Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands is a place that is as much Norwegian as it is British, however the locals consider themselves to be Orcadians. The port itself is located on Harbour Street which runs from east to west parallel to the waterfront.

Whilst the port doesn’t offer passengers much in the way of facilities, it is located close by the town therefore shops and restaurants are easily within reach. For a small town there are a number of good shops to browse around, most of which are located on Bridge and Albion Street. There is also tourist office in Kirkwall, provided by the Orkney Tourist Board.

Northlink Ferries operates out of the pier at Haston with nightly sailings from Aberdeen to Lerwick which is located in the Shetland Islands; four of these stop at Kirkwall on route. Ferries leaving Aberdeen for Kirkwall leave at 17:00 and arrive in Kirkwall at 23:00, with ferries going from Kirkwall in the reverse direction leaving at 23:45.

Ferries depart from Kirkwall to Lerwick at 23:45 and arrive at 07:00 the next morning. A minibus shuttle service is available from Stromness and Kirkwall which are in conjunction with the arrivals and departures.

Each ferry is well equipped with restaurants, bars, lounge areas, children’s play areas as well as en-suite cabins. On the longer routes there is a cinema which shows the latest releases.

Disabled passengers are catered for, both inside the terminal and onboard the ferries. When making you reservation please be advised to warn Northlink in advance of any special requests.

Bus services on the island are very limited, with a bus from Burwick to Kirkwall running daily and connecting with arrivals and departures. There are also buses running from Kirkwall to a number of other of the islands villages. There are flights daily to and from Kirkwall from a number of Scottish cities, with the exception of Sundays when the airport closes.

Tags: Aberdeen, Burwick, Harbour Street, Kirkwall Port, Lerwick, Orkney Islands