Orkney at golden hour. Dramatic, wild, and closer than most people think.
Most people planning a Scottish escape reach for the same map. The Highlands. The Cairngorms. Maybe Skye on a good day
and those places are wonderful — no argument there. But somewhere in all that planning, Orkney gets quietly overlooked.
Considered too far, too remote, too much effort.
That’s exactly why it’s so special.
Orkney sits just off the northern tip of mainland Scotland, separated from it by the Pentland Firth — one of the world’s
most powerful tidal straits. And yet, it’s surprisingly easy to reach: a short flight from Edinburgh, Glasgow or Inverness,
or a ferry crossing that’s genuinely part of the experience. Cross that water, and you’ve stepped into a place that feels
entirely its own. A place where ancient history, wild landscapes, and a remarkable quietness all exist at once.
“Orkney is a place where time moves differently. You feel it almost as soon as you arrive.”
The crossing to Orkney. Part of the adventure.
A Landscape Like Nowhere Else
Forget the image of Scotland you might have in your head — misty glens, dark pines, steep rocky peaks. Orkney is something
else entirely. It’s an archipelago of 70 islands, most of them low-lying and green, swept by Atlantic winds and ringed with
dramatic sea cliffs, white sand beaches, and water in colours you’d expect to find much further south.
The light here is extraordinary. Long summer evenings where dusk barely arrives before dawn begins again. Winters that are
short on daylight but long on atmosphere — stormy skies, roaring seas, and fireside evenings that feel completely earned.
The Orkney coastline — Atlantic light, emerald headlands, wild sea.
There’s a wildness here that doesn’t feel hostile. It’s inviting. The kind of scenery that makes you want to walk further
than you planned, stay outside a little longer, and keep looking over your shoulder at the view.
5,000 Years of History (And It Shows)
Here’s the thing about Orkney that always stops visitors in their tracks: it’s home to some of the best-preserved prehistoric
sites in all of Europe. Not tucked away in museums — actually in the ground, out in the open, where they’ve been for
thousands of years.
East Mainland Orkney. Every field hides thousands of years of history.
Skara Brae is a Stone Age village that is considered to be older than Stonehenge and the Pyramids, uncovered by a storm
in 1850 after being buried for 4,500 years. You can peer into the stone-built homes, see the furniture — still standing — and
feel the weight of all that time in a way that’s genuinely difficult to describe. The Ring of Brodgar, a breathtaking
stone circle on a narrow strip of land between two lochs, has the same effect. Stand there at dusk and you’d be forgiven for
feeling that the people who built these places weren’t so different from us.
The Ring of Brodgar – incredibly atmospheric at the best of times, but witnessed at night accompanied by the haunting
movements of the aurora borealis (known locally as the “Merry Dancers”) takes this to another level entirely…….
Maeshowe is a chambered tomb aligned so precisely that the setting midwinter sun shines directly
down its passage to illuminate the back wall. Built in 2800 BC. The Vikings who broke in centuries later left graffiti.
It’s all just there. Part of the landscape. Part of life in Orkney.
ORKNEY AT A GLANCE
• Over 70 islands, 20 of them inhabited
• Heart of Neolithic Orkney is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Skara Brae is said to predate both Stonehenge and the Great Pyramid
• Regular flights from Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness
• Ferry from Scrabster or Gills Bay to Stromness or St Margaret’s Hope
• Northern Lights visible from Orkney in winter months
Kirkwall: More Than Just a Stopover
Kirkwall is Orkney’s capital, and it’s quietly brilliant. Most people treat it as a base rather than a destination,
which means they walk through it quickly and miss the point. Slow down and it rewards you.
Kirkwall town centre — flagstone streets, independent shops, and 900 years of history.
St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall. Built in 1137. Still very much in use.
The narrow flagstone streets around St Magnus Cathedral — a 12th-century Norse masterpiece still very
much in use — are lined with independent shops, jewellers, and cafés. The silversmiths here are worth seeking out:
skilled craftspeople making jewellery inspired by the coastline and Norse heritage, with techniques passed down through
generations.
Orkney silversmiths — Viking-inspired craft, still very much alive.
And if you’re someone who enjoys a good dram, Kirkwall has two distilleries — producing some of Scotland’s most distinctive
whiskies and gins. The Orkney Brewery is on the main pedestrian street and offers fifteen-plus locally made beers to sample
in-store. An afternoon doing the rounds here counts as cultural enrichment. We’re standing by that.
