Scotland's Orkney Islands

About this trip

Exactly what you do each day, where you sleep, and how it flows — written by us, from the real itinerary.

1. 1
   Day 1 · InvernessInverness / Kirkwall / Orkney Islands

   

   Meet your group at Inverness Railway Station and train north to Thurso, then ferry from Scrabster to Orkney. You'll cross the water with views of the Old Man of Hoy—the UK's tallest sea stack—before arriving in Stromness and transferring to Kirkwall for the night.

2. 2
   Day 2 · KirkwallKirkwall / Orkney Islands

   Walk through Kirkwall with your guide to discover its Viking roots, including St Magnus Cathedral from 1137 and the narrow streets where the annual Ba' game happens. The afternoon is free to revisit spots, browse craft shops and museums, or join an optional hike up Wideford Hill for island views.

3. 3
   Day 3 · Orkney IslandsMainland / Kirkwall / Orkney Islands

   Explore Orkney's prehistoric and wartime sites by coach: the Italian Chapel (built from huts by Italian POWs), the Churchill Barriers protecting Scapa Flow from U-boats, and the Stone Age village of Skara Brae. Lunch comes from local Orkney produce at an old schoolhouse.

4. 4
   Day 4 · KirkwallIsland of Hoy/ Kirkwall / Orkney Islands

   Ferry to Hoy, Orkney's second-largest island, to visit the Scapa Flow Museum with its World War naval artifacts. An optional coastal walk offers views back to the mainland; you're back in Kirkwall by early afternoon with free time to rest or explore.

5. 5
   Day 5 · KirkwallKirkwall / Inverness

   Return to Inverness by train and ferry, arriving late afternoon at the railway station where the trip ends. You can arrange extra nights in the Highlands if you want to stay longer in Scotland.

What's included

• Guide: All Intrepid group trips in Europe are accompanied by one of our local European group leaders. ’Local’ in this context means a leader who is European or lives in Europe. The aim of the group leader is to take the hassle out of your travels and to help you have the best trip possible. Intrepid endeavours to provide the services of an experienced leader however, due to the seasonality of travel, rare situations may arise where your leader is new to a particular region or training other group leaders. Your leader takes care of logistics, will provide information on the places you are travelling through, offer suggestions for things to do and see, recommend great local eating venues and introduce you to our local friends. While not being guides in the traditional sense you can expect them to have a broad general knowledge of the places visited on the trip, including historical, cultural, religious and social aspects. At Intrepid we also aim to support local guides in the individual cities or locations we travel to. If you are interested in delving deeper into the local culture at a specific site or location then your leader can recommend an optional local guide service in most of the main destinations of your trip.
• Meals: 4 breakfasts, 1 lunch
• Activities: Kirkwall - Leader-led Walking Tour Orkney Islands - Ring of Brodgar Standing Stones Orkney Islands - Italian Chapel Orkney Islands - Orkney Mainland Day Tour Orkney Islands - Picnic lunch with Local Orkney Produce in an old schoolhouse Orkney Islands - Churchill Barriers & Scapa Flow Orkney Islands - Skara Brae Prehistoric Village Visit Island of Hoy - Day Trip Island of Hoy - Scapa Flow Museum visit
• Transport: TRANSPORT IN SCOTLAND: One of the highlights of this trip is our use of a combination of public and private transportation. Public transport is not only a cost-effective way to travel but also provides a unique glimpse into Scottish life as we traverse picturesque landscapes. Private vehicles, on the other hand, allow us to make frequent stops at intriguing points of interest that may not be reachable via public transport. Need a taxi, no problem, please speak to your group leader should you require a taxi outside of what is included. We believe that this blend of travel options is the ideal approach for exploring Scotland as a group. Train, Public bus, Private vehicle, Taxi, Ferry, On foot
• Accommodation: OCCASIONAL ALTERNATIVE ACCOMMODATION : The style of accommodation indicated in the day-to-day itinerary is a guideline. On rare occasions, alternative arrangements may need to be made due to the lack of availability of rooms in our usual accommodation. A similar standard of accommodation will be used in these instances. TWIN SHARE BASIS : Accommodation on this trip is on a twin/multishare basis. We pair up solo travellers with another traveller of the same gender as per the gender marker on each of their passports. Please note there may be times where facilities will be shared rather than ensuite and rare occasions when you share a room with passengers travelling on different Intrepid trips than your own. CHECK-IN TIME : Throughout the trip we request that our hotels prepare rooms in time for our arrival, especially if we're arriving prior to normal check in time. However this isn't always possible which means we won't be able to check-in immediately on arrival at some hotels. Instead, we can store our luggage and explore our new destination. PRE/POST TRIP ACCOMMODATION : If you've purchased pre-trip or post-trip accommodation (if available), you may be required to change rooms from your trip accommodation for these extra nights. FACILITIES : Your accommodation may not always have private en suite facilities or air-conditioning. European hotels generally don't provide kettles or fridges. Guesthouse (4 nights)

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