5 Days | Whisky and Neolithic history in UK’s northern reaches
The Orkneys, off the northern tip of Scotland, are well and truly alive with histories and mysteries to discover by land and sea. Spend five days experiencing the best of the Orkney Islands, departing from the highland hub of Inverness, and using Kirkwall as your base. Admire the Neolithic town of Skara Brae that predates Stonehenge, get well off the tourist trail on a leisurely coastal walk on Island of Hoy, and bookend your days with plenty of local history and perhaps some whisky tastings at local pubs along the way. With a local leader full of knowledge and a group as eager to learn as you, this slice of European history has never been so enticing.
Trip overview
- Start
- Inverness, United Kingdom
- Finish
- Inverness, United Kingdom
- Theme
- Explorer
- Destinations
- United Kingdom
- Physical rating
- Indicates how physically exerting a trip is, and how fit you will need to be to enjoy it. More info on physical ratings
- Style
- Original
- Ages
- Min 15
- Group size
- Min 1 - Max 12
- Trip code
- BWSO
- The Orkney Islands are teeming with historic sites to explore. The Neolithic township of Skara Brae, the renowned Ring of Brodgar and 12th-century St Magnus Cathedral – it’s like you’ve been transported back in time!
- Join your group leader on a walking tour of Kirkwall – Orkney’s main centre. They’ll be able to share with you the history and traditions behind the game of ‘Ba’ in town.
- Spend the morning discovering the island of Hoy and famous Scapa Flow Museum, showcasing objects never seen before alongside favourite exhibits telling the story of Scapa Flow as centre of the British naval universe during both world wars.
- What’s Scotland without a tipple? Be sure to join your local leader and group of travellers throughout the trip at a corner pub, tasting some of the finest whiskies on offer.
- With plenty of time dedicated to exploring at your own pace, you can dial up the history, or instead, balance it all out with some distillery visits. You’ve got the power to choose.
- Please ensure you consult your local government’s advice regarding domestic travel prior to booking this trip.
- Scotland can be cold at night throughout the year, especially at the start and end of the season. Please bring appropriate clothing for adverse weather conditions, including base layers, hat, gloves, scarf, waterproof clothes/umbrella and anything else that you think may be applicable.
- As accommodation on this trip is twin share, single travellers will share a room with another traveller of the same gender. This trip is a great opportunity to get to know other like-minded people, so embrace it while you can. However, if you’d prefer not to share, a single room supplement is available at an additional charge (some exceptions may apply). Please ask your travel consultant for more details. Also, hotels in Europe can seem small by Australian or American standards, and often don't have double beds, but rather two single beds that can be pushed together/apart.
View the itinerary for departures between 01 January 2025 - 31 December 2025
Itinerary
Inclusions
4 breakfasts, 1 lunch
Train, Public bus, Private vehicle, Taxi, Ferry, On foot
Guesthouse (4 nights)
- 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
- Island of Hoy - Coastal Walk - Free
Dates and availability
Important notes
1.A single supplement is available if you’d prefer not to share a room on this trip. The single supplement applies to all nights of your trip and is subject to availability. Please speak to your booking agent for further information.
2.This trip starts at 1pm in the ticket hall of Inverness Railway Station on Day 1. Afterwards, your group will immediately depart for Kirkwall. This trip finishes upon arrival in Inverness on Day 5 at approximately 5pm. Please consider this when booking onward travel.
3.Please note that the journey from Inverness to the Orkney Islands and vice versa is quite long (approx 7.5 hours), involving a train, taxi, ferry and local bus. Our arrival into Kirkwall on day 1 will be at around 9:30pm and arrival back into Inverness on the last day will be at around 5pm.
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