Orkney Island Holidays

• Accommodation
• Archaeology
• Getting to Orkney
• The Islands
• Wildlife

Orkney Holiday Itineraries

Each Holiday explores a fine blend of interests from birdwatching, wildlife, archaeology, history, to flowers, local people & culture, scenery and weather. The main differences between each Orkney Holiday are the choice of islands visited, the time of year and length of your Holiday. Each itinerary is shown as a guide, and can be altered to make best use of ferry times and special events etc.

Orkney Roamer Holidays

These are very popular Holidays, and especially good for your first visit and introduction to Orkney. You will visit four of the most readily accessible islands in the archipelago. The Holiday explores the Orkney Mainland and what are locally known as the Inner Isles using modern ferry cruises to get there. These are day trips, returning to the same base for all six nights of your Holiday.
In addition to Orkney Mainland, we visit Shapinsay, Rousay and Hoy.
 So you will see a great variety of unique and peaceful islands.

You will be based throughout at one of our favourite Mainland Orkney Hotels.

The accommodation for each Orkney Roamer Holiday will be clear to you on the Dates & Prices page.

For further information on the islands visited on this Holiday, please see the Island Information page.

Orkney Roamer Highlights.

Wonderful wild flowers including Primula scotica.
Exciting Orkney Birds, RSPB reserves and Seals, plus the unexpected.
Fantastic coastal scenery and walks.
Orkney’s World Heritage sites including Skara Brae Neolithic Village, Ring of Brodgar, Stones of Stenness and Maeshowe Chambered Cairn.
Midhowe Tomb and Broch on Rousay.
Scapa Flow, Lyness Naval Museum, Dwarfie Stane and Rackwick in Hoy.
Wetland birds, a special broch and secret places on Shapinsay.
Peace and tranquility, storm & tempest!

“An Orkney Roamer” by Sylvia and Alan Williams, Derby.

In all these isles we’ve had a ball, With our two hosts, Louise and Paul,
Seen nesting birds upon the rocks, Along with seals and cairns and brochs.

Done ferries, islands, heath and shore, Learnt birds we’d never seen before,
Had sun and rain and peace and quiet, And such good food we’ll have to diet!

‘Maths’ with laughter and serious thought To each subject we have brought,
And all of this we managed to get Without going on the Internet!”

Orkney Venturer Holidays

This very popular Holiday not only explores special sites and areas of Mainland Orkney and the Inner Isle of Shapinsay, but ventures further afield to discover the wonders of two of Orkney’s Outer Isles, both Westray and Sanday

All our excursions are day trips, as the Holiday is based at one specially chosen Mainland Orkney Hotel for all six nights.

This Holiday provides you with a really good insight into numerous aspects of Orkney. We will thoroughly explore Orkney Mainland on two days, and make day trips by Orkney Ferries to explore three other islands in the Orkney archipelago, Shapinsay, Sanday and Westray.

On arrival at our island destinations we will do short walks to points of interest and absorb the unique atmosphere of the different islands.

For further information on the islands visited on this Holiday, please see the Island Information page.

Orkney Venturer Highlights.

An exploration of a wide variety of Orkney's islands.
Wonderful wild flowers including Primula scotica, plus seals.
Exciting Orkney Birds & RSPB reserves plus the unexpected.
Fantastic coastal & Moorland scenery and walks.
Orkney's World Heritage sites including Skara Brae Neolithic Village, Ring of Brodgar, Stones of Stenness and Maeshowe Chambered Cairn, or other less-well known but equally well-preserved sites.
Quoyness Tomb & other special places on Sanday.
Spectacular sea cliffs, a Z plan castle, gannets, and puffins on Westray.
Wetland birds, a special broch and secret places on Shapinsay.
Peace and tranquillity, storm & tempest!