Orkney Island Holidays

Special Holidays

Orkney and Shetland Combination Holiday

Costs include

Full board ensuite accommodation, Transport within Orkney & Shetland, Ferry between Orkney and Shetland with twin cabin, Daily excursions as per itinerary, Comprehensive Guiding, Entrance fees.

Extra costs

Travel to Orkney and return travel from Shetland, Tips to Hotel staff at your discretion, Personal insurance, Extras for packed lunch top ups as you require, Things of a purely personal nature.

Orkney & Shetland Holiday Highlights

Orkney Island Holidays - Maalies Red-throated divers, storm petrels, wetland & moorland birds, huge sea bird cliffs. Carpets of colourful wild flowers and rarities like Primula scotica and orchid. Spectacular rock formations with differing geological histories. Long sandy beaches, peace & tranquility. Orkney's World Heritage sites including Skara Brae Neolithic Village, Ring of Brodgar, Stones of Stenness and Maeshowe Chambered Cairn. Shetland's Jarlshof, Mousa Broch and Scatness Dig. The long twilight evenings of the simmer dim.

Orkney and Shetland Combination Holiday

Orkney Island Holidays - Jarlshof Experience some of the very best that both Orkney and Shetland has to offer. A two centre Holiday using two lovely Hotels in both Orkney and Shetland with a berth on the Northlink Ferry on the overnight crossing from Orkney to Shetland. You will be guided by experts. This Holiday allows us to share our experience and knowledge of our home islands of Orkney and those of our northern neighbours in Shetland. Louise has been a lifelong fan of Shetland - from the age of ten anyway, visiting for many holidays as a teenager and since 1985 with Paul who is equally enthusiastic.

The approach and mix will be the same as all our Holidays: friendly groups of like-minded individuals, interesting days, peaceful nights, long evenings, both of us on hand. We use good quality hotel accommodation, all with ensuite facilities and each chosen because it has some character within its local setting and is located within easy reach of the sites we plan to visit in that part of Orkney or Shetland.

In summer all the islands' special birds are in residence, and the flowers are abundant. Shetland's history and archaeology show the same influences as those of Orkney with subtle yet significant differences. Seeing both groups of islands adds to the appreciation of all. There will be a little walking, but nothing too arduous. Bring your walking pole!

Specimen Itinerary

(Please note that the itinerary is flexible and may be altered to make best use of weather and other conditions each day. It also gives folk the chance to opt for more or less exercise on some days, as we can often split into two smaller groups.)

Day 1	-	Travel to Orkney and meet in our Hotel in Orkney. Night at an Orkney Hotel.
Day 2	-	World Heritage Archaeology, Skara Brae, Maes Howe, Stones of Stenness, Ring of Brodgar. Sea Bird City in the Orkney West Mainland. Night at an Orkney Hotel.
Day 3	-	The Churchill Barriers, Scapa Flow, the Italian Chapel, flowers, cliffs and birds in South Ronaldsay. Night at an Orkney Hotel.
Day 4	-	Geology and Primula scotica at Yesnaby, plus the Pictish settlement and birdlife on the Brough of Birsay. Night at an Orkney Hotel.
Day 5	-	Broch of Gurness, moorland birds and plants, historical farm. Meal at Hotel then overnight ferry to Shetland.
Day 6	-	Arrive in Lerwick, Shetland. Breakfast on ferry. Soapstone Quarry and wild flowers. Sumburgh Head RSPB sea cliff Reserve. Jarlshof archaeology. We will attempt to visit the island of Mousa one night depending on weather, to see the World famous Broch and its breeding stormie petrels, aka alamootie, or oily squirts! Night at a Shetland Hotel.
Day 7	-	Exploring many interesting sites for archaeology and wildlife in South Shetland, such as Scatness dig; Dunrossness Croft House Museum; St. Ninian's Isle; Spiggie Loch RSPB reserve & Peerie Voe. Night at a Shetland Hotel.
Day 8	-	An options day. Either a day out walking on the Isle of Noss National Nature Reserve to see spectacular sea cliffs, full of sea birds. Or a mystery tour of special sites in West Mainland. Night at a Shetland Hotel.
Day 9	-	Visit to Scalloway, ancient capital of Shetland, and base for the wartime Shetland Bus, displayed in Scalloway Museum. Then on by Tingwall Loch Norse Ting site and Mavis Grind to Eshaness geological scenic area. Choice of longer or shorter walk along fascinating cliffs. Night at a Shetland Hotel.
Day 10	-	Holiday ends after breakfast. At a Shetland Hotel.