hello, decided to go up to the orkneys in september, ive found a site on the mainland of the orkneys, and just wondered if anyone has been, and has any experience of visiting the other islands, and staying on the mainland as the base, so generally day trips. also i will be coming up from wakefield just off jct 38 m1, so advised routes would help. dont know whether to do up a1 to edinburgh then to perth and then im stuck, not been further than this going straight up. or glasgow stirling sort of, done this when headed over to fort william/skye. we will need a stop off, in or around perth or a bit further up if theres a gem. thankyou all..thanks steve
orkney mainland, and best route
- Thread starter windsurfingsteve
- Start date
Steve
Better route for you would be A1 to Scotch Corner, over to Penrith, the up M6 M74 to Glasgow then M73 A80 M9 A9 to Perth.
Then it depends which ferry you are getting, if it`s from Aberdeen, follow Dundee then up the A90. If its Scrabster follow the A9. Make sure you keep topped up with fuel, once you start getting further up fuel stops can be many miles apart, especially off peak hours.
Better route for you would be A1 to Scotch Corner, over to Penrith, the up M6 M74 to Glasgow then M73 A80 M9 A9 to Perth.
Then it depends which ferry you are getting, if it`s from Aberdeen, follow Dundee then up the A90. If its Scrabster follow the A9. Make sure you keep topped up with fuel, once you start getting further up fuel stops can be many miles apart, especially off peak hours.
thankyou Phil
we would be going from scrabster, good reminder about the diesel, never thought. i did wonder if the a66 route would be a better option, have you done the a9, is it ok no nasty surprises, thanks again, Steve
we would be going from scrabster, good reminder about the diesel, never thought. i did wonder if the a66 route would be a better option, have you done the a9, is it ok no nasty surprises, thanks again, Steve
Phil is right about the route. Can't advise on campsites but you'll find lots to do. The last few times we've been we took the Gills Bay to St Margarets Hope ferry which is a bit cheaper and shorter.
On Orkney there are lots of inter-island trips possible. The service is very good and frequent especially to the closer islands. Contact "VisitScotland.com" and get the Orkney brochure and the ferry brochure. Historic Scotland do a very reasonable combined ticket for things like Maes Howe, Skara Brae etc. It's free to visit St Magnus Cathedral and the Italian Chapel (this is a must see).
On Orkney there are lots of inter-island trips possible. The service is very good and frequent especially to the closer islands. Contact "VisitScotland.com" and get the Orkney brochure and the ferry brochure. Historic Scotland do a very reasonable combined ticket for things like Maes Howe, Skara Brae etc. It's free to visit St Magnus Cathedral and the Italian Chapel (this is a must see).
....... The A9 is possibly the best mainly single carriageway road in the UK with great scenery.
It presents no problems to the largest HGV.
One tip is that the long modernised sections tend to bypass the towns. There is no problem entering these towns that lie on a loop of the old main road.
After visiting or using the facilities you rejoin the A9 further on.
It presents no problems to the largest HGV.
One tip is that the long modernised sections tend to bypass the towns. There is no problem entering these towns that lie on a loop of the old main road.
After visiting or using the facilities you rejoin the A9 further on.
thankyou
especially the a9 info, also the inter island hoping sounds what we are after, cant wait now, ive sent for the brochure, and looked at the ferry cost, but its a bit confusing, or its a rip off, but ive emailed them for clarification... so heres hoping..thanks again, Steve
especially the a9 info, also the inter island hoping sounds what we are after, cant wait now, ive sent for the brochure, and looked at the ferry cost, but its a bit confusing, or its a rip off, but ive emailed them for clarification... so heres hoping..thanks again, Steve
Hi Steve
We holidayed in Orkney about 5 years ago in a motorhome. We live in Stirling and it took us about 6 hours to drive up the A9 to Gills Bay which is just west of John O Groats. As has been said the A9 is a good road but you have to be aware that it fluctuates between dual and single carriageway and to be aware of other motorists realising this! Inverness might be a good stop for you.
