realearner]

I spent a week diving in the floe full of big ships. And the people up there are great, I did not get chance to see the rest of the place, but a really good Indian restaurant in Kirkwall, it was the only one.
But have fun and enjoy a wonderful place. Oh I was up in October and we had fantastic weather.

 

[John Fenna]

Nasty plug here, sorry mods. Please remove if it is against rules.

Accomodation, check out www.oldhallcottage.co.uk. This is our self catering cottage. We are on Hoy, which is where the Lyness Naval museum is located.

Hoy has a fantastic scenery. If you do come up to Orkney, be sure to visit Rackwick and the Old Man of Hoy. They are my favourite places on Hoy. If bird watching is your thing, I am told by many of our guests that come up that summertime is excellent. Probably the best time to come is mid May until the end of June.

There is a pub resturaunt just up the road from us that does superb meals. In the evenings, it is quite common for them to get out the accordian, fiddle, guitar and whistles for an inpromptu sing along.

Wee fea has the old -massive- communication building, a relic from the war. We have played hide and seek in there (I am 32 by the way). There is quite a few old war relics scattered about the island of Hoy.
Prehistory wise, I am told that there are lots on Hoy, but most of it is burried and only mounds of soil are visible. But a ferry over to Orkney mainland will allow access to sites and museums showing actual items and how they were used.

In the height of summer, daylight hours really aren't a problem. It doesn't really get past twilight for a few weeks in the middle of the year before it comes light again.

Windiest times of the year are early spring and autumn. Rain, well we get a fair bit, I have to be honest. But it is rarely so persistant that it disrupts our lives.

Midges, be prepared! As long as there is a stiff breeze, they aren't a problem. But in sheltered spots and on still days (yes, we do get them!!), they are fierce. But August is the worst time for midges, not really May or June.

Sorry for the shamefull plug again.

Thanks for that - local knowledge is invaluable
I will check out your site later
At the size - 6 berth - it is too big for us - but thanks for the info ... we may drop in to see the craft side though!

 

[Marco1981]

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