How to get to Orkney: Scrabster, Gills Bay, Aberdeen or a flight

Orkney has three ferry routes and one airport, and the right one depends on where your trip starts. From Inverness and the Highlands, the short crossings from Scrabster or Gills Bay make a road trip. From Aberdeen and the south, the overnight NorthLink ship or a Loganair flight saves a long drive. If time matters more than anything, fly. The Orkney travel guide covers what to see once you land, and the wider Scotland guide shows how the islands fit into a longer route. This page settles the crossing.

The choice matters because it decides your first town, your first night and how much of the mainland you drive. Scrabster to Stromness lands you on the west side, Gills Bay to St Margaret's Hope lands you on South Ronaldsay, and the Aberdeen ship arrives at Hatston outside Kirkwall late in the evening. Orkney.com lists all three ferry routes and the flights on its getting here page, and the operators set the timetables, so confirm sailings for your date before you commit to a hotel.

Times come from Orkney.com and the operators, and they are approximate. Flights from Aberdeen and Dundee take about 50 minutes, from Edinburgh or Glasgow about an hour and from Inverness about 45 minutes. A summer route links Kirkwall, Dundee and London Heathrow, and Orkney.com puts the London journey at three to four hours with connections.

This is the busiest route and the default for drivers from Inverness. NorthLink says the MV Hamnavoe sails up to six times a day, that the distance by sea is 30 miles and that the crossing takes 90 minutes. It adds that the crossing sails past the Old Man of Hoy, which is a good first sight on the way in. The first sailing of the day is from Stromness, and the last from Scrabster leaves at 19:00, so a late drive north can still make the day's final boat if you plan for it.

The road to the port is the A9. NorthLink describes the route from Inverness as mountains, then the flat terrain of the Flow Country, then the coast, and says that when you reach Thurso you follow signposts through the town to the ferry at Scrabster. Allow plenty of time for the long drive. Missing a check-in can mean losing your booked space, so aim to be at the terminal well before departure.

NorthLink also runs a Hamnavoe B&B offer, which lets you sleep on board on the last night of the holiday and take the first morning sailing to Scrabster. That suits a departure by an early train or flight south. If you have no car, trains run to Thurso and buses to Scrabster, per Orkney.com, so a foot passenger route is workable.

For a night before the boat, the Northern Highlands and Islands guide covers the far north coast, and the Inverness travel guide covers the start of the drive.

Pentland Ferries runs its own purpose-built car and passenger vessel across the Pentland Firth from Gills Bay in Caithness to St Margaret's Hope on South Ronaldsay. Its website says the crossing takes just over an hour, and Orkney.com lists 70 minutes. The crossing is shorter than Scrabster, so check the timetable for your date before you plan the day around it.

The road to Gills Bay from Inverness is the A9 north, then the A99 at Latheron toward Wick and John O'Groats. Pentland Ferries gives the journey as approximately 2½ hours, says the terminal is 4 miles west of John O'Groats and lists the postcode KW1 4YB for satellite navigation. The nearest stations are Wick and Thurso, and there is a limited Stagecoach bus service between Inverness and Gills Bay, with times that the ferry company tells passengers to check directly with the operator.

St Margaret's Hope is a small village, and from there you drive across the Churchill Barriers toward Kirkwall. That suits a slow arrival and a quieter first night, and it is a poor fit for anyone who plans a first day in Stromness or on the west Mainland, since the drive adds time.

The Aberdeen ship is the only route that works as an overnight journey with a cabin, a pod or a reclining seat. NorthLink says the sailing from Aberdeen to Kirkwall is in the evening and takes place only on certain days, because the ships that serve Shetland call at Hatston, outside Kirkwall, on some nights. On those nights the ship leaves Aberdeen at 17:00 and arrives at Hatston at 23:00, and passengers arriving there must disembark. The distance is 154 miles. The return from Kirkwall is an overnight sailing that arrives in Aberdeen at 07:00.

That timing has consequences. You arrive in Orkney at 23:00, so your first night needs a late check-in, ideally in Kirkwall. NorthLink recommends booking a reclining seat, sleeping pod or cabin for both journeys. The Aberdeen terminal is at Jamieson's Quay, opposite the Union Square shopping center and a five-minute walk from the bus and train stations, which makes rail arrivals simple.

This route is the natural start for a combined trip. The same ships continue to Lerwick, and the Orkney and Shetland guide shows how to link the two island groups. The Aberdeen travel guide covers the city you leave from, and the Kirkwall travel guide covers the town you arrive at.

Loganair operates the flights to Kirkwall, per Orkney.com, which lists direct routes from Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness. The airports connect to the wider network, so a flight can start from a long-haul arrival elsewhere in the UK. Schedules and seasonal routes change, so check the airline for the date you want.

Flying makes sense for a short trip or a trip with no car. It costs time on the ground, since you will need a hire car or buses to reach the sites, and it removes the ferry as a weather risk, though flights are also affected by wind and fog. A flight pairs well with a ferry on the way home if you want to see the Pentland Firth from the deck.

From Inverness with a car, choose Scrabster if you want the most sailings and the widest choice of times, and choose Gills Bay if you prefer the shorter crossing and a calmer port. From Aberdeen, Edinburgh or Glasgow without a car, choose the overnight ship if you want to sleep through the journey, and the flight if the schedule is tight. From England, a flight to Aberdeen or Inverness followed by the ship or a connecting flight is simpler than a long drive.

If you plan to drive on Orkney, a car is the easiest way to visit the Neolithic sites, which are spread across the West Mainland. The guide to Skara Brae, Maeshowe and the Ring of Brodgar explains the order of the sites, and Orkney in 4 days shows how the crossing fits a four-day loop.

Book early for summer, and keep the booking flexible. NorthLink says 2027 sailings are open for booking, with 2027 timetables and fares on its routes page, and that it will operate an amended service on its Orkney and Shetland routes while ships go to dry dock during January, February and March 2027. Pentland Ferries publishes its own timetable, and both operators warn that service can change, so subscribe to updates and check the service status on the day.

Weather decides more crossings than the calendar does. Gales in the Pentland Firth cancel sailings and flights, and you may be stuck on either side. Leave a spare day at the end of the trip, avoid a same-day flight home after a crossing, and consider travel insurance with delay cover, which is cheap compared with a missed international flight.

The first mistake is assuming the Aberdeen ship calls at Orkney every night. NorthLink says it calls only on certain days, so confirm the date before you book a hotel. The second is arriving at Scrabster without a booking in summer. The third is mixing up the ports. Gills Bay is near John O'Groats, while Scrabster is beside Thurso, and a wrong turn costs real time on the north coast.

A fourth mistake is leaving the entry and phone steps to the last week. If you need an ETA, read the UK ETA guide before you book any leg, set up an eSIM for ferry updates and tickets, and use the guide to trains, buses and cars for the mainland leg.

If you have only a long weekend, the drive north plus a ferry takes most of two days, and a flight or the overnight ship is a better use of time. If you dislike rough water, choose the shortest crossing, Gills Bay, or fly, and pick a calm-weather window. If you have a very large vehicle, check the operator's size limits and the Orkney roads before you book.