As soon as you leave the Scottish mainland, you feel the magic and mystery of far-flung Orkney archipelago. Spend six days exploring some of the UK’s most remote coastal landscapes, where raging seas bash agains looming sea stacks, waterways abound in sunken ships, and Stone age monuments coexist with Viking monoliths. Fueled by local delicacies (or whisky, we don’t judge), you’ll roam rolling hills, rest on stunning beaches, ferry to curious islands, and explore lands forged by 5,000 years of history, including the best-preserved neolithic settlement in Western Europe. If you want to see landscapes straight out of a fantasy book, make your way to the islands shimmering in sea mists.
Uncover some of the remotest and most mysterious landscapes in the United Kingdom — embark on a six-day women’s hiking tour of the Orkney Islands! Roam picturesque beaches, view some of the UK’s tallest sea stacks, and see endless historic highlights, including the 900-year-old St. Magnus Cathedral and the 5,000-year-old Skara Brae, the best-preserved neolithic settlement in Western Europe.
Meet your guide and group around 4 pm at the Ferry Inn which is just across from the Stromness ferry terminal. After a welcome meeting, you’ll have dinner together with your group, and, time permitting, you’ll enjoy an evening stroll and dinner together at the Inn.
Accommodation: Ferry Inn Hotel in Stromness
Meals: Three-course dinner
Today is all about exploration by a minibus. Stopping, admiring, and exploring, that’s what you’ll be doing, with some walks. The Orphir walk leads you to Orkney Saga Centre, it’s a short coastal walk up to 3.5 km. You can also do the Birsay walk, visiting Earls Palace, Brough of Birsay (subject to low tide times), and a coastal walk, up to 6 km. Between walks, you can expect a scenic drive around the island. This should give you a good overview of the thousands of years of history and heritage on this island.
Hiking: 3.5-6 km / 2.2-3.7 miles
Meals: Breakfast, packed lunch, three-course dinner
Accommodation: Ferry Inn Hotel in Stromness
Today you will travel to Skara Brae, one of the most fascinating sites in all of Scotland. A stone-built neolithic settlement on a stunning sandy beach which dates back to around 3,000 years BC. This is proper time travel! Apart from that, you will see and walk amongst the Standing Stones of Stenness, Ring of Brodgar, Skara Brae and Skaill House, and the West Coast. Return for your evening meal at the Ferry Inn and enjoy dinner with your group.
Meals: Breakfast, packed lunch, three-course dinner
Accommodation: Ferry Inn Hotel in Stromness
After viewing Hoy from a distance yesterday, board a small passenger ferry at 10am and set foot on it! Rackwick Glen is a scenic reminder of the empty glens of Scotland’s northwest, but it’s the Old Man that’s the star here. The Old Man of Hoy is one of the tallest sea stacks in the UK, and the highlight of the day’s walk. You might even spot a pair of climbers tackling this soaring cliff. Return to visit a cafe/wander on the beach before catching the ferry at 6.30pm. Arrive in Stromness at 7pm for an evening meal together at your hotel.
Hiking: 17 km / 10.5 miles, 6 hours
Elevation gain: 400 m / 1,310 ft
Meals: Breakfast, packed lunch, three-course dinner
Accommodation: Ferry Inn Hotel in Stromness
Rest up your legs as you explore Orkney’s largest town, Kirkwall (population: 8,500), and learn about the history of its cathedral, St Magnus. Built almost 900 years ago, this spectacular church was dedicated to one of the earliest Earls of Orkney, who was immortalized in the Icelandic Orkneyinga Sagas. There is plenty to see around Kirkwall and you will enjoy another leisurely walk near it. There is also the option to do the South Ronaldsay Coastal Walk, up to 10 km. For those that prefer to stay and rest, there is plenty to explore in Kirkwall.
Hiking (optional): 10 km / 6 miles, 3 hours
Elevation gain: 300 m / 985 ft
Meals: Breakfast, packed lunch, three-course dinner
Accommodation: Ferry Inn Hotel in Stromness
Say goodbye to your new friends and leave Orkney after a final breakfast together.
Meals: Breakfast and packed lunch
What you get on this adventure:
What’s not included:
You need to be decently fit to join this adventure. You will be hiking for 4-6 hours daily, covering around 6.5 miles (10 km) a day with regular refreshment stops. The most you’ll hike within a day is 10.5 miles (17 km), with 400 m (1,310 ft) of elevation gain. Check out the itinerary for day-by-day distances.
You also need to be able to handle some steep ascents and descents, all the while carrying a pack filled with the things you’ll need throughout the day. However, with light preparation and enough willpower, you should be able to handle this tour no matter your age or skill level.
Here’s a list of the equipment you need to bring:
Dress comfortably and for the weather in clothes you can move in. We suggest bringing clothing appropriate for the season. Layers are best and don’t wear jeans.
Group sizes and prices:
Hiking in the Orkney Islands can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements.
Min. age requirements:
If your group has hikers under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.
There are too many livestock on Orkney so dogs or any other animals are not allowed.
To get to Stromness in the Orkney Islands, the starting point of the tour, most people fly into Aberdeen International Airport 6 hours away. From there, you can take a local flight or a six-hour ferry ride to Kirkwall and a taxi to Stromness.
You will meet your guides at the Ferry Inn in Stromness around 4 pm of Day 1, just across from the ferry terminal. Keep in mind that getting to Stromness can be complicated, so try to plan out your trip and purchase any tickets well in advance.
We highly recommend that you cover all your bases with both medical and travel protection. To make your booking and traveling experience as carefree as possible, simply choose Redpoint—the official 57hours insurance partner!
Redpoint tailors their protection packages for adventure travel, offering a comprehensive travel program, even in remote locations. Trip cancellation, natural disasters, pandemic coverage, medical evacuation, primary medical expenses—regardless of the travel interruption that may happen, Redpoint will have you covered.
Once your booking is confirmed and your trip is paid in full, you will be offered to purchase Redpoint’s protection. If you need any help or require more information, let us know and we will be happy to help!
Deposits
You can secure one of the 2025 dates with a 30% deposit upon booking. The remaining 70% of the trip price is to be paid 90 days prior to departure, at the latest.
Cancellations
Booking fees are non-refundable in all cases. During checkout, however, you can choose one of 57hours’ flexibility options:
Basic
Flexible
Super Flexible
Early Bird booking
Want to be the first one to know when we publish new dates or secure your spot well in advance? Select a future month that suits you best and lock in your Early Bird spot in time with just a 10% deposit.
As soon as our guides publish new tour dates, you’ll be the first one to know. We’ll hold your spot for 2 weeks until you choose the date that suits you best.
More about how Early Bird bookings work below:
