The far north
Orkney & Shetland
Skara Brae, the Ring of Brodgar and Maeshowe on Orkney; cliffs, puffins and a Norse accent on Shetland.
Getting there
Ferries from Scrabster or Gills Bay to Orkney and from Aberdeen to both. Flights from Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness.
What to know
- Orkney is greener and flatter than people expect, and its neolithic sites are older than the pyramids.
- Shetland is closer to Bergen than to Edinburgh, and the ferry from Aberdeen is an overnight crossing.
- Midsummer here barely goes dark; midwinter barely gets light.
Tell us where you'd go
We'll email you once when there's something worth seeing — the first cottages, in the places people asked for. No newsletter, no drip campaign, and you can say stop any time.
