Going to Orkney
Jul. 16th, 2012 10:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wellinghallI am often asked ... two or three people have asked me ... someone mentioned it once ... how to get to Orkney.
You need to start from mainland Scotland*. There are then four airports and four ferry ports you can use, making seven** altogether. The airports are Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness; the ferry ports are Aberdeen, Gills Bay, John O'Groats*** and Scrabster.
This means that, unless you are one of the 1% of my FList who live in Scotland, you first need to get to Scotland. If you want to take the car over, that means driving up, either to Aberdeen or to the north coast. But if, like me, you would rather gnaw your own leg off than drive all that way, you will need to find some other way.
This could be bus, train or plane. Bus will take forever. Train will be quicker, and can be fun, but I wouldn't advise going north of Aberdeen that way, otherwise it too will take forever. The flights from mainland Scotland to Orkney are all operated by Flybe for Loganair, under a codeshare-type arrangement with BA. So if you can fly up to Scotland with Flybe or BA, the ticketing should be easier. But whichever way you go, you can expect the flights to be expensive (or, more likely, very expensive).
The ferry from Scrabster takes you to Stromness, Orkney's second town; from Gills Bay to St Margaret's Hope, the largest village in the south isles; from John O'Groats to Burray, and a bus to Kirkwall; from Aberdeen to Hatston ferry terminal, a mile and a half out of Kirkwall, late at night, but with a bus into the centre. Kirkwall airport is a few miles the other side of Kirkwall, with busses and taxis into town.
Next - possibly - what to do while you're there.
*Or Shetland. Or, in the summer, Bergen.
**Yes, that does add up.
***Foot passengers only; also connects with a bus service from Inverness, and with a bus service to Kirkwall at the other end.
You need to start from mainland Scotland*. There are then four airports and four ferry ports you can use, making seven** altogether. The airports are Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness; the ferry ports are Aberdeen, Gills Bay, John O'Groats*** and Scrabster.
This means that, unless you are one of the 1% of my FList who live in Scotland, you first need to get to Scotland. If you want to take the car over, that means driving up, either to Aberdeen or to the north coast. But if, like me, you would rather gnaw your own leg off than drive all that way, you will need to find some other way.
This could be bus, train or plane. Bus will take forever. Train will be quicker, and can be fun, but I wouldn't advise going north of Aberdeen that way, otherwise it too will take forever. The flights from mainland Scotland to Orkney are all operated by Flybe for Loganair, under a codeshare-type arrangement with BA. So if you can fly up to Scotland with Flybe or BA, the ticketing should be easier. But whichever way you go, you can expect the flights to be expensive (or, more likely, very expensive).
The ferry from Scrabster takes you to Stromness, Orkney's second town; from Gills Bay to St Margaret's Hope, the largest village in the south isles; from John O'Groats to Burray, and a bus to Kirkwall; from Aberdeen to Hatston ferry terminal, a mile and a half out of Kirkwall, late at night, but with a bus into the centre. Kirkwall airport is a few miles the other side of Kirkwall, with busses and taxis into town.
Next - possibly - what to do while you're there.
*Or Shetland. Or, in the summer, Bergen.
**Yes, that does add up.
***Foot passengers only; also connects with a bus service from Inverness, and with a bus service to Kirkwall at the other end.
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Date: 2012-07-16 10:31 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2012-07-16 11:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-07-17 06:07 am (UTC)I wouldn't start from here
Date: 2012-07-17 06:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-07-17 06:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-07-17 07:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-07-17 07:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-07-17 07:34 am (UTC)The main issue is that I am conflating the cost of "flying to Scotland" with the cost of "flying from Scotland to Orkney".
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Date: 2012-07-17 07:35 am (UTC)Re: I wouldn't start from here
Date: 2012-07-17 07:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-07-17 07:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-07-17 09:12 am (UTC)First, you get yourself to Lerwick, requiring either a long ferry trip, or a flight to Sumburgh and a 20ish mile drive or bus. Then you (continue to) drive or bus another 20ish miles to the end of the Shetland mainland and catch the ferry to Yell. There, you bus or drive again for another 17 miles to the other end of that isle, whereupon you get another ferry to Unst. It's another ten miles to the arse end of Unst, which is on a rather grim exposed hill where there used to be a radar station that fed into NATO command. Said hill has the dubious claim to fame of holding the UK's unofficial wind speed record - accounts vary, as does the claimed speed (177-202mph), but there seems little doubt that several anemometers and radar heads have blown away over the years...
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Date: 2012-07-17 09:20 am (UTC)We haven't quite been to the northern tip of Unst, to Muckle Flugga, or to Out Stack, though. Yet.
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Date: 2012-07-17 09:25 am (UTC)Re: I wouldn't start from here
Date: 2012-07-17 09:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-07-17 09:33 am (UTC)[And that is including paying 12 pounds for a seat reservation, which is clearly stupid, just because I'm addicted to looking out of the window on planes]
I wonder if Brum to Inverness is a fairly generally useful route, and you end up paying tourist prices for the bit out to the islands?
Re: I wouldn't start from here
Date: 2012-07-17 09:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-07-17 09:42 am (UTC)Re: I wouldn't start from here
Date: 2012-07-17 10:04 am (UTC)Re: I wouldn't start from here
Date: 2012-07-17 11:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-07-17 11:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-07-17 11:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-07-17 11:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-07-17 04:51 pm (UTC)When I did my driving tour of Scotland a couple of years back, the far northwest was the bit I regret not having more time for. http://philmophlegm.livejournal.com/119973.html