Need Kirkwall (Orkney Islands) Tour Advice

[DrFUN]

We're on the Golden Princess, stopping in Kirkwall on July 8. We'd like to visit the pre-historic sites in the morning (Skara Brae, Rings, Stones, etc.), break for a quick lunch somewhere quaint along the way, and then in the afternoon visit the Italian Chapel and take the HP Distillery tour (DH is a single-male aficionado after years of leading university cultural and performing arts programs to London)....

 

The ship's shorex do it via two different 1/2-day tours, but it's pretty expensive--$59 for each of the 1/2-day tours, or $118 per person.

 

Does anyone have any tips about doing it on your own via public transportation or local touring company? Can you do any of it on foot from the pier or town center?

 

THANKS!!

Mary-Lou/"DrFUN" (& Dave)

Phoenix, AZ

[Chester]

Have you thought about renting a car? It's a beautiful island! We paid 42 pounds for a rental car with insurance and taxes and easily toured Skara Brae, Stones of Stennes, Rings of Brodgar, Maes Howe and then headed south for the Italian Chapel. It's too far from town to do it on foot but it's an easy drive and we still had time to spend an hour or so in Kirkwall.

 

Sorry, but I don't have any info on private hire or taxi's.

 

A lot of the tours miss Maes Howe - a prehistoric burial tomb - because it is too small to handle a large group. I found it to be quite fascinating and would have regreted not seeing it. There's plenty of info on the internet if you want to read up on it first. Mind you, you need to do a crouch walk for about 8 to 10 yards as the entrance is quite low but if you can handle that it's worth the price of admission.

[DrFUN]

Thanks, Chester! What a great idea--and a small percentage of the shorex cost. The ship's two tours to get what we want = 248 USD (124 pp).... Of course, that DOES include all admissions, pick-up and return to tenders, a tour guide, and the HIghland Park Distillery tour. (Is the distillery in town?)

 

Do you mind helping with a few more questions? (I'll check it all out on the web, too--but we leave the USA for the UK sailing in a few days, and I have to fly to a 2-day business trip meantime!)

 

--Where did you go to get the rental car?

--Where did you park while at the sites?

--Were there admission costs at all sites?

--Was driving on the left hard there? (Was there much traffic? When were you there?)

--Sounds as if you were fine without a tour guide at the ancient sites (??). We have Rick Steves' book and other ones.:)

 

THANKS AGAIN!

[Chester]

Hi

 

I believe the distillery wasn't too far out of town and you will pass it on your way to the Italian chapel.

 

We rented a car from Orkney Car Hire ... http://www.orkneycarhire.co.uk/

 

There was (free) parking available at each of the sites we visited.

 

Of the sites I listed, there was an admission charge at Skara Brae and the Maes Howe. The Maes Howe included a guide (you cannot access the site without a guided tour)

 

We rented cars in Holyhead, Greenock and Kirkwall and did not really have any problems driving on the left. I would say Kirkwall was the easiest to drive in and had the least amount of traffic. You might want to make sure you understand how the roundabouts work. You can do a google search on driving in the UK and get a couple of good articles to read first.

 

The ancient sites all had information boards posted that help to explain the site. We didn't do a guided tour at Skara Brae and I can't recall ofhand if one was offered or not. We opted to buy a souvenir book instead (3.50 pounds I think) which was very informative as well.

 

Let me know if you have any other questions and I will try to answer them later tonight (likely after 9:00 or 10:00 pm EDT)

[Chester]

One other point, although you are probably aware of this already ... most vehicles in the UK are a manual transmission so if you want an automatic be sure that's what you are requesting and they confirm it.

[DrFUN]

Can't thank you enough, dear Chester!:)

 

This sounds the best of all, and my husband and I like to be on our own and able to adjust our time.... I'm thinking of getting a Scotland Heritage card anyhow (for Glasgow and Edinburgh), and it includes most of the Kirkwall venues.

 

When were you there? Were you on the Golden Princess? (Our cruise is July 1-11, and we're in Kirkwall on July 8.)

