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Orkney
2026
fascinating agriculture and rich history
September 2026
All transport within the itinerary
Quality Accommodation of 4* and above
Experienced tour manager
All gratuities
Our journey takes us over the Queensferry Crossing and north through the magnificent Highlands, stopping overnight en route in Inverness, before travelling along the East Coast section of North Coast 500 to Gill's Bay, where we catch the ferry to St Margaret's Hope on Orkney mainland. This is an area steeped in history with many ancient wonders and more recent World War 2 history, in addition to excellent agriculture, crystal clear waters, big skies and interesting wildlife.
What's Included
Register
Interest
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Standing Stones of Stenness
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Ring of Brodgar
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Skara Brae & Skaill House
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Entrance to Barony Water Mill
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Orkney Brewery Tour
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Churchill Barriers and Scapa Flow
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Entrance to The Italian Chapel
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Tour of a popular Distillery
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Visit to John O’ Groats
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Visit to Castle of Mae (subject to it being open)
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Agricultural visits including dairy, sheep, beef and arable
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2 nights near Edinburgh
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4 nights in Kirkwall, Orkney
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2 nights in The Highlands
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Breakfast each morning
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3 Lunches
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7 Evening meals
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Experienced Bay Farm Tours Tour Manager
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Local Guide on Orkney
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All gratuities
Sightseeing
We see the Standing Stones of Stenness, The Ring of Brodgar and of course Skara Brae, a Neolithic village which was discovered following a storm. Add to this beautiful bays, quaint towns & villages and of course Scapa Flow. Here, warships in both world wars were protected by the natural harbour, created by the surrounding islands and in World War 2 by the addition of the Churchill Barriers. A famous tourist attraction is the Italian Chapel, created by Italian prisoners of war brought over to build the barriers.
Pace
Grade B
All of our tours are graded A to D according to the pace of the tour, with A being the least active. To find out more, please click here.
Meals
Breakfast each morning
3 Lunches
7 Evening Dinners
Agriculture
Oats, barley and wheat are the main crops, with grass for both silage & hay. Bre Barley is grown and acknowledged as the oldest cereal in continuous cultivation in the British Isles. Dating back to approximately 3000 BC, it is thought to have been brought over by the Vikings and can be sown in spring due to the long hours of daylight and harvested in the summer.
History
We visit a farm which is situated on the site of a World War 1 & 2 army camp, where gunnery buildings can still be seen along the shore. This 340-acre farm has 120 cattle, mainly Aberdeen Angus which understandably is a breed very evident on Orkney. On leaving the farm we travel the short distance to the famous Italian Chapel. This tiny chapel, created from a Nissan hut by Italian prisoners of war, now stands as a sign of hope and peace
We have just returned home from the holiday of a lifetime: New Zealand with Bay Farm Tours! There wasn't a single hiccup, the tours with Mattey, the hotels, food, weather, the group we were in. Everyone was so nice, and our Tour Manager was absolutely first class. He was always on hand making sure everything and everyone was happy. We would like to thank you all so much for a beautiful memorable holiday.