Orkney whisky. Two main distilleries, both worth visiting, plus two additional distilleries including gin.
Orkney seafood. Freshly caught, beautifully cooked.
The food scene punches well above what you’d expect for an island of this size. Fresh seafood, local produce, and a
real pride in what the islands grow and catch. From proper fish and chips by the harbour to inventive restaurants
making the most of what’s on the doorstep — Orkney is genuinely good value for food lovers.
STAY IN KIRKWALL
King Street Retreat
A beautifully appointed townhouse right in the heart of Kirkwall — steps from St Magnus Cathedral, the distilleries,
the waterfront, and everything the capital has to offer. The perfect base for exploring Orkney’s mainland, with all
the space and comfort of a private home. Nothing to book, nothing to share — just yours for the duration.
View Property & Check Availability →
Out to Eday: When You’re Ready to Really Switch Off
Mainland Orkney is wonderful. But if you’re after something even more remote — the kind of peace that you don’t find
unless you properly seek it out — the outer islands are in a different category entirely.
Eday is one of Orkney’s north isles, a small island of perhaps 150 residents where the biggest decisions of the day for you
will be which beach to walk and whether to eat before or after the seals come in. There are ancient cairns and standing
stones here too. There are also puffins.
Eday puffins. Worth the ferry alone.
Grey seals on the Orkney shore — a regular sight from the coast.
Eday rewards the kind of traveller who’s not trying to tick off a list. The ones who find a beach, sit down, and only
realise an hour has passed when the light changes. The wildlife here is extraordinary — seals hauled out on rocks, seabirds
everywhere, and with any luck, orcas passing through the sound between the islands in summer. Bring binoculars. Use them
constantly.
The Isle of Eday. As remote and peaceful as Scotland gets.
We have three properties on Eday — for different group sizes, budgets, and appetites for luxury. All of them have one
thing in common: that overwhelming sense of space and silence that you just can’t manufacture.
STAY ON THE ISLE OF EDAY
Luxury Coastal Retreat
Spacious, beautifully finished, with sea views that genuinely stop you mid-sentence. The flagship Eday escape — ideal for
those who want remote island life without giving anything up.
View Property & Check Availability →
STAY ON THE ISLE OF EDAY
Spacious beachfront villa
Charming, characterful, and wonderfully intimate. Perfect for couples or families wanting real island life —
without the noise of anywhere more popular.
View Property & Check Availability →
The Northern Lights. Yes, From Scotland.
Here’s a fact that surprises people: Orkney is one of the best places in the UK to see the Northern Lights. It’s far enough
north, dark enough in winter, and with enough open horizon to give the aurora the stage it deserves.
The Northern Lights over Orkney. No guarantees — but when it happens, unforgettable.
Solar activity has been particularly strong in recent years, and sightings across Orkney — on both the mainland and the outer isles
— have become more frequent. There are no guarantees, of course. The aurora does as it pleases. But standing outside on a clear
Orkney night (especially from September to April), watching the sky shift from black to green to violet above the water, is the kind
of thing that gets filed permanently under unforgettable.
Winter in Orkney isn’t a consolation prize for missing the summer. It’s a completely different — and arguably more
atmospheric — experience. Shorter days, longer evenings, roaring fires, and a world outside that feels dramatic and
alive in a way that summer softens.
“A clear Orkney night, the sky shifting from black to green to violet above the water. Filed permanently under unforgettable.”
So Why Do Most People Overlook Orkney?
Honestly? Because it requires a little more intention than driving a little further past Loch Lomond along the A82 and
pulling into a car park at Glencoe. You have to make a decision to go to Orkney. To book the flight, or commit to the
long (but rewarding) road trip and ferry crossing, or planning the island hopping out to Eday.
And that decision — that small act of choosing somewhere that demands a little more of you — is exactly what makes the
difference. The places that take a little more effort tend to give a lot more back.
Orkney has been here for five thousand years. It’s not going anywhere. But it is waiting to welcome you with all that its
rich history and friendly people have to offer…
One of the ferries that sail to Orkney. Make the decision. You won’t regret it.
PLAN YOUR ORKNEY ESCAPE
Four properties. One extraordinary destination.
From a Kirkwall townhouse in the heart of the action to remote coastal retreats on the Isle of Eday — we have the perfect
base for your Orkney adventure.