Rolling hills and industry.
Orkney may be separated from the north coast of Scotland by a mere 6 miles of the notoriously changeable waters of the Pentland Firth, but to the fiercely independent Orcadians, ‘Mainland’ means the largest of the Orkney islands and not the Scottish mainland. Mainland is also the site of the two main towns and ferry terminals: the capital Kirkwall and the beautiful old fishing port of Stromness. Orkney has the densest concentration of prehistoric monuments in Britain and Mainland is where you’ll find many of these archaeological relics: the Stones of Stenness, Maes Howe, the Broch of Gurness and the remarkable Neolithic village of Skara Brae, all of which give Orkney a rare continuity of past and present. Aside from Mainland, there are a dozen smaller islands to explore, including Hoy, with its wild, spectacular coastal scenery. The even more remote northerly islands offer miles of deserted beaches and nothing but the calls of birds to shatter the peace and quiet. Quiet also describes the taciturn locals. They aren’t unfriendly – quite the opposite, in fact – but it’s said that Orcadians will rarely use one word where none will do.
