Stones of Stenness, Orkney
Scottish Islands Shetland Islands, Orkney Islands & Outer Hebrides
Incredible landscapes | Distinctive culture | Amazing wildlife | Viking heritage
Lying in the North Sea, around 100 islands comprise Shetland, with 16 inhabited and many others accessible by boat. On Mainland in the capital, Lerwick, discover shops, restaurants, pubs, the Shetland Museum and Archives plus a thriving music scene. Nearby, Scalloway’ s excellent museum tells of the top-secret WWII Shetland Bus operation. Further south are Sumburgh Head’ s seabird colonies; Old Scatness, a recently excavated Iron Age village; the archaeological treasures of Jarlshof Prehistoric and Norse settlements; and, the Zenith of Iron Age Shetland( on UNESCO’ s tentative list for World Heritage Site designation).
See also Fair Isle for its birds, knitwear and shipwrecks; Unst for great walks and golden beaches; Foula, designated as a Special Protection Area for birds; Fetlar, the Garden of Shetland and beguiling Whalsay.
Orkney’ s 70 islands, 16 of which are inhabited, boast many sites and cultural attractions. On Mainland, sights in the capital Kirkwall include St Magnus Cathedral, the Orkney Museum along with Bishop’ s and Earl’ s palaces. Nearby Stromness is famed for the Pier Arts Centre; in West Mainland, discover Heart of Neolithic Orkney, a UNESCO World Heritage Site which includes Skara Brae, Europe’ s best-preserved Stone Age village; the Ring of Brodgar; the Stones of Stenness and the Maeshowe chambered tomb.
On Hoy see the dramatic Old Man of Hoy sea stack and Scapa Flow Visitor Centre and Museum; the Brough of Birsay’ s Norse ruins; Rousay’ s archaeological sites; and North Ronaldsay for unique heritage and history.
Largest island of the Outer Hebrides, the Isle of Lewis teems with history, heritage, wilderness, wildlife, arts, crafts, crofting culture and even adrenaline-fuelled adventure.
Bustling Stornoway has artisan shops, eateries and historic Lews Castle. Ness is the stronghold of the local language and in Uig, be sure to pop into the Uig Abhainn Dearg Distillery. Head to Ardroil sands to kitesurf or windsurf, explore the sea caves at Garry Beach, admire the white sands of Bosta on Great Bernera or take a boat trip out to the wildlife-rich Flannan Islands. Don’ t miss also the Callanish Standing Stones, monolithic monuments standing proud above the windswept wilds of the West Side.
All of our featured islands offer a chance to spy the Northern Lights, particularly in autumn and winter. They also tempt with local OUTER
HEBRIDES produce and an
Ness array of annual
ISLE OF LEWIS festivals. With Uig Stornoway easy connections, island hopping is highly recommended.
Loch Seaforth, Isle of Lewis
ORKNEY ISLANDS
Birsay
Rousay
MAINLAND Stromness Kirkwall
Hoy
MAINLAND SCOTLAND
Shetland Islands
SHETLAND ISLANDS
Foula
John o’ Groats
Sumburgh Head
Fair Isle
Scalloway
North Ronaldsay
Fetlar
Whalsay MAINLAND
North Sea
See page 7 for Travel information
Unst
Lerwick
100 Scottish Islands visit your local travel agent or call 08444 937 777