Travel and Transportation on Orkney by Air, Sea and Land

By Air:

British Airways operates flights to Kirkwall Airport in Orkney from most airports in the United Kingdom and Europe.

There are a number of direct daily flights to each of the principal Scottish mainland cities of Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Inverness, and excellent links through these airports to other destinations.

There are also flights north to the Shetland Islands.

British Airways (flights to and from Orkney)
Reservations Tel: 0845 773 3377
www.britishairways.com

Loganair (inter-island flights on Orkney)
Reservations Tel: 01856 872 494
www.loganair.co.uk

 

By Sea:

Getting to Orkney by land and a choice of sea ferries is a straightforward exercise. There are three companies that operate ferry services to Orkney from the Scottish mainland.

Northlink operates a daily ro-ro ferry service between Scrabster on the north coast of Scotland and Stromness in Orkney. There are several sailings every day and the crossing takes approximately 1 hour 30 minutes.

Northlink also operates a regular ro-ro service between Kirkwall and Aberdeen, with connections to the Shetland Islands. The company operates brand new ferries built to a very high safety and comfort specification.

Scrabster, on the Scottish mainland, is served by ScotRail (Thurso station) or Scottish Citylink bus service from Inverness.

Two other ferry services operate to Orkney from the Scottish mainland. Pentland Ferries offers a ro-ro service from Gills Bay (Caithness) to St Margaret's Hope (South Ronaldsay). Crossing time is approximately one hour fifteen minutes.

During the summer months, John O'Groats Ferriesoperates a 45 minute passenger only service from John O'Groats to Burwick (South Ronaldsay).

 

NorthLink Orkney & Shetland Ferries Ltd.
Kiln Corner, Ayre Road, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1QX
Tel: 01856 885 500 Fax: 01856 879 588
www.northlinkferries.co.uk

Pentland Ferries
Ro-ro service from Gills Bay (Caithness) to St Margaret's Hope (South Ronaldsay). Crossing time is one hour 15 minutes.
Pier Road, St Margaret's Hope, Orkney KW17 2SW
Tel: 01856 831 226
www.pentlandferries.co.uk

John O' Groats Ferries Ltd.
The Ferry Office, John O' Groats, Caithness, Scotland, KW1 4YR
Tel: 01955 611 353 or 01955 611342 Fax: 01955 611 301

Orkney Ferries
Shore Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1LG
Telephone: 01856 872 044 Fax: 01856 872 921

 

Travel within Orkney

For transport around the islands, Orkney Ferries operates a fleet of ro-ro ferries between Orkney mainland and and all of the smaller islands. (see map showing inter-island ferry routes) In addition, Loganair operates regular, scheduled flights from Kirkwall to six of the North Isles. Orkney has a good network of well-maintained roads, and getting around is no problem. Although the rate of car ownership in Orkney is amongst the highest in the United Kingdom, the roads are quiet and traffic jams are virtually unknown. There are also regular bus services on the mainland of Orkney.

 

Orkney Coaches Ltd
Scotts Road, Hatston Industrial Estate, Kirkwall, KW15 1GR
Tel: 01856 870 555 Fax: 01856 877 501

 

Car Hire

There are a number of established car hire firms in Orkney, many of them acting as agents for the larger multinational companies. For more information, visit the VisitOrkney website.

 

 

 

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Map of Orkney