Shetland and Orkney islands: wilderness, wildlife and ancient history

St Ninian’s Island

Your Shetland and Orkney tour begins in the dramatic south of the Shetland archipelago.
After a 9am pick-up, we drive to Jarlshof Prehistoric and Norse Settlement, where more than 4,000 years of human history are layered into one remarkable site. Explore Bronze Age dwellings, Norse longhouses and the remains of a 16th-century laird’s house as you begin to unravel Shetland’s long story.

From here, take in the sweeping views across Sumburgh Head, where the rocks tell stories of continental collision some 400 million years ago, when Shetland lay much closer to the equator. You’ll also spot Shetland’s first lighthouse, built in 1821, and – in season – look out for puffins nesting on the cliffs.

After a picnic lunch, stretch your legs at St Ninian’s Isle, linked to the mainland by the UK’s largest active sand tombolo (a sandy isthmus). If you feel like it, we’ll walk across the sweep of golden sand to see the ruins of a 12th-century chapel, where a schoolboy famously uncovered a hoard of Pictish treasure in 1958.

Jarlshof, archaeological site

In the early evening, we check into your accommodation for the next two nights.

• Hotel: Lerwick Guest House
• Included: Group dinner, entry to Jarlshof

Mousa Broch

After a later start, we set sail for one of Shetland’s finest gems: the atmospheric, uninhabited island of Mousa, where you’ll spend a couple of hours exploring.

You can’t miss Mousa Broch standing tall on its shores. The best-preserved broch in Scotland is a 13-metre-tall, 2,000-year-old tower that has stood the test of time so well you can still climb its winding staircase to the top. It’s even mentioned in the old Norse sagas – twice! The views from up here stretch far along the east coast of the South Mainland.

Seal on Shetland

Mousa is also an RSPB reserve, so keep watch for seals hauling themselves out on the shore and, until the end of July, storm petrels darting among the rocks. The island is home to one of Britain’s largest breeding colonies of these tiny seabirds.

Back in Lerwick, we visit the Shetland Museum & Archives for a private ‘highlights’ tour revealing more of the islands’ rich history and culture.

• Hotel: Lerwick Guest House
• Included: Group dinner, Mousa boat and visit to Shetland Museum

Calder’s Geo, Eshaness

This morning, we journey west to the brooding headlands and dark, lava-formed landscapes of Eshaness. The peninsula is said to be the UK’s best example of a section through the flank of a volcano, which was last active around 400 million years ago, and one of the best places in Shetland to understand the islands’ deep-time origins.

A guided 4-mile walk takes us along one of Shetland’s most spectacular coastlines. A shorter, 2-mile option is also available. Look out for sheer cliffs, sea stacks, blowholes and Britain’s largest sea cave, with the chance of glimpsing seals or even whales and dolphins offshore.

Dolphins, Shetland

We’ll then visit the Tangwick Haa Museum, a lovingly preserved 19th-century laird’s house, and, if time allows, call in at Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary to meet some of Shetland’s rescued otters and seals.

This afternoon, we meet Billy Mail, one of the stars of the National Geographic film Billy and Molly: An Otter Love Story. Welcoming us into his beautiful waterside home, Billy shares what he has learned from years spent observing wild otters, guides us on a walk pointing out the local wildlife and archaeological highlights, and tells the remarkable story of how his friendship with Molly the otter changed his life. View the trailer here: ‘Billy and Molly: an Otter love story‘.

• Hotel: St Magnus Bay or Busta House
• Included: Group dinner, guided walk and meeting and walk with Billy Mail

Bay of Otterswick on Yell, Shetland

Today we set off on an island-hopping adventure to Yell and Unst – a duo of islands steeped in fascinating folklore and some of the most beautiful beaches in Shetland. We’re also here for the wildlife, including otters and vast colonies of seabirds.

You’ll hear how the Unst and Yell landscapes and coastlines have been shaped over time. Today, Unst is the UK’s northernmost inhabited island but the 600 people who live here are just the latest in Shetland’s approximately 6,000-year-long human history.

Get a glimpse into the daily lives of some of the island’s early settlers at the reconstructed Viking longhouse and boat at the Unst Boat Haven, home to a fascinating collection that tells the story of Unst’s seafaring heritage. At nearby Skidbladnir – a magnificent full-scale replica of the Gokstad Viking ship – you’ll experience a striking tribute to the island’s enduring connection with its Viking past and the spirit of exploration that still defines Shetland today.

Shetland Viking long boat replica

Afterwards, we’ll feel fully in the present moment at Unst’s dramatic Hermaness National Nature Reserve, where gannets, puffins and great skuas fill the skies above rugged cliffs.

• Hotel: St Magnus Bay or Busta House
• Included: Group dinner

Scalloway Village 

Today begins in Scalloway, where we visit the excellent Scalloway Museum and hear the powerful story of the Shetland Bus. During World War II, this secret operation ferried agents, refugees and supplies between Shetland and Nazi-occupied Norway, often in extreme conditions

There’s also time to see the ruins of Scalloway Castle, a tower house with an eventful past.

We then return to Lerwick for a very different kind of local story: lunch with Akshay Borges, ‘The Shetland Chef’. Akshay invites us into his home where he demonstrates some of his favourite dishes using local ingredients and drawing on traditional recipes. You’ll taste the results, hear about his life in Shetland and leave with a few recipes to try at home.

