Option A: Full Day West Mainland Tour
Wednesday & Saturday Departures from Scrabster or Inverness.
Option B: 3/4 Day South Isles & West Mainland Tour
Thursday & Sunday Departures from Scrabster or Inverness.
Tour Highlights
- Orkney's Magnificent World Heritage
- Breathtaking Vistas
- Warm Island Hospitality
- Old Man of Hoy
- Explore Orkney’s Rich Tapestry of Archaeology, History, Wildlife, Culture, Folklore and Spirituality
Day One ~ Travel to Orkney
Travel to Orkney by ferry and enjoy views of Britain’s most famous sea stack, the Old Man of Hoy, and St. John's Head, one of Britain’s highest vertical sea cliffs, during the crossing. Upon arrival, check into your comfortable Stromness accommodation.
Day Two ~
Option A: Full Day West Mainland Tour ~ Stone to Iron Age
Meet your Orkney host, an accredited professional Orkney tour guide, and spend the day exploring the wonders of Orkney’s West Mainland. Begin your journey with a drive west along Scapa Flow, a safe harbour used by the Vikings during their occupation of Orkney, and also by the Royal Navy during both World Wars. Step off the beaten path at Unstan Tomb, a unique Neolithic hybrid cairn incorporating both a burial chamber and stalls, and allow your imagination to soar as you are transported 5,000 years back in time. Continue with visits to the remarkable World Heritage sites of Orkney’s Neolithic Heartland, including Maeshowe, a Neolithic chambered tomb considered to be one of the finest architectural achievements of prehistoric Europe; the Ring of Brodgar, a magnificent circle of upright stones with an outer ditch built more than 4,500 years ago; the ceremonial Standing Stones of Stenness, part of what was originally a ring of twelve tall stones erected in the form of an ellipse, dating back to 3,000 BC; and Skara Brae, truly awe-inspiring and the best-preserved prehistoric village in northern Europe. Pass over the peat hills of Birsay Moors to the astonishing settlement at Gurness, including the Iron Age Broch of Gurness with its battlements and a surrounding village, as well as the Shamrock, a later Pictish farmstead.
Option B: 3/4 Day South Isles & West Mainland Tour ~ Treasures of Orkney
Meet your Orkney host, an accredited professional Orkney tour guide, for your exploration of the highlights of Orkney’s West Mainland and South Isles. View spectacular panoramas as you travel south along historic Scapa Flow, a safe harbour used by the Vikings during their occupation of Orkney, and also by the Royal Navy during both World Wars. Cross the first of the Churchill Barriers, a series of causeways linking five Orkney Islands together to the tiny island of Lambholm, where you will find the marvellous Italian Chapel built by prisoners of war during World War II and today one of Orkney's most visited and most beloved sites.
Then, allow your imagination to soar as you are transported 5,000 years back in time when you travel west for visits to the remarkable World Heritage sites of Orkney’s Neolithic Heartland, including the Ring of Brodgar, a magnificent circle of upright stones with an outer ditch built more than 4,500 years ago; the ceremonial Standing Stones of Stenness, part of what was originally a ring of twelve tall stones erected in the form of an ellipse, dating back to 3,000 BC; and Skara Brae, truly awe-inspiring and the best-preserved prehistoric village in northern Europe.
Return to Stromness and depart Orkney on late afternoon ferry sailing to Scrabster.
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