I crossed over from St Margaret's Hope a few days ago on this fast, comfortable little car ferry. I…read morearrived in the islands aboard the Aberdeen ferry but was glad to be returning on one much more comfortable, less crowded and fast.

Pentland Ferries sails between Gills Bay on mainland Britain and St. Margaret's Hope on Mainland,…read moreOrkney. The Pentalina high-speed catamaran (a passenger and vehicle ferry) runs the route in little over an hour, making it the fastest way to access Orkney by boat. Leaving Gills Bay, the Pentalina sails through Pentland Firth and some truly spectacular North Sea scenery. Perhaps most interesting is the small island of Stroma, belonging to Caithness. Until the turn of the twentieth century, Stroma had several hundred residents who farmed the land, but by the 60s, the last two families had left. The stone homes, typical of the Highlands, still stand silently today, as does the lighthouse, church, graveyard and harbor. Locals told us that the island is currently owned by a sheep farmer in Caithness who uses the land to graze his sheep. Otherwise, everything is supposedly preserved within the structures exactly as the residents of Stroma left them when they abandoned the island. A Scottish ghost town. As the ferry passes Stroma, and then Swona (part of The Orkney islands), it's worth braving the whipping wind and chilly North Sea air to keep a lookout for seals and seabirds. Most notable among the wildlife are the adorable puffin, hurtling through the air like feathered missiles. (Once you're sufficiently chilled, there are two lounges below deck in which to relax, plus a tiny window selling hot, homemade soup, burgers and sandwiches.) At last, the Pentalina cruises by Hoy where, if the weather cooperates, passengers can catch a glimpse of the iconic Old Man of Hoy, before the final destination of St. Margaret's Hope comes into view. The quaint village lies like a cobblestone ribbon cutting through the emerald green landscape behind it. The cost of your passage is £14; your car will run you £33. Considering the speed with which you reach the Islands, and the views you're treated to along the way, Pentland Ferries is well worth the price of admission.

Tiny little ferry pot that runs ferries to Orkney and Shetland all year round weather permitting…read more If you want to eat grab someting in Thurso first. Also fuel on the islands tends to be a bit dearer so fill up on the main land first

When travelling back home after visiting Stromness for the Orkney Folk Festival we had a…read morenightmarish situation, our tent was taking a long time to pack away and there happened to be no Stromness taxis available to take is to the Ferry Terminal. So we begged our tent neighbours for a lift which they graciously gave us. We then just made it at 08:55 for the 09:00, this then happened to be way too late to board as the ferry had already started travelling up the pier. The friendly staff apologised and explained to us that they waited as long as they could. This sent me on a tail-spin as panic set in as we had already booked onward travel. Thankfully the ladies on the staff, like the angels they are, took control of the situation and booked us on to a Pentland Ferry to Gils Bay at 11:15 from there to our original destination of Thurso in time to catch out train. Not only this but they gave us a full refund for the this leg of our journey making it easy for us to buy tickets on the Pentaland Ferry with no monetary loss to us! All in all they turned around a seemingly impossible situation, for that I am very grateful! The ferry journey itself is also staffed by lovely crew. When travelling from Scrabster to Stromness me and my friend both suffered from sea-sickness and were looked after very well. The on-board price of food is a little expensive but that is to be expected. The scenery was stunning and though the sun was watery in a cloud covered sky it only added to the mystery on the Isles. Great company based purely on the fat that the staff are fantastic!

The airport building was done up a few years ago, and is very nice inside. There's beautiful lino…read moreprints on the walls which are done by a local artist - and it's worth popping in just to see these even if you're not flying from the airport. There's a small shop which sells newspapers, magazines and some items of local jewellery and knitwear. There's also a cafe and bar, which do a variety of teas, coffees, cake, meals and snacks - great while you're waiting to depart or waiting for someone to arrive at the airport. There's disabled access and a bus service to the airport from Kirkwall. Parking can be a problem - but the car park was recently extended so it's likely to only be a problem at certain times of year now.

