To Stay or Not to Stay in Orkney

Can't help with Orkney.

I day-tripped to Plockton last summer and noticed that it doesn't have a food store--just a very few shelves of staples inside one of the local cafes/restaurants. Thought you'd like to know in case you want to arrive with some basic provisions. There's a supermarket in Kyle of Lochalsh.

I visited Orkney as an organised day tour from John o’Groats, which was excellent. This was enough time to see the highlights, but you can obviously see more the longer you stay. It has an interesting WW2 history that the tour explains.

Also worth seeing in the area are the Castle of Mey and Mary Ann’s Cottage in Dunnet, very different homes of two contemporary ladies.

We spent 2 nights in Orkney and loved every minute of our time there. There's plenty to see and do. If you can manage the extra time there, I think you will like it.

We had 3 nights/2 days in Orkney, before heading towards Skye. Archaeological sights were the main attraction, but we needed a day for south of Kirkwall (including Tomb of the Eagles site), and a very long day for west and north - including dinner in Stromness. And to reach beyond Mainland and what was linked by the Churchill Barriers, we’d have taken more time, if we’d had it.

Our lodging place in 2016 got bought up and redeveloped in the past 2 years, so is sadly no longer available, or I’d recommend it in an instant. Stay at least a night or two - Orkney has lots to experience!

Our group of 6 spent 7 nights on Orkney 2 years ago in a self catered house in Kirkwall. For me, the sites are not doable in a day. We had a pretty relaxed visit admittedly, but could still go back and see some of the things we missed. Besides the archeological sites, there are whisky distilleries (Highland Park and Scapa), a wonderful gin and vodka distillery (Deerness), and we simply drove and hiked all over. My husband and I also took the ferry over to Hoy and took a WW1 tour. Orkney is lovely.

Orkney is much more than the Neolithic, although those sites are amazing. In addition to the Big Four Neolithic places, check out the Viking settlement at the Broch of Birsay, then head over to the Iron Age Broch of Gurness. In Kirkwall, be sure to see not just the St. Magnus Cathedral (Romanesque/Gothic transitional architecture with a fantastic story of the bones of St. Magnus supposed to have been buried inside—a nice myth that was proved real when they found a skeleton inside a pillar during renovations 100 years ago), but the two ruined palaces across the street. The WWII Italian POWs built the amazing Italian Chapel that wows you with the masterpiece that is the interior. Not to mention all the shopping!!

And that’s just on the main island. We never made it to Rousay or Hoy in the three full days we were there, even though I really wanted to.

Well obviously it is up to you how you spend your trip, but I've been to Orkney twice, for a week each time and still feel that I have not seen everything.

Best wishes
Jacqui (Skyegirl)