Ferries to Orkney
Ferries to Orkney:
If you want to take the ferry to Orkney, you can choose from four different routes. Three of these ferries depart from locations relatively close to each other: Scrabster to Stromness, Gills Bay to St Margaret's Hope, and John o' Groats to Burwick.
Ferries to Mainland & South Ronaldsay
Two ferries arrive at Orkney's largest island, Mainland, while the other boats dock at South Ronaldsay. Although they are different islands, this shouldn't hinder your travel plans. The islands are connected by three bridges.
You can use the booking module and select Scotland as your destination to find all the crossings to and within Scotland, Orkney for example.
Ferry Map: ferry routes to Orkney
Use the interactive map to find the right crossing and ferry company. You can zoom in and out and view the routes in the ports.
Crossings to Orkney, Scotland
Guide ferries to Orkney
Ferries to Orkney from Scotland.
There are several ferries to Orkney, departing from Aberdeen, Scrabster, Gills Bay, and John O' Groats. The fastest crossing is between John O' Groats and Burwick, taking about 40 minutes. The longest journey is from Aberdeen to Kirkwall, which takes around 6 hours to cover the 134 miles. This route is operated by NorthLink Ferries.
Orkney
Skara Brae, Neolithic village
Orkney is an archipelago of about 70 islands.[1]Orkney, visitscotland.com Orkney is also the name of the main island which is also known as ‘Mainland'.
Travelers come to Orkney for its beaches, wildlife, and many archaeological sites. In total, only about 7000 people live on the islands of which 2000 on the main island.
The main island is connected by a bridge to 4 other smaller islands. The other islands can be visited thanks to the ferries that sail between the islands. These can be booked through Orkney Ferries.
There are cars and bicycles for hire on the island and taxis are available.
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January 2024: I am planning a visit to Orkney in September from Canada. My on-line information tells me the ferry from John O’Groats is not in service, and that there are no large car ferries running in Scotland at the moment because of retrofitting the new ones from electric to diesel. Can anyone confirm or refute this information?