Orkney Islands, group of more than 70 islands and islets—only about 20 of which are inhabited—in Scotland, lying about 20 miles (32 km) north of the Scottish mainland, across the strait known as the Pentland Firth. The Orkney Islands constitute a council area and belong to the historic county of Orkney.

Politically, Great Britain refers to the whole of England, Scotland and Wales in combination, but not Northern Ireland; it includes islands, such as the Isle of Wight, Anglesey, the Isles of Scilly, the Hebrides and the island groups of Orkney and Shetland, that are part of England, Wales, or Scotland.

Orkney is a county in Scotland, and is treated the same as every other county in Scotland. Scotland is in Great Britain, therefore, The Orkney and The Shetland Islands are a part of Great Britain.

Farmers first reached Orkney on boats that took them across the narrow – but treacherously dangerous – Pentland Firth from mainland Scotland. These were the people of the New Stone Age, and they brought cattle, pigs and sheep with them, as well as grain to plant and ploughs to till the land.

The islands lie about 80 km (50 mi) to the northeast of Orkney, 170 km (110 mi) from Scotland and 300 km (190 mi) west of Norway. They form part of the border between the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east. Their total area is 1,466 km2 (566 sq mi), and the population totalled 22,920 in 2019.

The South Orkney Islands are part of the Antarctic Treaty System, which means that they are not technically owned by any country. However, Argentina and the U.K. have both made claims upon these islands in the past.

By 3,500BC, Orkney had seen a decline in forest cover. This was due to human activity and aggravated by a deterioration in the climate. This loss of available wood for construction led to the increased use of stone as a building material – a fact that has left us with so many beautifully preserved prehistoric sites.

Scots language

The largest island of Orkney, known as the “Mainland” has an area of 523.25 square kilometres (202.03 sq mi), making it the sixth largest Scottish island. Shetland is around 170 kilometres (110 mi) north of mainland Scotland.

You can fly directly to Orkney and Shetland with Loganair. Travel around the Orkney Isles then head north to discover Shetland’s best bits.

Shetland is actually closer to Norway than it is to the Scottish capital of Edinburgh and was under Norwegian control from the 9th century until it was transferred to the Scottish King James III in 1472.

Shetland Islands, also called Zetland or Shetland, group of about 100 islands, fewer than 20 of them inhabited, in Scotland, 130 miles (210 km) north of the Scottish mainland, at the northern extremity of the United Kingdom. They constitute the Shetland Islands council area and the historic county of Shetland.

There are numerous shelter belts around the islands and many gardens have a good selection of trees and shrubs. The real reasons for the lack of trees are to do with clearance for firewood and the presence of sheep, which have prevented natural regeneration.

180.64 miles

While the northern reaches of Scotland offer better chances of spotting the ‘Mirrie Dancers’, the aurora can be seen anywhere in Scotland when the right conditions are met and where the light pollution is at a minimum. Here’s a list of some of the best places to see this marvel: Shetland, Orkney and Caithness (eg.

You are more likely to see the northern lights in Scotland between September and March. The reason is that you can better distinguish the colours of the aurora when the night sky is dark. That’s why you should look out for them in autumn and winter, as the nights are longer and darker compared to the summer.

The Isle of Skye

The answer is simple: sunlight is incredibly bright, the aurora doesn’t stand a chance to outshine our nearest star. In the arctic region summer is dominated by the sun both day and night, the same goes for the antarctic region in winter. During that season it’s impossible to see the aurora.

Orkney is a great place to witness the Northern Lights, with autumn and winter the ideal time of year. That said, clear, dark skies are needed, in addition to the right levels of atmospheric activity.

The best places to base yourself for whale watching include Oban, the Isle of Mull, Skye and the Outer Hebrides. Orkney and Shetland offer the best chance of spotting orcas (killer whales), while the Moray Firth has a resident population of bottlenose dolphins.

In Northern California, your best time to spot gray whales and orcas is December to May. For humpbacks, visit May through November, and for blue whales, the largest animal on Earth, plan your stay sometime between July and October.

To increase your chances of a sighting, the best time to visit is between May and September, although the whales are present all year round. Even further north, you may be lucky enough to see killer whales on Shetland between May and August, when they come inshore to hunt seals.

Scotland’s group of killer whales are visible all year round, especially around the Small Isles and Skye. However, due to limited size of their pod, sightings of the orca are rare.

Orca watching in John O’Groats Anytime between May and September is said to be the time that you’re most likely to see them, however it isn’t guaranteed and it’s worth spending at least a few days there to increase your chances of seeing them.

Shetland Islands

Orcas travel in ‘pods’ and those seen off the northern and eastern coast of Scotland are migratory and follow the mackerel and heron shoals. A small pod lives off the west coast of Scotland year-round but are rarely seen as there are so few of them.

The only area in Iceland where orcas are regularly seen is Snaefellsnes in the West of Iceland. Láki Tours is the only tour operator in this area that offers whale watching tours from Grundarfjordur during winter and trips from Olafsvik in summer.

Hoxa Head on South Ronaldsay; Marwick Head in West Mainland, and Noup Head on Westray are three favourite cetacean-watching spots, and have given us lots of enjoyable observations over the years.

Killer whales (or orcas) are large, powerful apex predators. In the wild, there have been no fatal recorded attacks on humans. In captivity, there have been several non-fatal and fatal attacks on humans since the 1970s.