The Scottish Isles of Orkney – Wildlife May 2027

SUMMARY

Dates: Thursday May 6th  to Tuesday May 11th  5 nights and 4 full days walking and visits.

Guide:  Megan Taylor, your local guide and wildlife enthusiast ( has been called a bird whisperer!) If you weren’t enthused about our wildlife before, you certainly will be by the end.

Walking Grade: 1 Goat – be prepared for Scottish weather which could involve rain at anytime of year!

Megan’s Wildlife Highlights in May:

·      Hen harriers sky dancing – a wonderful aerial display to witness

·      Scottish Primrose – an incredibly rare wildflower

·      A seabird city – experience the sights, sounds and smells

·      Soundscape – the countryside comes alive with the sounds of birds

·      Colourful wildflower meadows

Base: The Ferry Inn at the harbour in Stromness – a traditional, very popular Orkney pub with rooms. You can be sure of an island welcome and a true Scottish experience.

Getting there: Our starting point on Thursday is at The Ferry Inn, Stromness on the Island of Orkney.

There are many ways to travel to Orkney – arriving to an island by ferry is particularly special. The ferry to Stromness departs from Scrabster. From Inverness you can take bus to get there or get a train to Thurso and from there it is a short bus or taxi ride to the terminal.  On arrival The Ferry Inn is a short walk from the ferry terminal.

The links below give you travel information to help plan your trip.

Ferry Info

Bus Information

You can also fly to Kirkwall and get a pre booked taxi to Stromness. If there are a few of you flying to Kirkwall we will connect you for sharing a taxi.

More information on getting to Stromness  is available here Getting to Orkney

We can always advise you.

Arrival: in Stromness around 16:00 for check in at the Ferry Inn hotel.

Departure: After breakfast on your final day.

Price: £Coming Soon per person for this fully inclusive holiday:

• Bed and Breakfast in ensuite double room for solo occupancy
• Packed Lunches including your final departure travel day.
• All evening meals – 3 courses
• Minibus for walks to explore the island fully
• Experienced Guide throughout your holiday
• Ferry to Hoy

If you can bring a friend/partner and share a room there is a discount

Not included:

• Travel to Stromness
• Drinks from the bar
• Additional activities not in the itinerary – there may be additional activities such as  puffin spotting depending on the time of year.

DETAILS

The Isles of Orkney lie in the very north of Scotland, just off the Scottish Mainland. It feels like a world away but the islands are surprisingly well connected.

Your journey to Orkney begins when you arrive in Stromness – The Ferry Inn, with its wonderful Scottish hospitality, your home for the next few days.

Orkney is home to a variety of habitats across the archipelago – seabird cliffs, moorlands, lochs, wetlands and marshes, fields, the sea, rocky shores and sandy beaches all support a huge range of wildlife. Orkney is a stronghold for many species of wildlife that are in decline elsewhere in the UK, ie Curlews and Hen harriers. You can see rare flowers, beetles and bees as well as birds, seals and other mammals, and we will talk about them all. Orkney also has an endemic species – the Orkney vole.

Spring in Orkney is a very special time when our islands are awakening after a long winter. The landscape is colouring up with the lush green grass and wildflowers, our birds are settling down to breed and the air is full of the sounds of birds – skylarks singing, curlews bubbling and the cacophony of the seabird cliffs. In the moorland you can watch hen harriers sky dancing and look out for short-eared owls hunting for voles in the grasslands.

As the days stretch, you can enjoy an evening stroll when the light is so special.

ITINERARY

The itinerary may change depending on the weather and at the discretion of your guide. You will be briefed each day about your days walks and activities.

Day 1 Thursday – Arrival 

Check in to the Ferry Inn between 15.00 and 16.00 and have time to settle in.

17.30 briefing with your guide followed by dinner. After dinner, short evening walk around Stromness to introduce you to some of its wildlife.

Day 2 Friday – The Wild West Coast

Our first full day will be spent exploring the Wild West Coast of Orkney with its rugged coastline and spectacular cliffs. Experience the sights, sounds and smells of a busy seabird city – fulmars, kittiwakes, guillemots, razorbills, gannets and hopefully puffins too. Get down on your hands and knees to look for a very rare wildflower, the Scottish primrose. Walk along cliff top paths through carpets of wildflowers and keep an eye out for marine mammals out at sea. After dinner, we will return to the west coast for a puffin walk, as evenings are the best time to see these charismatic seabirds.

Day 3 Saturday – Hoy – An Island Adventure

Our island adventure to Hoy will begin with the ferry crossing over Scapa Flow, where we will be out on deck looking for ducks and seabirds. Hoy is often referred to as the “high island” and as we make our way north you will see why. The north part of Hoy is mostly RSPB reserve and is the largest of the Orkney RSPB reserves. Here we will look for eagles soaring, hen harriers and other birds of prey over the hills and moorland. At ground level there are carnivorous plants and voracious predators such as the green tiger beetle. We will look out for bonxies (great skuas), red-throated divers and stonechats and keep an eye out for wildflowers and other insects.

Day 4 Sunday – Moorlands and Lochs

We will continue the moorland theme from Hoy with a day exploring some of the Orkney mainland moors and lochs. Many of these locations are RSPB reserves some with hides so we can watch the wildlife without disturbing it. Over the moors, we can see hen harriers sky dancing, merlins, buzzards and other birds of prey. Listen out for the bubbling sound of the curlew and skylarks singing their hearts out. Our lochs host a variety of wildfowl – ducks, geese and swans while the wetlands are breeding grounds for waders and gulls. We will take the time to stop, look and listen……….. Our landscape is full of so many different sounds in May. After dinner, we will take an evening stroll around the RSPB Brodgar reserve.

Day 5 Monday – To the East and the Linked South Isles

Our final day together will be a bit more relaxed and we will venture out to the east mainland and linked south isles where we can see black guillemots, fulmars, shags, waders, skylarks and meadow pipits. There are beautiful carpets of wildflowers as well butterflies and we will keep our eyes peeled out to sea for cetaceans and seals. We will also include a visit to a sandy beach to see little and arctic terns. After dinner, there is the option for one last evening walk, perhaps a sunset or a last stroll around Stromness.

Day 6 Tuesday – Departure

Departure after breakfast around 10am – option for a short walk in morning if you have later travel.