Travel Information
Detailed Travel Information to the Orkney Isles will be supplied in your Information Pack, but the following may assist with your planning. Inverness, the Gateway to the North is a great starting point for this holiday.
Arriving into Scotland
By Air:
Nearest International Airports: Glasgow International & Aberdeen. Nearest Domestic Airports: Kirkwall & Inverness. There are daily flights from Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness to Orkney which are operated by British Airways.
By Rail:
Nearest Railway Station: Inverness/Thurso. There are train services which travel from London Kings Cross to Inverness (journey time 9 hours). Frequent services operate on the West Coast Mainline to Glasgow. Train services operate from Inverness to Thurso (journey time 3 hours 45 minutes), where a bus connects with the ferry at Scrabster.
By Road:
If you plan to travel by car, Scrabster is a 2.5 hour drive north of Inverness.
By Sea:
Ferries are operated by Northlink (journey time Scrabster to Stromness 2 hours 15 minutes). Pentland Ferries add further choice and flexibility with 3 - 4 sailings per day depending on the season from Gills Bay to St. Margaret’s Hope.
Getting to the Orkney Isles
Please note that a car is necessary for this itinerary as local public transport is unsuitable for reaching the start points of many walking routes. We can arrange car hire for you on request, with collection from Orkney or Inverness or from any Scottish city or airport.
First Scotrail operate train services from Edinburgh/Glasgow to Inverness and to other destinations around the country. There are usually 3 - 5 services each day (journey time 3 - 4 hours). Train services operate from Inverness to Thurso (journey time 3 hours 45 minutes), where a bus connects with the ferry at Scrabster.
There are also Citylink coach services from Inverness to Scrabster each day which connect with the ferries (journey time 3 hours 45 minutes).
Car Hire
We offer great value, fully inclusive rates and ensure we arrange the right car to suit your needs. The rates we obtain are fully inclusive with no hidden extras, and we can arrange one way hires if you are flying into one airport and returning from another.
Train Tickets
Great savings can be made by buying your train tickets in advance through theTrainline website at www.thetrainline.com. Although tickets can only be mailed to a UK address, overseas customers can still order tickets in advance and collect them from a Fast Ticket machine in the UK. Fast Ticket machines are located in most mainline railway stations.
