Destinations / Orkney & Northern Scotland

Orkney & Northern Scotland

1 itinerary · 0 open departures · 0 missions

Orkney is an archipelago of around 70 islands off the northern tip of Scotland, separated from the mainland by the Pentland Firth. The islands are renowned for some of Europe's finest Neolithic monuments, including the Ring of Brodgar, Skara Brae, and Maeshowe, alongside dramatic coastal scenery, sea cliffs, and abundant wildlife such as puffins, seals, and orcas. Northern Scotland — encompassing Caithness, Sutherland, and the far northwest — is known for its vast, rugged Highland landscapes, ancient castles, and the legendary North Coast 500 scenic driving route. Travellers head here for hiking, wildlife watching, archaeology, and the chance to experience some of the most remote and unspoiled terrain in the British Isles.

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Itineraries

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Save £240 (36% off)

£670 retail with Highland Experience Tours → £430 self-launched

Orkney & Northern Scotland · 3 days

Copycat

Orkney & The Far North: Self-Launched 3-Day Adventure from Inverness

A self-launched version of Highland Experience Tours' 3-day Orkney & Far North loop — same Neolithic wonders, WWII history and Highland scenery, booked independently. You'll take the train/bus north from Inverness to Scrabster or Gills Bay, cross to Orkney by NorthLink or Pentland Ferries, and base yourself in Kirkwall for two nights. All the headline sites (Skara Brae, Maeshowe, the Ring o'Brodgar, Stenness, St Magnus Cathedral, the Italian Chapel and the Churchill Barriers) are reachable by local bus, on foot or with a single local tour — and Dunrobin Castle slots neatly into the return leg. Costs are rough backpacker/budget-traveller estimates in GBP and assume a shared hostel or guesthouse room.

culturehikingslow-travel

Travel Crew

~£430

Missions

Nobody's posted a Mission for Orkney & Northern Scotland yet — which, frankly, is an opportunity.

Wait, what's a Mission?It's not a scheduled trip with dates and a minimum group size like a Departure — it's a goal. Learn to dive, do a Muay Thai camp, live somewhere for a month and work on something, chase one very specific experience. Post it, and other people chasing the same thing find you.

Be the first to post one: "Eat the strangest thing on the menu every single day for a week and document the regret."

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