The Orkney Islands Travel Guide

Introduction

10km (6 miles) N of John o' Groats (mainland Scotland) across Pentland Firth, 451km (280 miles) N of Edinburgh

To visit the Orkney Islands, an archipelago measuring about 81km (50 miles) from northeast to southwest, is to look at 1,000 years of history. Orkney is a virtual archaeological garden. Some 100 of the 500 known brochs -- often called the "castles of the Picts" -- are found here. Built by Orkney chiefs, they were fortified structures where islanders could find refuge from invaders, and wells inside provided water. The Orkneyinga Saga, written in the 9th or 10th century, is the record of the pomp and heraldry of Orkney's "golden age."

Covering a land area of 978 sq. km (376 sq. miles), the islands lie 10km (6 miles) north of the Scottish mainland. The terrain has lots of rich and fertile farmland but also dramatic scenery: Britain's highest perpendicular cliffs rise to 346m (1,140 ft.). The population of the entire chain is less than 20,000, spread sparsely across...