KIRKWALL, ORKNEY ISLANDS

During this scenic circular tour we explore areas containing some of the most spectacular wildlife and places of botanical interest in the British Isles – amid some of its most rugged and forbidding landscape.

During this scenic circular tour we explore areas containing some of the most spectacular wildlife and places of botanical interest in the British Isles – amid some of its most rugged and forbidding landscape.

Departing Kirkwall we follow the coastal trail, driving northward via Finstown and the tiny village of Evie, where we are afforded stunning views across Eynhallow Sound to the Island of Rousay. Skirting the nearby Birsay Moors Bird Reserve and Lowrie’s Water on Burgar Hill, we head for Birsay Bay. From here we can see the wild and spectacular 90 metre (300 feet) cliffs at Marwick Head, another designated bird reserve, which during the nesting season in early summer is home to vast flocks of seabirds, including razorbills and puffins and we should also watch out for seals.
 
We continue to the cliffs of Yesnaby where we find one of the most dramatic seascapes in Orkney and also a chance to see the rare Primula Scotica (Scottish primrose) which blooms only in May and July.  Travelling inland, we drive past the great ceremonial stone circle, known as the Ring of Brodgar, and visit the Standing Stones of Stenness. We then follow the coast and venture close to the Second World War Naval Base of Scapa Flow. We will be told dramatic wartime stories, which make this one of the most renowned stretches of water in the world.

We then return to our ship in Kirkwall.

DESCRIPTION CORRECT FOR THE 2010 SCANDINAVIA & BALTIC SEASON