T
he Scottish islands of Orkney aren’t far from the UK mainland – just six miles of sea separates them from the isolated Caithness coastline – but it’s hard to see them as anything other than a place apart. Sedate, softly contoured and
shrouded in ancient history, the largely treeless islands are unquestionably one of Britain’s most untouched corners. Here’s what makes them special.
w SEE: ANCIENT ISLANDS The archipelago comprises 70 islands – 16 of which are populated – but the destination generally gets referred to in the singular, as Orkney. Your first port of call, whether arriving by plane or ferry, is likely to be its biggest and most populous island, known as Mainland. It’s home to the two largest settlements on Orkney, Kirkwall and Stromness, as well as its best-known neolithic sites. Kirkwall is a low-key town with a spectacular Viking-era cathedral, a smattering of gift
shops and a handful of good cafes and pubs (visitors in search of traditional music sessions should head to The Reel on Saturday nights). Stromness is a bayside fishing village with a strong contemporary art gallery, The Pier Arts Centre, and a great museum that shines a light on Orkney’s trivia-packed past. History, of course, is
everywhere. Orkney is beautifully quiet and unavoidably remote on the map, but 5,000 years ago – when sea routes were all- important – it was essentially at the crossroads of northern Europe. It means that the prehistoric sites here are extraordinary. Take as examples the
Standing Stones of Stenness, which predate Stonehenge and the Pyramids by more than a millennium; the burial chamber of Maeshowe, which combines an age-old tomb with 12th-century graffiti; the majestic Ring of Brodgar, which forms part of the Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site; or the astonishing Skara
UK & IRELAND ORKNEY DESTINATIONS For some of Orkney’s best
Sedate and shrouded in ancient history, the islands are one of Britain’s most untouched corners
Brae, the best-preserved stone age village in northern Europe. Mainland is connected to a
string of islands by causeways. Drive south and you’ll reach Lamb Holm – where Italian prisoners of war constructed a still-standing chapel from a corrugated iron shelter – then Glims Holm, Burray and South Ronaldsay. In making this journey, you’ll also be crossing the so-called Churchill Barriers, huge barricades created during the Second World War to stop enemy vessels entering Scapa Flow, a vast natural harbour still littered with shipwrecks that is a world-class dive site.
attractions, you’ll need to make use of one of the many inter- island ferry routes that thread the map. It’s wise to book ahead, but the sailings are scenic, reasonably affordable – and half the fun. Don’t miss Hoy, which is the hilliest and most dramatic island in the group, offering superb coastal walking, particularly around the iconic sea stack known as the Old Man of Hoy. Another island with major appeal is Westray, in the north of the group. If you’re here in late spring or summer, the birdlife includes large numbers of puffins, guillemots and razorbills, while the beaches are long, golden and virtually empty – much as they are on nearby Sanday. Westray is also where to come
to catch the world’s shortest scheduled flight, a 90-second hop across to Papa Westray, where you’ll find more of what makes Orkney special: uncrowded landscapes, mists-of-time history and a glorious sense of peace.
18 October 2018
travelweekly.co.uk 57
TOP TIP Find out more and get tourist board tips at
visitorkney.com
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