Does anyone know what is in Kirkwall?

Does anyone know what is in Kirkwall? We have on idea of what to do there.

I was there about 10 yrs. ago on a Brit. Isles cruise. It's very different from the other Scottish ports -- not all green. Because it's so far north, it's wind-swept & rocky, but still beautiful (and a bit cold).

It was a Viking site hundreds of years ago & there are several ruins to see. It was also the site of some important WWII events.

We took 2 ship's excursions (Princess); a tour of the area & Viking sites in the AM & an afternoon tour via ferry to Balfour estate, a Downton Abbey-type estate. We were served tea & scones; the local women baked the scones when a ship came in. DH & I got a nice surprise there -- the china used for our tea was the same as our wedding china!

We also had lunch in Kirkwall at a little pub.

We enjoyed the day.

Depends what you enjoy!

Kirkwall itself has a wonderful cathedral, lovely jewellery shops and a whisky distillery.

Lots of options for tours to the major archeological sites - right back to the Neolithic age.

Bird watching.

WW2 history.

Suggest you take a look at the visit Scotland website as a place to start.

http://www.visitscotland.com/destinations-maps/orkney/

We really enjoyed our cruise stop, so much so I'm now going for a week!

Just be prepared for it to be cool, windy and damp. G.

We went to the the Italian Chapel, built by prisoners of war,

There was a concert at St Magnus Cathedral the day we were there ..beautiful to see & hear

Just depends on your interests

Does anyone know what is in Kirkwall?

we will be there in early July.

All tours sold by ur ship, as well as the tours advertised by local operators sound dull as hell.

birdwatching, archeological sites, flora and fauna, insights into the love life of the Scotish seagull, that sort of thing.

I organised a rental car for the day.....

:-)

All tours sold by ur ship, as well as the tours advertised by local operators sound dull as hell.

birdwatching, archeological sites, flora and fauna, insights into the love life of the Scotish seagull, that sort of thing.

Kirkwall was my favorite port on a circle UK in 2011. The bus tour run by the local bus company was outstanding The church in the town is not to be missed

we will be there in early July.

All tours sold by ur ship, as well as the tours advertised by local operators sound dull as hell.

birdwatching, archeological sites, flora and fauna, insights into the love life of the Scotish seagull, that sort of thing.

 

I organised a rental car for the day.....

 

:-)

if you dont like the sound of whats on offer the do some internet reasearch, decide where you want to go, and contact a taxi company there. If you tell them which places you want they can arrange something to suit you .. whisky distillery and brewery tours maybe? ..... tours should not be a fixed route ..... its your day out!

its worth considering that orkney has a population of about 20,000 including 7-8,000 in kirkwall .....limited amounts of transport ....... on some days there are 7,000 coming into kirkwall on cruise ships on one day!! things are going to be very stretched and taxis, hire cars and buses very busy so booking in advance may be a good idea

http://www.orkneyharbours.com/view_liners.asp?y=2014 have a list of whats coming in and when ........ useful reading

Hi Roberts2005

Interested in the bus tour. Did you get the bus from the cruise terminal or in town and which sites did you visit?

Kirkwall was my favorite port on a circle UK in 2011.

I had the same experience in 2008. A group of us enjoyed a wonderful private tour with Caz Mamwell of Orkney Archeology Tours, who showed us a Neolithic village that had been buried under the sands for thousands of year, a barrow tomb with Viking graffiti, two different sets of standing stones, Earl's Bu (mentioned in the Orkneyinga, a saga from Viking times, the Italian chapel and Scapa Flow. If you're a history buff, this little group of islands has much more than its share.

Interested in visiting Italian chapel and scapa flow.The ship does a couple of excursions which include these stops but time may be limited at each.Does anyone know if these can be done DIY?

If you want to visit the Italian Chapel independently it will depend how many passengers are in port. If you're on a big ship then the ships tours will be passing through all day. Chapel can only hold one bus at a time. If you happen to be visiting on July 5th there are three big ships in port - more people than live in Kirkwall; all transport will be booked by the cruise lines! Local bus X1 will take you to the chapel and past much of Scapa flow. G.

msg girl

Is there a website for the bus company where I can download times and routes?

