One of the most interesting places in Scotland, the Orkney Islands offer a mix of outstandingly rugged coastal scenery teeming with bird and sea-life, the greatest single collection of pre-historic remains in the World, a land steeped in Viking history, and contemporary sites dating from the two great World Wars. Our tour departs from and returns to Inverness and we make the most of the sightseeing opportunities en route to the islands through Europe's last great wilderness region.

Tour Inclusions
• 3 nights in unique & traditional accommodation
• Orkney ferry transfers
• Driver/Guide companion
• All mini-coach transportation
• Full Scottish cooked breakfast daily
• Three-course evening meals x 1
Entrance fees as listed:

• Maeshowe
• Broch of Gurness
• Earl's Palace Kirkwall
• Bishop's Palace Kirkwall

Thu 27 May, 2010 - Sun 30 May, 2010 (3 nights)Thu 10 Jun, 2010 - Sun 13 Jun, 2010 (3 nights)Thu 24 Jun, 2010 - Sun 27 Jun, 2010 (3 nights)Thu 8 Jul, 2010 - Sun 11 Jul, 2010 (3 nights)Thu 22 Jul, 2010 - Sun 25 Jul, 2010 (3 nights)Thu 19 Aug, 2010 - Sun 22 Aug, 2010 (3 nights)Thu 2 Sep, 2010 - Sun 5 Sep, 2010 (3 nights)Thu 16 Sep, 2010 - Sun 19 Sep, 2010 (3 nights)

Itinerary:

Day 1 Orkney
Departing from Inverness, we enjoy a journey through Europe's last great wilderness to be astounded by its stark beauty. Highlights include the Dornoch and Cromarty Firths and the tidal expanse of Loch Fleet where we might catch sight of the seals. We see historic sites such as Dunrobin Castle and the ninety foot high statue of the First Duke of Sutherland (notorious for the 19th century Clearances of the Highlands), as well as some of the small fishing and crafting settlements of this remote region.
 

Arriving at Scotland's northern-most tip, we catch the early-evening ferry to the Orkney Islands. The ferry trip is stunning in the setting sun as we pass by that famous sea stack, The Old Man of Hoy.
(B)

 

Day 2 Orkney
Orkney is perhaps most renowned for its amazing archaeological sites, and we go back in time to explore the Neolithic stone circles of the Ring of Brodgar and the Stones of Stenness. We enter the tomb of Maeshowe to see the artefacts left by Stone Age man. Then to Skara Brae, a collection of ten stone-age houses occupied from about 3100 to 2500 BC, which were only discovered in 1850. Travelling through the beautiful island landscapes, where birds and flowers are abundant, we also travel on through time and explore how the Picts lived. Their huge fortified brochs are scattered throughout the islands but we can get inside one at Gurness. The Vikings are also much in evidence, and for several hundred years from around 700 AD the country was under Norse rule, most place names still reflecting the Norse heritage. When the tide goes out, we can walk ‘across the Atlantic' to the tidal island of the Brough of Birsay and visit the remains of the Viking village. This is also a great area for watching seabirds on the cliffs, and we are almost guaranteed a puffin or two! We hear the tales from the saga of how Earl Magnus was slain by his cousin, and see the little church where he was originally buried and where miracles were said to happen.
(B)

 

Day 3 Orkney
Today we spend some time in the former Viking settlement of Kirkwall, the main town of the islands, with interesting historical sites such as St Magnus Cathedral, the Earl's Palace, the Bishop's Palace and the Tankerness House Museum - and distilleries! As we travel down through the southern Orkney Isles we come to more recent history - we see Scapa Flow, a huge natural harbour that served as the base for the home naval fleet through two World Wars. As well as being the resting-place of HMS Royal Oak, sunk by a daring German U-Boat, it is also the graveyard of the German High Seas Fleet which was scuttled here at the end of the First World War. Then there's the Italian Chapel, originally a couple of old Nissen huts, decorated in imaginative style by Italian Prisoners of War. If time permits, we might have time to explore more of the rugged beauty of the island, maybe finding some of the tiny mauve flowers with yellow centres, a rare Scottish primrose found only in Orkney, Shetland and Caithness. Tonight we return to our accommodation and a delicious Scottish evening meal.
(B/D)

 

Day 4 Inverness
This morning we catch our ferry back to the mainland, taking advantage of the coastal views. We spend a spectacular day travelling through the wonderfully unspoilt and undiscovered Caithness. Precariously hugging wind-swept cliffs, there are literally hundreds of castle ruins, and we have time to stop at one of the spectacular cliffs between John O'Groats and Wick, such as the Stacks of Duncansby. Also in this area lies the Castle of Mey, summer home of the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. Then we travel back down the eastern Highland seaboard to Inverness at the end of our stunning tour.
(B)

Price

Pick-up/Drop-off Information:
Tour departs at 08.30am and returns (approx) at 5.30pm from:

Glen Mhor Hotel

Ness Bank,

Inverness,

IV2 4SG