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Group Travel Tour Operator and DMC for Scotland

Orkney Islands Explorer

  • The Italian Chapel on Lamb Holm, Orkney ©VisitOrkney, Colin Keldie

    Orkney Islands, Scotland
  • The harbour at Kirkwall ©VisitScotland, Paul Tomkins

    Kirkwall, Orkney, Scotland
  • Stromness Harbour, Orkney, Scotland ©VisitScotland, Kenny Lam

    Orkney Islands
  • Skaill House - 17th century mansion home of Laird William Graham ©VisitScotland, Kenny Lam

    Skaill House, Orkney, Scotland
6 day tour
From £685 per person - minimum 20 passengers

Where the road ends – the adventure begins!

Skaill House, Orkney, Scotland – 17th century mansion home of Laird William Graham (213856) ©VisitScotland, Kenny Lam EXPIRES 06.07.2025Discover the true wilderness of Scotland on this fascinating tour of the Archipelagos; Orkney. A collection of islands North-East of the Scottish mainland with a plethora of history and captivating scenery. Furthermore, you’ll be sure to enjoy the vibrant rich culture and the warmest of welcomes by the islanders.

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The Audacious Orkney Islands

Arriving in Stromness on the ferry from Scrabster you’ll be treated to something very special – a view of the old stone town that’s unparalleled. Sailing into the Bay of Hamnavoe, this famous seaport has remained unchanged in centuries, retaining its original maritime charm with narrow winding streets, terraces of houses and steep passageways all leading to its iconic waterfront and harbour. Furthermore, you’ll have plenty of time to see the magnificent capital; Kirkwall. Orkney’s vibrant capital remains a Viking town at heart, with a skyline dominated by the magnificent 12th century Norse cathedral of St Magnus. The Norse adventurers who founded the settlement 1,000 years ago called Kirkwall ‘Kirkjuvagr’, meaning ‘Church on the bay’. You’ll find a town centre supporting an incredibly diverse and distinctive range of businesses.  The town officially has Scotland’s Most Beautiful High Street too, winning a public vote in 2019.

Don’t miss this is incredible tour of these wonderful islands and get in touch today and start exploring!


Dates

Dates throughout 2022 & 2023


Suggested itinerary by coach

Day 1

Travel to Scotland

Travel from your local area to the Scottish Highlands for your overnight stay. Anyone travelling from the south of England we can incorporate two overnights enroute to Gills Bay near Scrabster. Travel along this wonderfully scenic route the East coast of Scotland, why not make a stop in the old town of Dornoch or to include a visit to the imposing Dunrobin Castle home to the Duke of Sutherland.

Day 2

Travel to Orkney

After breakfast head North along the beautiful East coast of Northern Scotland arriving at Gills Bay in time for the 13:30hrs ferry taking you over to Orkney. This is only a 1 hour sailing so make the most of this mysterious and intriguing island this afternoon before checking into the Kirkwall hotel, your home for the next 3 nights. Enjoy dinner in the evening.

Day 3

WWII & Skara Brae

After breakfast at the hotel meet your guide who will join your coach for an informative day on the island discovering The Churchill Barriers, this construction of which was ordered by Winston Churchill after the tragic torpedoing of the battleship the Royal Oak in Scapa Flow during 1939.  A visit will also be made to the Italian Chapel, the miracle of camp 60, which was built by Italian prisoners of war during WW2.  On then to Skara Brae which was discovered after a storm in 1850, this ancient settlement is older than Stonehenge and has preserved rooms providing you with a unique insight into prehistoric human living.

Day 4

Skaill House & Ring of Brodgar

After a leisurely breakfast enjoy another interesting morning visiting what is said to be the finest mansion on the island Skaill House steeped in 5000 years of history, after this visit continue to the Ring of Brodgar to view the standing stones reminiscent of those at Stonehenge having been constructed around 2500 – 2000BC.

Day 5

Return to Mainland Scotland

Say farewell to this wonderous island today and join the ferry back to Gills Bay. Enjoy the dramatic Scottish scenery as you drive southwards stopping for an overnight in the central belt area. Overnights will once again be booked depending on your base.

Day 6

Return home

After breakfast start your homeward journey.


Suggested Hotel

The Kirkwall Hotel***

The Kirkwall Hotel is perfectly situated within the historic town of Kirkwall, on the picturesque harbour front, close to the marina and the main shopping area with stunning views to the north. Located in one of Orkney’s finest Victorian Buildings, the hotel has 37 en-suite rooms with a great range of facilities, our excellent harbour view restaurant offering an extensive menu featuring the best local produce has to offer, relaxing lounge, function rooms, lounge bar and public bar. Free onsite parking is available.


You may also be interested in:

The Wild West – Scotland’s Dramatic Coast

Aberdeen Cattle & Castles – NEW TOUR

Loch Ness, Inverness and Skye


Dates 6 days / 5 nights
2022 dates From £685.00 per person
2023 dates Prices on request

Single room supplement available upon request.

Price may vary depending on number of overnight stays required.

All prices are per person based on sharing a double or twin room and with one free place for a coach driver or group organiser in a single room, both are based on a minimum 20 full fare paying passengers. Prices do not include coach hire or travel insurance. Dates are subject to availability. Smaller groups can be quoted for on request. Pictures are for illustrative purposes only. Our website policy is to use only copyright free images or images which have been authorised to us for free use by the owner. If you consider an image to be unauthorised or to be your property, please contact us immediately and if invalid we will have the image removed. If your image requires crediting or is missing a copyright statement then we will be pleased to add this to the webpage, contact us at info@greatdays.co.uk

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Greatdays offer a trade only booking service for coach and tour operators or professional group travel organisers and we can provide single or multiple elements of a holiday.

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Greatdays are able to offer a complete tailor-made booking service for group travel organisers with the help of one of our friendly consultants to assist you through the booking process.

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