John o Groats is the furthest north you can go, it has a few touristy shops but the hotel itself is…read morebeing regenerated into a hotel with leisure facilities, you can also take boat trips just around the coast to see the local wildlife including puffins or a slightly longer trip over the water to Orkney

John o Groats is the northern most tip of the Scottish mainland. It is at the same latitude as…read moreJuneau, Alaska. There are several nice local gift stores and the ferry terminal to the outer islands. It is often cold and rainy but it is worth the trip. 5 Stars. By Gregg L. Friedman MD

the first time i stayed at the caravan site in Wick it was raining, but still it looked beautiful…read moreas the site overlooked the Wick river, which was full of lovley ducks and seagulls, I even saw a herron looking for his supper, anyway, the caravan site was lovley, it was only a short walk down stream on the waters edge to get into town, adnd pick up a few bits and pieces for our supper.the park itself had quite a few rabbits running around which pleased my dogs no end, all they wanted to do was sit outside and watch them, Wullie and Vallery the owners made us feel so welcolme that we have to go back next time we have a break from every day life.

Heading north from Fochabers up the East coast of Scotland, I spent one night at A1 Castleviews…read moreKeiss Bed & Breakfast from Tuesday 9 to Wednesday 10 July 2019 as part of my heritage travel trip to Scotland in July 2019. Having had some bumps with my rental car, I was happy to find the bed and breakfast on the left side of Main Street in Keiss on approach from the south. This made parking along the street to check in very easy since driving was on the left side of the road. Checking in and being shown my room and given my keys, the owners also said I could use the off the street parking spot. Later in the day, when going to explore the Grey Cairns of Camster, I managed to pull-off a maneuver backing out of the parking spot into the lane on the far side of Main Street in one go. I got a nod of approval from the owner(s) and built some confidence about driving my stick shift (manual transmission) rental car. For my stay, I went with a standard double room with breakfast in the morning, which had a price tag of $69 through Booking [dot] com. I paid cash on-site after booking online/via the app. A large bathroom was shared between rooms on the upper floor of the bed and breakfast. At the end of the upstairs hallway was a communal room with cushy seats/couches and dining tables. The presentation was immaculate, the breakfast was delicious, and the owners gracious, conversational, and warm in temperament. Surroundings, even on a cloudy day were stunning.

While recently doing the "North Coast 500" route around the Scottish coast, we stayed at the John…read moreO'Groats Guest House as a stopping point, and are so glad we did! Under new ownership, the lovely couple that now own it have put their heart and soul into the house, and it shows! The rooms are updated with new furniture and fixtures, as well as upgraded with all the technological plug-ins you could need while traveling, such as Wi-Fi, Netflix, etc. The night before your stay you will get a message from the owners, who live on-site, asking what your special request is for any meals you would like. Since there are limited dining options at John O'Groats, this was hospitality above and beyond most B&B's we have stayed at. The owners are fabulous chefs, and only use locally sourced meat, cheese, eggs, milk, jams, etc. which are delivered to them fresh from local farms. We requested the Local Meat & Cheese Tray as our starter, and it was wonderfully fresh and delicious! Our locally sourced pork burger was fantastic as well. Breakfast is also included with your stay, and the owners did not disappoint with a list of local options for breakfast that you select the night before, and tell them what time you would like breakfast. It was such a nice way to start our day on the next leg of our journey around the Scottish coast. The warmth and hospitality we received at the Guest House was unexpected and very welcome. We would stay again.

We recently stayed at the John o' Groats Guest House, and it was a highlight of our month's…read morevacation in England and Scotland. Located near the ferry landing for trips to the Orkney Islands, we knew it would be a great location for us, surrounded by the stark but beautiful northern Scotland scenery. What we did not anticipate, though, was that the owners, Mary and Mark, would be the most welcoming and accommodating people ever. Not only did they provide a very nice room and great food, they did everything possible to make our stay pleasant. Mark even took us down to the ferry for our Orkney tour and picked us up at the end of the day. We had such a good time dining with them and the other guests and hanging out after! It was what you would always like to experience in a small B&B or guest house, but rarely do. If you are going to be in the area, you could do no better than to stay at the John o' Groats Guest House.