Try this for a route map

http://www.stagecoachbus.com/PdfUploads/Map_41639_X1-X10%20Orkney%20.pdf

Timetable

http://www.stagecoachbus.com/PdfUploads/Timetable_41638_X1-X10%20Orkney%20.pdf

Not sure which ship you're on but if there's a shuttle bus it will drop you at the Kirkwall travel centre. G.

msg girl

We are docking at Hatston pier and shuttle bus is required. Thanks for the info.Would it be possible in the one day to go to Italian chapel using bus x1 and then transfer to t11 to visit skara brae, ring of brodgar and standing stones?

I think you might struggle unless the special T11 is running - you might have to email the bus company. This is a link to last years times.

http://www.stagecoachbus.com/Orkney%20Tours%202013.aspx

You would then need to check the timings for the Italian Chapel.

Hope this helps. G.

msg girl

Thanks for all the helpful info.Much appreciated.

Hi Roberts2005

 

Interested in the bus tour. Did you get the bus from the cruise terminal or in town and which sites did you visit?

Sorry for any delay in answering. The tour leaves from the bus terminal. You get to see all the highlights outside the town. Depending on how long you have you can walk around after the bus tour

roberts2005

Thanks for the info.

I am interested in this post as we have one day in Kirkwall. I have organised a hired car and hope to see The Italian Chapel, Skara Brae and Ring of Brodgar. The Car hire company said this is possible so here's hoping. Will post once we have been.

We just came back from a British Isles cruise and the highlight of all our tours was the one in Orkney. It makes a big difference going with a guide who is knowledgeable and passionate about all the sites you visit and we were fortunate to get Pat from Orkney Aspects as our private guide. Even with all the people from the cruise descending on the small island at the same time, she was able to dodge the crowds. In some of the popular archeological sites, we were the only ones there. It was cold and windy but we didn't mind because we were busy listening to her stories about the different sites. She even provided a delicious lunch and yummy desserts.

Of course you can take a public bus and go around on your own but you can learn so much more and cover so much more ground in the short time you have there if you go with a guide. If you are interested in archaeology, getting a tour from Orkney Aspects is a very good bet.

We did not need a tender from the dock but there was only our ship there.

I just returned from the cruise that stopped in Kirkwall along with two other cruise ships. The amount of passengers completely overwhelmed the public transportation system. By the time we got to the ticket office for the T11 bus, all tickets for the day were sold out. As were all the ship's tours. We walked around the bleak and dreary town (all the buildings are a brownish gray color) and then took the tender back to the ship.

Not a very interesting port for us.

We were in Kirkwall (population 8000) on July 3rd, two days before three cruise ships and their 8000+ passengers descended on the Orkney Islands on the same day. We had a fantastic time and considered our stop in Kirkwall one of our cruise's highlights.

After doing a bit of research, we decided to take a private tour in the Orkneys instead of one of the ship's bus tours so that we could cover more ground at our pace. We hired Diane from Peedie Orkney Tours. She was excellent: knowledgeable, but relaxed and friendly. We visited the Italian Chapel, saw the Churchill Barriers, and explored the Tomb of the Eagles (instead of the more popular and crowded archeological sites), in addition to visiting a farm. We then walked around Kirkwall, visiting St. Magnus Church (gorgeous stone and wood work) and the Bishop's Palace. We also bought hanks of North Ronaldsay Island wool (the hardy sheep in that far off Orkney Island have adapted to their environment and eat seaweed) and tasty Orkney ice cream.

Our friends took the ship's tour of Balfour Castle, a Downton Abbey kind of place a short ferry ride from Kirkwall where they had tea. This tour sold out prior to the beginning of the cruise, and was well liked by those who took it.

My suggestion is to check out the ship tours and also look into private tours for ideas of what to do in the Orkneys. To limit oneself to the pedestrian street near St. Magnus does not do justice to this cruise stop.

Also, check how many other ships (and passengers) will be in port on your day in Kirkwall. If you find that you'll probably be competing with thousands of other visitors for seats on a public bus, a ship or private tour might be your best bet for exploring the islands (and not limiting yourself to downtown Kirkwall). As a general rule, I check all ports we visit ahead of time online to determine if the total number of passengers on our day in port might overwhelm public transportation options.

I just returned from the cruise that stopped in Kirkwall along with two other cruise ships. The amount of passengers completely overwhelmed the public transportation system. By the time we got to the ticket office for the T11 bus, all tickets for the day were sold out. As were all the ship's tours. We walked around the bleak and dreary town (all the buildings are a brownish gray color) and then took the tender back to the ship.

 

Not a very interesting port for us.

Bleak & dreary town?