Friday 4th October – Tuesday 8th October 2024
On this 4-night/5-day trip, you’ll enjoy daily hikes, breathing in the fresh sea air and marveling at the sweeping views. Spend relaxed evenings savoring hearty food to warm your soul. Wander through the locally-owned craft shops of Kirkwall. The Orkney Isles is one of the best places in the UK to see the Northern Lights, so if the sky is clear, we’ll wrap up warmly and head out under the stars to try and catch a glimpse of the elusive “Mirrie Dancers.”
Meet your friendly Wilderness Guide Fiona in Inverness and transfer north to begin your adventure! Our journey to the Orkney Islands follows the north-east coast of the Highlands and onwards over the Pentland Firth. We reach Orkney this afternoon where we’ll enjoy a short clifftop walk, offering superb views over Scapa Flow, Flotta and Hoy. Continuing on to Kirkwall, there’ll be time for a quick orientation tour so you can get acquainted with the picturesque streets and independent shops. Arriving at our hotel this evening, there is time to settle in before enjoying a welcome dinner to toast the start of your trip.
Overnight: Kirkwall | The Lynnfield
Meals Included: Lunch and Dinner
Walk Details: 3 km / 2 miles
Today our walk starts at the Gloup, a partially collapsed sea cave, which gets its name from the sound the sea makes as it rushes in and out of the cave. From there, we head north along the coast to Mull Head to watch the restless sea and ever-changing skies. At sunset, we head to the heart of Neolithic Orkney to visit a World Heritage Site, the Ring of Brodgar. Placed in the centre of a massive natural cauldron formed by the surrounding hills, the stones have stood firm through sunshine and storms, withstanding the elements for thousands of years. We’ll appreciate quiet moments as we watch the last of the light cast long shadows as the sun sinks below the horizon.
Overnight: Kirkwall | The Lynnfield
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Walk Details: 10 km / 6 miles
This morning starts with a visit to the Stone Age village of Skara Brae, discovered in 1850 after a storm cleared away the sand dunes that were covering it. Built 5,000 years ago – long before Stonehenge or the Egyptian pyramids – Skara Brae is the best-preserved Neolithic settlement in Western Europe. After exploring, we’ll head out onto the cliff tops to hike to the impressive Yesnaby Castle sea stack. As we walk, watch the powerful waves roll in from the Atlantic throwing themselves against the rocks as the gulls hang at eye level in thermals that rush up the cliff sides. It’s easy to see how these powerful elements hid an entire village and then revealed it again all those years later. Back in Kirkwall there’ll be more time to explore its historic centre.
Overnight: Kirkwall | The Lynnfield
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Walk Details: 10 km / 6 miles
A short drive along the edge of Scapa Flow takes us to Houton where we catch the ferry to the Island of Hoy. A beautiful and dramatic walk takes us to the famous Old Man of Hoy sea stack and some of Britain’s highest sea cliffs. Here we watch the seabirds wheeling in the wind and shags drying their outstretched wings. Returning to Rackwick Bay, keep an eye out for hunting hen harriers and the white winter coat of mountain hares.
Overnight: Kirkwall | The Lynnfield
Walk Details: 10 km / 6 miles
After breakfast this morning, we’ll take one last walk on the beach and then visit the Italian Chapel, two Nissen huts converted into a place of worship by prisoners of war. Heading to the ferry terminal, we’ll return to the mainland and onwards to Inverness via the rugged but spectacular coastal scenery of the northern tip of Scotland.
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch
Walk Details: 14 km / 9 miles
UK: +44 (0)1479 420 020
US: 866 740 3890
Your guide will meet you at Inverness Train Station at 9:00 am on the first day of your trip.
You will be returned to Inverness Train Station at 5:00 pm on the final day of your trip.
Holm Road, St Ola |
Kirkwall |
Orkney |
KW15 1SU |
Scotland
Phone: +44 (0)1856 872505
Web: lynnfield.co.uk
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Contact Number: +44 (0) 7708 405 151
Enthusiastic | Curious | Friendly
My 1 year in Scotland studying for my Masters’s degree has turned into a 27-year love affair full of adventure and fun. I was lucky to work for 15 years full-time in nature conservation and land management across Scotland. More recently I have combined ecology fieldwork with being a mountain leader and tour guide across the Highlands and Islands. I’m also an Overseas Expedition Leader and I particularly enjoy introducing young people to outdoor adventure.
I get great pleasure from the variety of landscapes and wildlife we enjoy in Scotland, whether it’s awesome and challenging mountain adventures or a quiet interaction with nature. I qualified as an STGA Green Badge Tour Guide in 2016 and have become beguiled by the history and culture of this amazing place.
Despite the amazing variety in Scotland, the Cairngorms remain my special place especially when they have their coat of snow and ice.
I was a professional chocolate research scientist, working in the Cadbury-Schweppes labs for 6 months. I retain a strong interest in Chocolate as a key adventure fuel!
Friday 4th October – Tuesday 8th October 2024
