Scotland Advice Needed: 15 days and how to see Orkneys and Dunnet
 

We have 15 days in Scotland and have arranged Secret Scotland driving tours for St. Andrews, Edinburgh, Cairnborns, Skye, Culloden, Isle of Mull, etc... I really want to see Wick, John O Groats and Kirkwall where my ancestor sailed to America from in 1775. I looked at a Rabbies 5 day tour from Edinburgh and am still considering that but was told it was a lot of time just sitting on the bus and not much time for getting out except in Kirkwall. And we might have to give up seeing Puffins and two days of hiking to accommodate the time on the Rabbies tour.

My ancestor is from Dunnet according to the 1775 passenger list information, so that's the area I'm interested in. Because he sailed from Kirkwall I would like to see that also. We will be in Scotland May 12-27 2015

Is the Rabbies tour my best alternative or are there other alternatives that could get us there and back to Edinburgh in 3 days so we could allow more time for Puffins and hiking? I looked at flights also but they would be $300 each.

This trip may interest http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-in-orkney.cfm

Flights to Orkney (no "s") from Edinburgh can be cheap if you buy it early. http://www.loganair.co.uk/

You have a strong dollar at the moment.

Have you thought about the train? Can you arrange the Secret Scotland tour to end at Inverness. If so, Inverness to Wick is 4.5 hours on the train (compared with just under 8 hours from Edinburgh). You can get a bus to John of Groats and Dunnet and then onto Thurso. Use Northlink Ferries (two sailings a day) from Scrabster to Stromness on Orkney. Hire a car on Orkney to hit the main sites like Kirkwall, Maeshowe, Skara Brae, Broch of Gurness etc which can easily be done in a day. Then use the train from Thurso back to Edinburgh.

A couple of comments. I understand your reasons for wanting to see Dunnet Bay and Kirkwall but why Wick and John O'Groats? Neither have much at all to recommend them. This part of Scotland is rich in prehistoric sites and close to Wick are a couple of castle ruins ( Castle Sinclair & Castle Girnigoe ) but the towns are really not worth a trip except for getting to Orkney. Castle Mey between John O'Groats and Thurso is certainly worth a visit.

Trying to fit in both Kirkwall and Dunnet is almost impossible in three days. It is also difficult to advise if not knowing where you will be departing from and whether you would have more than the three days mentioned. A few things to consider:

1) The flight from Edinburgh to Kirkwall would give you a couple of days on Orkney but would not get you to Dunnet Bay.

2) There are buses that run from Inverness to Kirkwall. The trip takes about 7 hours and is not at all expensive.

3) There are four different ferry options to get you to Kirkwall. The ferry from John O'Groats is a passenger ferry only but connects with a coach to Kirkwall. The Pentland Ferry runs from Gills ( Bay ) to St. Margaret's Hope on South Ronaldsay. You will need a car. Then there is a ferry from Scrabster just outside of Thurso that goes to Stromness. It's a 30 minute drive to Kirkwall. Again you will need a car.There is a ferry from Aberdeen to Kirkwall that leaves about 7:00 ( you will need to check timetables because on some days the departure time is slightly different.and arrives in Kirkwall at 23:00. I have no idea how a tourist can manage that late of an arrival.

4) The train from Edinburgh to Thurso takes about 8 /9 hours. The train from Inverness takes
about 3 hours. The train arrives in Thurso prior to Wick. Dunnet Bay is closer to Thurso.

I had a look at the Rabbies itinerary and there are a couple of days spent mostly driving. You do need to remember that in this part of Scotland it's all about the scenery. Not too much in actual tourist sites. The tour does hit all the high points on Orkney. It actually looks pretty good to me, but you are the one that needs to decide if it's for you. From looking at the itinerary I don't think you'll see Dunnet. You cross on the Pentland Ferry at Gills, and I'm guessing you return via the ferry from Stromness to Scrabster. Check with Rabbies. Also check their reviews. Of course they are not going to post any negative ones, but sometimes it helps to get an idea of what the tour is like.

Forgot to mention that the place I've seen the most Puffins is the Isle of Staffa. You mentioned visiting Mull, so I wondered if Staffa was included.

Ive seen most puffins are on Staffa and on the Isle of May in Fife.

oops -- meant to add -- if you are on Mull it is very easy to get to Staffa on a boat ride from the pier in Fionnphort.

The Northlink Ferry that departs from Aberdeen leaves at 17:00/17:30 not 7:00. That one number makes a difference.;)

"arrives in Kirkwall at 23:00. I have no idea how a tourist can manage that late of an arrival."

Don't worry, accommodation providers on Orkney are used to guests arriving this late off this ferry.

"<i>I have no idea how a tourist can manage that late of an arrival.</i>"

If it is May the sun doesn't set till after 10:30PM -- it will still be light out.

The dock is pretty bright.

I wasn't talking about the amount of daylight. The idea of being up that late and getting to hotel or B&B is the problem. Regardless of the daylight situation, people still adhere to their normal routines and during the week, most would be in bed. At least for me, the time has past when being up past 11:00 ( unless I'm in bed reading...do that a lot ) sounds like a good idea.:) Others I'm sure would not have a problem, and I could certainly do it if necessary, but there are other alternatives.