 

One more question (so sorry!:o)--but do you think we could do the pre-historic sites (maybe without the Maes Howe but I WOULD like to see St Magnus Cathedral), do a quick lunch, and then do the Italian Chapel and the distillery tour? (DH = a single-malt aficionado!) We're in port 7 am-6 pm, but, as you know, it's tenders, it could be late anchoring, etc.--and there's the time at the rental office, if it's crowded (what with all the cruisers landing)....

 

Thanks again!!

Mary-Lou (Phoenix--on PDT this time of year; we don't go on DST, so we're MST all year:rolleyes:)

[Chester]

We just returned from the Golden Princess British Isles cruise of June 11 to 21. If you've never done the UK before (and we hadn't) ... you are in for a real treat.

 

Although we docked at 7:00 we didn't head down to the tender waiting lounge until 8 am (didn't want to be too early as I had forgotten to check what time the car rental opened). We were off the ship and on shore around 8:30 or maybe a bit after. The car rental depot is a five minute walk from the pier.

 

The day we were in Kirkwall, Orkney Car Hire had all of their cars reserved for the day so that should suggest to you to book early and arrive at their office early as well. If others are ahead of you, it will slow down the time it takes you to complete the paper work and be on your way. (By the way, be sure to have your passport with you when renting a car - some of the rental places asked for it).

 

 

Your timetable seems reasonable and you should be able to do it comfortably. We didn't do the distillery tour but we did go further north (to Brough of Birsay) and further south (to Burwick) than you might do ... so maybe that will equal the time for the distillery tour. We also had a nice visit to St Magnus Cathedral and some of the shops in town and had the car back by 5:00 pm.

 

As you get off the ship - before the gangway - look to see if there is a stack of free newspapers called The Islander. Our edition had a very good full page map on the back of it that we used to find all of the visitor attractions we wanted to see.

 

Maes Howe, Ring of Brodgar and the Standing Stones of Stenness are fairly close to each other and not too far out of Kirkwall (about half way between Kirkwall and Skara Brae.) Skara Brae is about halfway up the main island on the west coast. At Skara Brae there is also the Skaill House mansion that you will likely want to tour. Then back to Kirkwall for St Magnus Cathedral and lunch. After lunch you can head to the distillery just outside of town and then the Italian Chapel - just across the first causeway.

 

Don't hesitate to ask if you have more questions.

[CASPER5]

We Will Be There July 8, We Are From Florida. Is There Any Bus Or Local Taxis You Can Take To Tour Kirkwall. Casper5

[kguth125]

CASPER5,

 

I talked to two groups on the June 11 sailing who used taxis at the dock for tours of the island. They were happy with the tour. Sorry I can't provide specific details of the cost.

 

KG in Tennessee

[DrFUN]

Thanks so much for all your excellent information, Chester! We've booked with the same car hire in Kirkwall--and look forward to following your suggested schedule. We're leaving in 36 hours, so the info came right in time.

 

As long as we can anchor at Kirkwall, all should be great. :)

 

BTW: Was the petrol expensive--and was it easily accessible (to replace before returning the vehicle)?

[Chester]

I can't remember the price per litre - somehow I think it was around 93 pence per litre. I started out with a full tank of gas and it took 10 pounds to fill it back up when I was done. There is a gas station about a block or two down from the rental place on the other side of the street.

 

Enjoy your cruise and all of the amazing and historic sights you will see.

[Nickwolf]

I can't remember the price per litre - somehow I think it was around 93 pence per litre.

 

That's about right.

 

Nick.

[DrFUN]

Leaving in ELEVEN HOURS for the airport--but first: THANKS a million for all your marvelous advice! :D Can't wait!!!

 

All the best,

Mary-Lou/"DrFUN"

Phoenix, AZ

[DrFUN]

We're back--and it was great! THANKS, CHESTER! We got to see everything--and at our own pace, stopping when we saw an inviting "kirk" with great view, visiting someone we'd chatted with via these boards, and doing the major sites AHEAD of the big tour groups. Rental car folks were super, and driving in Orkney was easy. This is the way to go for this port!

[Chester]

Glad to hear that the car rental route worked out well for you. This was one of our favourite ports.

[DrFUN]

Again, Chester, our special thanks to you!