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Kirkwall, Scotland


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lidorose, I've not been to Kirkwall yet, but it (and the Orkney Islands in general) are high on my list of places to visit. In the meantime, to try to answer your question, my sources say: "Larger ships dock at Scapa Flow; smaller ships use Kirkwall Harbor."

However, my educated guess is that the words "dock at," above, should be "anchor in," as Scapa Flow is a large natural harbour, not a "dock." Whether you dock or anchor will depend on the size of your ship.

 

If you give the name of your ship, no doubt other posters here will be able to give you a more definitive answer.

 

A brief history lesson re. Scapa Flow: After the Armistice of 11 November 1918 that ended the First World War, 74 ships of the German High Seas Fleet were interned at Scapa Flow. In June 1919, the Germans scuttled all their ships. The British subsequently raised and salvaged most of the ships, but evidently eight remain submerged in Scapa Flow.

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Yes, our itinerary says we tender (I didn't bother to check before I asked the question). However, when we are tendered in, is Kirkwall right there or will we need to find other transportation? Any sightseeing recommendations, anyone?

 

Thanks,

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Yes, our itinerary says we tender (I didn't bother to check before I asked the question). However, when we are tendered in, is Kirkwall right there or will we need to find other transportation? Any sightseeing recommendations, anyone?

 

Thanks,

Lidrose, Again, this is just an educated guess, but based on everything I've read, I think it's safe to say that your tender will land you right in the town, so you shouldn't need transportation to see anything in town. (The town is right on the waterfront.) Kirkwall is fairly compact.

 

St. Magnus Cathedral is the main (perhaps only?) historic site in the town itself. Outside of Kirkwall (but within reasonably short driving distances), if you're interested in the neolithic period, Skara Brae, Maes Howe, and the Ring of Brodgar are all important sites. The Italian Chapel (built by hand by Italian POWs during WWII) might also be worth a visit.

 

Have you checked the following web pages? Lots of information:

http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/kirkwall/kirkwall/index.html

http://www.scotland-info.co.uk/kirkwall.htm

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  • 2 weeks later...

On one visit walked out to the Highland Park Distillery on the road to Scapa flow and enjoyed a tour and tasting. Another time, we took the local bus around the island and stopped off to explore Stromness.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Yes, our itinerary says we tender (I didn't bother to check before I asked the question). However, when we are tendered in, is Kirkwall right there or will we need to find other transportation? Any sightseeing recommendations, anyone?

 

Thanks,

The tender drops you off right in the little town. It is very quaint and easy to walk around. The Cathedral is nice to visit but the entire town is worthwhile. We also took an excursion to a small castle across the harbor and had a nice walk and tour of the castle including tea and refreshments. :):)

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lidorose:

 

This little port seems to have a veritable "treasure trove" of sites to see....be they short walks, a castle or a multitude of Neolithic sites. I don't think you can "miss" no matter what you decide to do.

 

Check out the websites posted in Post Captain's post. I did.

 

MANY private tour guides listed there. The one that looks VERY exciting to me is through: Orkney Archaeology Tours (.co.uk): FULL day & Includes: Broch of Gurness, Churchill Barriers, Corrigall Farm Museum, Cuween Chambered Cairn, Earl's Bru, Italian Chapel, Maeshowe, Rennibister Earth-House, Round Kirk, St Magnus' Cathedral, Scapa Flow, Skail House, Skara Brae, Stones of Stennes, Ring of Brodgar, Unstan Cairn, a local knitwear factory(shopping:))and local pottery factory(shopping :) )! What a day.

 

The history of this Port and its surrounds is amazing. Spend some time reading about it. I think it will be a terrific stop.

 

It IS a tender port. Princess says they have NEVER missed it in August.....though MAY is dicier. Orkney Archaeology Tours says that ships SELDOM miss this Port in August as it is their best month for weather.

 

I hope you have a wonderful visit there! When do you visit? Martha

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  • 2 weeks later...
Hi Martha,

 

Sorry for the delayed reply. We are in Kirkwall May 21st. Can't wait for our cruise! Just got our docs yesterday!

 

Thanks,

 

We must be on the same cruise as we are also in Kirkwall on May 21st. Celebrity Century cruise. Have you decided what to do in Kirkwall? I am so anxious to go on this cruise.

 

Nancy

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Nope, no decisions, but I'm thinking that since this is one of the few stops on our cruise where we don't have to find some sort of transportation from the ship, and it's small enough to walk around, we might just "play it by ear."

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On one visit walked out to the Highland Park Distillery on the road to Scapa flow and enjoyed a tour and tasting. Another time, we took the local bus around the island and stopped off to explore Stromness.

 

 

Could you use the local bus to get to some of the archeological sites? I was going to sign us with a tour company, but they required deposits (which I have never done before), and would not refund we could not tender in. Thanks for your help!

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