Beautiful Shetland landscape – credit to Shetland.org

Later, it’s time to say goodbye to Shetland and continue our Shetland and Orkney tour south. We board the 5.30pm ferry for the five and a half hour journey to Kirkwall, Orkney’s historic capital, where we check into our hotel for the next four nights.

• Hotel: The Kirkwall Hotel, central Kirkwall

Italian Chapel, Orkney islands

Make the most of a free morning with a lie-in or explore Kirkwall at your own pace. From our centrally located hotel, it’s around a 10-minute walk to St Magnus Cathedral, built in honour of a murdered Norse earl and one of the best places in the archipelago to feel Orkney’s enduring Viking past.

Shapinsay, Orkney islands

Later, we regroup for a guided wildlife walk with local Orcadian guide Megan. The exact route will depend on the weather, the mood and your group’s shared interests but will likely be a 3-4 mile circular walk at Mull Head. Expect spectacular coastal views, The Gloup (a collapsed sea cave) and sea cliffs teeming with seabirds. In season, you may even see puffins.

If time allows, we’ll also explore Orkney’s wartime story around the vast natural harbour of Scapa Flow, driving across the impressive Churchill Barriers and visiting the Italian Chapel. The latter was built by Italian prisoners of war and is now one of Orkney’s most moving landmarks.

• Hotel: The Kirkwall Hotel, central Kirkwall
• Included: Group dinner, guided wildlife walk with local expert and visit to Italian Chapel

Skara Brae, a stone-built Neolithic settlement on the Orkney islands

Today is devoted to the extraordinary prehistoric landscapes of the Heart od Neolithic Orkney, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We begin at Skara Brae, a remarkably preserved village of ten clustered houses, hidden beneath sand dunes for around 4,500 years until revealed by a storm in 1800.

Ring of Brodgar circle, Orkney

From here, we continue to the Ring of Brodgar and the Standing Stones of Stenness, where ancient stones rise from a landscape still alive with wildlife: in July, curlews call and skylarks sing overhead; later in the season, wildflower meadows hum with bees, including the rare great yellow bumblebee. Look out for harbour seals basking on the rocks in the Loch of Stenness, too.

We end at Maeshowe, a great chambered cairn dating back to 2000 BC. The stonework is so precise it has mostly stayed watertight for five millennia – preserving one of the world’s largest collections of runic inscriptions, graffitied here by Norse Vikings who broke into the cairn centuries after it was built

• Hotel: The Kirkwall Hotel, central Kirkwall
• Included: Pre-booked entry to Skara Brae and Maeshowe
• Free Evening: Choose to eat at the hotel or in a Kirkwall restaurant or pub

Panorama of Stromness

Today we spend time in Stromness, a smaller, quieter town than Kirkwall, where Orkney’s maritime past still feels close to the surface. Its narrow main street winds along the harbour, lined with stone houses, private piers and slipways – reminders of the town’s centuries of trade, herring fishing and seafaring life.

As we explore, look out for eider ducks and black guillemots on the water, along with butterflies and bees in the town’s sheltered gardens.

We also visit two of Stromness’ cultural highlights. Stromness Museum, Scotland’s oldest independent museum, was founded in 1837. Discover the islands’ links to whaling, Arctic exploration and natural history. At the Pier Arts Centre, explore an outstanding collection of 20th-century British art, including works by Barbara Hepworth and Ben Nicholson.

• Hotel: The Kirkwall Hotel, central Kirkwall
• Included: Entry to Stromness Museum and Pier Arts Centre
• FInal group dinner in hotel

Northlink Ferry

After breakfast, it’s time to wave goodbye to Orkney and travel back to the Scottish mainland.

The 90-minute ferry crossing from Stromness to Scrabster offers one last chance to take in Orkney’s cliffs, sea and shifting light. Look out for the Old Man of Hoy rising from the coast, along with seabirds including gannets, fulmars and bonxies (great skuas). If you’re lucky, we may even spot dolphins or orcas along the way.

From Scrabster, we continue by minibus to Inverness, arriving later in the afternoon. Here, we’ll say a fond farewell and bring our Shetland and Orkney holiday to a close.

• Included: Ferry from Stromness to Scrabster; minibus transfer to Inverness railway station or airport

The pace of the tour allows time for extra sightseeing and experiences in and around Kirkwall. You could visit St Magnus Cathedral, the ruins of the Bishop’s Palace and Earl’s Palace, the Wireless Museum or Highland Park Distillery, or browse the town’s excellent range of artisan shops.

If you’d like help organising a visit to any of these places, either on your own or with your GeoCultura guide, let us know and we’ll do our best to weave it into your tour.

Before the tour
• The tour starts at 9am in Lerwick, Shetland and finishes at around 4pm in Inverness, Scotland.
• Please contact us if you’d like to arrange a pre-tour overnight stay in Lerwick for you.

Travel from Shetland to Orkney
• Travel between Shetland and Orkney is by NorthLink ferry on the evening of Day 5, arriving 11pm and then taxis to hotel.

End of tour – travel from Orkney
• On Day 9, we travel by NorthLink ferry from Stromness to Scrabster, followed by minibus to Inverness, arriving at approximately 4pm.
• Lounge access on the ferry is included
• Final return timing will be confirmed before departure.

Accommodation

Flexibility and pace
Some elements of the itinerary may be refined closer to departure, allowing us to respond to weather, local opportunities and the interests of the group.