We have an 8-week winter sit coming up this year on a small sheep farm on Mainland/Orkneys. The owners are kind enough to let us use their camper van and encouraged us to explore the other islands. I’m wondering if any of the Community Forum members is familiar with the Orkneys and might have any useful tips. This will be our first trip to Scotland.
4 Likes
I’ve recently become a lover of Chat GPT dot com. Try it out!
There will be a lot of info if you search the internet too.
I can’t help re the Orkneys but am sure you’ll get info from others.
2 Likes
Thank you, Smiley. Of course, the internet is always an option, but I’m more interested in some personal experience.
1 Like
Be prepared for it never to get really light or warm. There’s a reason why the home owners are going away at that time of year. Caveat: I’ve never been to the Orkney Isles but the same is true in the north of England in winter.
2 Likes
Also try DeepSeek App which is 10x better that ChatGPT IMHO I’ve tested both in various ways….
2 Likes
We live in the Highlands near Inverness and visit Orkney frequently. It’s magical. Astonishing archaeology and history.
Kirkwall on mainland has a great range of shops, supermarkets, restaurants and cafes as well as a lovely museum and - of course - the Orkney Library and its famous balls.
Stromness is smaller, wonderfully atmospheric, and has a great wee museum.
Fabulous craftsmanship in jewellery making, weaving, quilting, woodwork and ceramics.
The outer islands are accessible by ferry and I recommend trips to Westray and Papay as well as nearby Hoy.
You won’t get snow but the wind will be fierce in the winter.
Join Orkney facebook groups for info on events
8 Likes
Before we moved to the Highlands people warned us about dark miserable winters. It just isn’t the case.
Yes, it gets lighter later and darker earlier, but that’s the excuse to coorie-in next to a fire and read.
Book a visit to Maes Howe chambered tomb at winter solstice if you can.
3 Likes
Can I also add….lucky you!
How wonderful!
1 Like
Oooooooo you may get lucky & see the northern lights
3 Likes
Thanks, I will
2 Likes
We are aware of that. Our very first housesit was 10 weeks in rural Finland in the winter of 2017/18 with VERY short days and tons of snow. It was magical. Since then, we spent every winter between 3 and 5 months in Andalucía and boy, are we ready for a change!
4 Likes
Thank you! Your post made me research on the Orkney Library balls. Never heard of them before. We’ll check out the places you mentioned and do the FB thing. Our HOs mentioned that Kirkwall has a very active social scene.
2 Likes
Unfortunately we won’t be there for winter solstice. But we will definitely visit Maes Howe. As for ‘miserable winters’, we are looking forward to spending those weeks in a warm house with a spectacular view of the rough sea. During our winters in southern Spain, neither of the homes we stayed at were built for cooler temperatures which do happen a lot more lately.
3 Likes
The Pickaquoy Centre in Kirkwall is a large leisure centre with a cinema too. I was incredibly lucky to be there when Saoirse Ronan and Amy Liptrot introduced their film The Outrun, filmed in Orkney.
My favourite cafe in the world is the Birsay Bay tea rooms.
My favourite archaeological site in the world is Skara Brae
One of my favourite restaurants ever is The Storehouse in Kirkwall.
I envy you!
4 Likes
It’s over 40 years since I visited Orkney but I remember going to a church service in The Italian Chapel which consists of two Nissen huts but is so beautifully decorated inside. There’s also St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall.
As mentioned by @Laurmurf, Skara Brae is an amazing archaeological site; also Ring of Brodgar.
Have a wonderful time there!
6 Likes
Thank you for all your input. It’s exactly what I had been hoping for when I opened this topic.
In case you are planning another trip to Kirkland between mid October and mid December, how about we meet at the tea rooms?
2 Likes
Thank you, Temba! And now I learned what a Nissen hut is…
3 Likes
I haven’t sat in Orkney (it’s not “the Orkneys”), but have been there and have been looking for a sit there ever since. A winter sit will bring very rough weather. The wind blows, and it’s cold. But you know this. But do you know that in winter there’s only about three hours’ daylight, at least in December? Think of Orkney as more like Norway than Scotland. So if you drive around, you will mostly be doing it in the dark. The ferry schedules between the islands are very much reduced in winter, and sometimes don’t run because of weather. All that said, Orkney is quite wonderful, with great people and wonderful food. It’s very special there.
2 Likes
That’s some very useful information, thank you! We did not think about daylight hours, so we probably have to reconsider our plans for visiting the other islands.
1 Like
Hi, Jane may be right about ferry schedules but you’ll get lots more than 3 hours of daylight!