Visiting the Orkneys was never really on my radar until I recently went on a cruise around the British Isles and it was one of the stops.

I was looking forward to exploring for a day but did not expect to be blown away by the sheer beauty of those islands.

Lush greens, stunning blues and the friendliest people. I must admit we had the best of luck with the weather that day which helped to form a very lasting first impression of the islands.

While the Orkneys are not your usual holiday destination I would recommend anyone who likes remoteness and being surrounded by nature to go and visit one day.

There are ferries and flights which go into Kirkwall airport from a range of Scottish airports like Edinburgh and Glasgow.

The most surprising fact I have learned on that day was that the Orkneys are very big for music and folk festival for a big part of the year. I am leaving a link here for those who are interested to take a closer look what’s going on on the islands. https://www.orkney.com/things/culture/festivals

I wish we would have had more time to explore the island and see more of Kirkwall where we docked but even the little time we spent left everlasting memories and a real hope to be able to go back soon for a long weekend.

And while the Orkneys are absolutely stunning in the sunshine I can see myself also visiting when the weather is less great and instead sitting in a cozy pub with a book by the fireplace…