Walking guide to the Orkney and Shetland Isles, Scotland

• Location
• Description
• Contents
• Introduction
• Sample Route
• Maps
• Reviews

Rough-edged jewels dot the wild seas to the north of mainland Britain. Here, in large group of islands known collectively as the Northern Isles of Orkney and Shetland, a vividly diverse and brazenly beautiful landscape awaits the walker. This is where those in the know come to get up close and personal with some of our most charismatic wildlife, or to discover hidden secrets from our ancient past, all set in a broad landscape of magnificent coastal crags and voes, rolling moors of heather and bilberry, small-scale farmlands of rich, flower-filled meadows, and Scandinavian-style towns and villages thronging the steep-sided fjords of countless sea lochs. Add to this a constant big-sky feel, fresh, unpolluted air, and you have the ideal walking holiday destination.

Each island within the Northern Isles is unique. Every one is very different from its neighbours, both in terms of physical geography and character, and all have something to offer the walker. This book will lead you on the very best walks in these islands, so that you too can discover the magic of the magnificent Northern Isles.

There are walks here to suit every taste. Some are nothing more than a short stroll to an ancient site or wildlife viewpoint, whereas others are longer and require full walking gear and the knowledge of how to read a map and compass (the latter are identified as such at the start of the walk description). Few people get lost here though, as none of the islands is very big, and if it all goes a bit pear-shaped, it’s usually just a simple matter of dropping down to the coast to follow it back to your starting point.

The Northern Isles themselves are made up of two distinctive groups of islands, Orkney and Shetland. These two groups are usually thought of as separate entities, and are dealt with as such in this book, although it is easily possible to link the two using ferry or air services so that you can enjoy an extended visit.

Wildlife

For many people visiting the Northern Isles, the superb wildlife to be found there is the main – if not the only – reason to go. This is the place to make for if you want to sit on a cliff top with puffins standing next to you just a few feet away, or if you want to watch thousands of gannets diving off a rocky headland. Perhaps you’ve always wanted to see an otter, or a Minke whale. Again, the place to go would be the Northern Isles.

The most obvious wildlife on the Northern Isles is the multitude of seabirds. Both Orkney and Shetland have scores of great places to see puffins, guillemots, razorbills, black guillemots, kittiwakes, fulmars, gannets, shags and cormorants. On Orkney you should go to Marwick Head, or perhaps Deerness for the most likely sitings, while on Shetland you have even more choice, with Sumburgh Head, Esha Ness, Noss, Bressay, Hermaness, and Foula all being superb.

Shetland is also better for sightings of otters, while Orkney is the place to go for birds of prey – chiefly hen harriers, peregrines, merlins and short-eared owls.

Common and grey seals can be seen at countless locations on both Orkney and Shetland, and whales are often seen from headlands on both island groups too. Minke whales are the most likely species, although occasional orcas, pilot whales, sperm whales, and bottle-nosed whales also pass by.

In winter hundreds of thousands of ducks, geese, swans, and waders descend on Orkney and Shetland. A visit any time between late September and the end of March will give you ample opportunity to see whooper swans, barnacle geese, pink-footed geese, wigeon, teal, purple sandpipers, turnstones, sanderling and knot, all down from their Arctic breeding grounds to experience the ‘balmy’ Northern Isles winter!

Archaeology and History

Another reason why Orkney and Shetland are great destinations for walking holidays is the amazing wealth of archaeological sites to be found here. While Orkney definitely has the bulk of the most impressive remains of early man, Shetland does not fall far behind.
The human history of the Northern Isles dates back to a time before the fourth millennium bc. Places like Skara Brae, on the western shores of Orkney Mainland, and Jarlshof on South Mainland, Shetland, give clear insights into the domestic lives of the Mesolithic farming communities that settled all over this region. Their elaborate burial chambers and cairns are great fun to explore today at sites such as Culween and Wideford on Mainland Orkney, and at Mid Howe and other sites on Rousay.

Over the years the small farming communities gradually developed into larger tribal units, which were capable of constructing major monuments such as those of Maes Howe, the Stones of Stenness and the Ring o’ Brodgar.

Around 600BC the climate in the Northern Isles deteriorated. The islands became colder and wetter, and as peat and heather claimed the once-fertile high ground, upland cultivation became impossible, forcing people down to the low-lying areas. The shortage of good fertile soil meant that land became precious, and competition for farmland may have led to a more aggressive society. The construction of robust, fortified dwellings, or brochs, on both Orkney and Shetland coincided with the expansion of the bronze industry on the Scottish mainland, enabling the Orcadians to arm themselves with more sophisticated weaponry. Around 120 brochs have been recorded in Orkney alone, and there are many more on Shetland. The best preserved of these include those at Gurness and Mid Howe on Orkney, and Clickimin and Mousa on Shetland. The Mousa Broch deserves special mention as the most complete example to be found anywhere today.

The Northern Isles’ first contact with Christianity was more than likely in the 6th century, but the islands can’t be said to have been under church authority until the 8th century.

Norsemen began to colonise the Northern Isles in the 8th century, and before long the islands became a vital link in their western sea routes. Exactly how the Norse takeover took place remains a hotly debated subject to this day. Whatever the circumstances, by the end of the 9th century the Norwegian settlement was firmly established.

Following the Battle of Largs in 1263, and the loss of the Western Isles as a result of the Treaty of Perth in 1266, Orkney and Shetland were the only parts of what is now Scotland to remain in Norwegian hands. But although the islands were still officially under Norse rule, the control of the Scottish earls over Orkney was increasing. The earldom was held by the Sinclairs for the Norwegian crown (and later the Danish crown) until 1468, at which time the impoverished Christian I, King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, gave the Northern Isles to the Scottish crown as part of a marriage agreement with King James III of Scotland.

Today, the people of both Orkney and Shetland still retain close links with Scandinavia. Indeed, they do not think of themselves as Scottish, or British, at all. They are proud to be Shetlanders and Orcadians!

The Walks

The walking in the Northern Isles is quite varied, and the routes chosen for this book reflect this. Generally, apart from on the very shortest walks described, you’ll find yourself on either open and rough moorland or hill terrain, or on coastal cliff tops.
The moorland walking on the Northern Isles lends itself to those who really want to explore. There are few paths and tracks here, and you need to know how to use a map and compass effectively to follow these walks and to stay safe. Walks of this type are indicated as such at the start of the walk description.

There are no big mountains on either Orkney or Shetland, and the only big hills can be found on Hoy, to the south of Mainland Orkney, and on North Mavine, in the north of Mainland Shetland. These hills have a climate similar to that found on the Cairngorms plateau in Scotland, for despite their lowly height, the high latitudes here give them a sub-Arctic kind of terrain, and weather patterns to match.

The coastal walks tend to be relatively popular, both with walkers and birdwatchers, and many of these have the benefit of being waymarked – or at the very least have a good path running along the top of the cliffs.

In short, there really is something here for everyone, with perhaps the exception of the devoted high-peak bagger. Walkers with little or no experience will find plenty of suitable strolls, rambles and longer coastal walks to easily fill a couple of weeks, while those looking for more challenging routes and long coast traverses are also well provided for.