. orkney

Orkney is the group of islands which lie off the northernmost tip of Scotland (multimap).

In April 2004, Rik and Clare relocated from Hartlepool to Orkney, with their two cats, Rothko and India.

Rik and Clare lived in Orphir, in West Mainland for the first few months, then for a couple of years, or so, in Tankerness (East Mainland) and in 2007 they crossed the Churchill Barriers to the island of South Ronaldsay to live in the small village of St. Margaret's Hope.

The archipelago of Orkney consists of around 70 islands, although only 17 of these are currently inhabited. Orkney has a population of around 19,500. The largest island of the group is known as 'Mainland', and is the location of the two main towns of Orkney - Kirkwall and Stromness.

In 2001 the population of Orkney was 19,245 - with 15,315 living on Mainland.

In the summer months we enjoy long days - where the sun hardly sets. With clean air and beautiful, inspiring scenery Orkney is a wonderful place to live.

Orkney boasts a rich cultural heritage - impressive archaeology, including the Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site, traditional folklore, music and folk festivals. Orkney is also home to a large number of artists and craftspeople.

It is renowned for its locally produced food and drink - from quality seafood and organic beef to local cheeses - and of course, the beer from the Orkney Brewery and the single malts from the Highland Park and Scapa distilleries.

Orkney is easy to get to, by sea and by air. There are regular ferries across the Pentland Firth - and you can fly to Kirkwall from Inverness, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

An internal ferry and air service makes travel to and from the outer isles simple.

orkney islands

Find out more about Orkney

The Pier Arts Centre
Orkneyjar - The Heritage of the Orkney Islands
VisitOrkney
Orkney Islands Council
The Orcadian Newspaper
Orkney Today Newspaper
BBC Radio Orkney
Orkney Communities
Orkney Arts Discussion Forum
Orkney Archaeological Trust
Scapa Single Malt
Highland Park Single Malt
The Ba'