Orkney & Shetland Isles

Reaching up towards the Arctic Circle, the Orkney and Shetland islands gather into two distinct and very different clusters. The Orkney archipelago lies just a short step north of the Scottish mainland. With the exception of Hoy, which is high and rugged, these islands are mostly low-lying, gently sloping and richly fertile. Sixty miles further north, Shetland is a complete contrast. Ice-sculpted sea inlets cut deep into the land that rises straight out of the water to rugged, heather-coated hills.

Shetland

Lying 110 miles north of the coast of mainland Scotland, the Shetland Isles are the most northerly outpost of the British Isles. The largest island is known as the “mainland” and the capital, Lerwick, can be reached by ferry (from Aberdeen or Orkney) or by...

Jill McKean 1 min read

Orkney & Shetland Isles

Orkney

The Orkney Islands lie off the northern coast of Scotland and are easily reached either by air or by ferry. There are over 70 islands making up Orkney, and around 20 of those are inhabited. The islands have been inhabited since early times, and today...

Jill McKean 2 min read

Latest News, News, Orkney & Shetland Isles

Italian Chapel Frescoes to be Restored

Fantastic to see the beautiful frescoes in this wee chapel are being restored. Around 500 Italian prisoners of war were brought to the Orkney Islands in the far north of Scotland in 1942 to work on the Churchill Barriers, a series of causeways which link...

Jill McKean 1 min read

Orkney & Shetland Isles

Travel to the far north to tour the Northern Isles of Orkney and Shetland, a landscape of towering cliffs and sea stacks and windswept beaches. Some highlights Time your visit to coincide with Up Helly Aa, the midwinter fire festival which takes place every year...

Jill McKean 1 min read