Apart from Aberdeen which I would think would be very expensive there are 2 crossings. The Scrabster/Stromness crossing takes about 2 hours and sails past the Old Man of Hoy. The Gills Bay /St Margarets Hope takes appox 1 hour and is cheaper. It is worth bearing in mind that crossing the Pentland Firth can be quite rough even for good sailors. It doesn' matter where you cross to as the distances on the mainland are so small. The streets in Stomness are quite narrow and probably less condusive for towing. Unless you want to sail past the Old Man I would recommend the Gills Bay crossing for ease of towing, cost and to minimise sea sickness!
There is a campsite in Stromness at the end of the Harbour overlooking the bay with an updated toilet block. The streets are narrow to access this and it would be quite exposed, however people have been known to have a front row seat watching a pod of whales here. The site in Kirkwall is less scenic but sheltered which can be a bonus on Orkney. It is on the edge of the town right next to the Pickaquoy leisure centre which acts as the reception for the site. When we were there the site was nice enough and I believe the toilet block has since been updated. Staying here you are two minutes on a bike to the ferrys and close to local shops for provisions.
There are lots of island to visit and it is worth taking time at the start of your trip to work out where and when you want to go or you will find your time runs out! You can also buy varying combinations of ferry tickets to visit differing numbers of islands. We took bikes over to Shapinsay and the van to Sanday which is larger and Hoy which is the largest island. We also took a flight out to North Ronaldsay. For such a wee place there is so much to do and not enough time as well as the island there are all the historic sites which are really worth a visit especially Skara Brae which won't last for ever. It might be worth joining Historic Scotland as they own most of the sites and it can be expensive paying all the entry fees.
We're thinking of going back to Orkney this summer as we loved is so much. It has loads of sea and sky and not too many midges because of the wind!
Hope you have a great holiday
Iona
We holidayed in Orkney about 5 years ago in a motorhome. We live in Stirling and it took us about 6 hours to drive up the A9 to Gills Bay which is just west of John O Groats. As has been said the A9 is a good road but you have to be aware that it fluctuates between dual and single carriageway and to be aware of other motorists realising this! Inverness might be a good stop for you.
Apart from Aberdeen which I would think would be very expensive there are 2 crossings. The Scrabster/Stromness crossing takes about 2 hours and sails past the Old Man of Hoy. The Gills Bay /St Margarets Hope takes appox 1 hour and is cheaper. It is worth bearing in mind that crossing the Pentland Firth can be quite rough even for good sailors. It doesn' matter where you cross to as the distances on the mainland are so small. The streets in Stomness are quite narrow and probably less condusive for towing. Unless you want to sail past the Old Man I would recommend the Gills Bay crossing for ease of towing, cost and to minimise sea sickness!
There is a campsite in Stromness at the end of the Harbour overlooking the bay with an updated toilet block. The streets are narrow to access this and it would be quite exposed, however people have been known to have a front row seat watching a pod of whales here. The site in Kirkwall is less scenic but sheltered which can be a bonus on Orkney. It is on the edge of the town right next to the Pickaquoy leisure centre which acts as the reception for the site. When we were there the site was nice enough and I believe the toilet block has since been updated. Staying here you are two minutes on a bike to the ferrys and close to local shops for provisions.
There are lots of island to visit and it is worth taking time at the start of your trip to work out where and when you want to go or you will find your time runs out! You can also buy varying combinations of ferry tickets to visit differing numbers of islands. We took bikes over to Shapinsay and the van to Sanday which is larger and Hoy which is the largest island. We also took a flight out to North Ronaldsay. For such a wee place there is so much to do and not enough time as well as the island there are all the historic sites which are really worth a visit especially Skara Brae which won't last for ever. It might be worth joining Historic Scotland as they own most of the sites and it can be expensive paying all the entry fees.
We're thinking of going back to Orkney this summer as we loved is so much. It has loads of sea and sky and not too many midges because of the wind!
Hope you have a great holiday
Iona
I meant to say the only problematic piece of road is the Berriedale Braes at Berriedale which is a steep hill with hairpin bends!
thankyou iona caravan
the info is very much appreciated, especially the ferry crossings, i will take an extra look at where to visit in advance, there sounds too much to do, which will meen we will have to go back, not a problem then, we were supposed to go a couple of years ago but didnt quite make it. thankyou again, Steve
the info is very much appreciated, especially the ferry crossings, i will take an extra look at where to visit in advance, there sounds too much to do, which will meen we will have to go back, not a problem then, we were supposed to go a couple of years ago but didnt quite make it. thankyou again, Steve
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