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Various other definitions are used in the Scottish context. For example the General Register Office for Scotland defined an island as 'a mass of land surrounded by water, separate from the Scottish mainland' but although they included islands linked by bridges etc. this is not clear from this definition. Haswell-Smith (2004) uses "an Island is a piece of land or group of pieces of land which is entirely surrounded by water at Lowest Astronomical Tide and to which there is no permanent means of dry access". This is widely agreed to be unhelpful as it consciously excludes bridged islands. Erste Orkney-Brennerei seit 138 Jahren: Fassverkauf finanziert Bau der Deerness Distillery". www.heraldscotland.com. 29 March 2023 . Retrieved 29 March 2023.

This is a list of islands with an area greater than 15 hectares (approximately 37 acres). Records for the last date of settlement for the smaller uninhabited islands are incomplete, but all of the islands listed here would have been inhabited at some point during the Neolithic, Pictish or Norse periods. THE 20 MOST BEAUTIFUL ISLANDS TO VISIT IN SCOTLAND". 26 April 2020. Archived from the original on 15 February 2021 . Retrieved 19 February 2021. Flights to and from Orkney are operated by Loganair. The airline manages routes to Kirkwall from Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness. These airports all have excellent links to the rest of the country and the wider world. A new route connecting Kirkwall, Dundee, and London Heathrow will also be introduced for the summer season, beginning on 4 April 2023. Take a look at our table below for more information on available airports and approximate flight times. Route

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This small island chain is leading the way on hydrogen power' ". CNN. 13 March 2020. Archived from the original on 20 March 2021 . Retrieved 3 February 2021. Archaeologists discover rare stones in a 'disappearing' tomb in Scotland". The Jerusalem Post | Jpost.com. Archived from the original on 12 September 2021 . Retrieved 12 September 2021.

Ordnance Survey maps. Note that the maps mark the height above sea level of a high point on most islands, but in a small number of cases, this may not be the highest point. Graemsay is farmland just north of Hoy: the Stromness-Hoy ferry calls here. There's no transport to the uninhabited little islands of Cava and Fara. You can choose to travel to the islands by ferry or flight from a variety of destinations, with plenty of options available when you’re planning your visit. This means that the island culture was Norse and not Gaelic. Its soil, climate and scenery are also different from the Gaelic areas, with green fields, cows grazing and a shimmer of blue from the many lochs and sea inlets. It doesn't draw the clouds, rain and midges of Highland Scotland. The largest island Mainland, together with Hoy and the chain of small islands down to South Ronaldsay, enclose Scapa Flow, which in wartime was an important naval anchorage.Orkney is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a constituency of the Scottish Parliament, a lieutenancy area, and an historic county. The local council is Orkney Islands Council, one of only three councils in Scotland with a majority of elected members who are independents. [Notes 1] Both Orkney and Shetland saw a significant influx of Norwegian settlers during the late 8th and early 9th centuries. Vikings made the islands the headquarters of their pirate expeditions carried out against Norway and the coasts of mainland Scotland. In response, Norwegian king Harald Fairhair (Harald Hårfagre) annexed the Northern Isles, comprising Orkney and Shetland, in 875 (it is clear that this story, which appears in the Orkneyinga Saga, is based on the later voyages of Magnus Barelegs and some scholars believe it to be apocryphal). [55] Rognvald Eysteinsson received Orkney and Shetland from Harald as an earldom as reparation for the death of his son in battle in Scotland, and then passed the earldom on to his brother Sigurd the Mighty. [56] Get around [ edit ] "Are we nearly there yet?" - it's less than two minutes between Westray and Papa Westray, hence the world's shortest regularly scheduled flight By plane [ edit ] Thompson (2008) suggests that there was an element of Roman "boasting" involved, given that it was known to them that the Orcades lay at the northern extremity of the British Isles. [46] Similarly, Ritchie describes Tacitus' claims that Rome "conquered" Orkney as "a political puff, for there is no evidence of Roman military presence". [47]

A local BBC radio station, BBC Radio Orkney, the local opt-out of BBC Radio Scotland, broadcasts twice daily, with local news and entertainment. [195] Orkney also had a commercial radio station, The Superstation Orkney, which broadcast to Kirkwall and parts of the mainland and also to most of Caithness [196] until its closure in November 2014. [197] MFR broadcasts throughout Orkney on an FM transmitter just outside Thurso. The community radio station Caithness FM also broadcasts to Orkney. [198]

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The North Isles is an island group located to the north of Mainland Island. It comprises several islands with sizable land areas, connected to the Mainland by ferry service. Some of these islands are North Ronaldsay, Sanday, Westray, Papa Westray, Egilsay, Rousay, and Gairsay. The islands are rich in ancient monuments, including old-towered church ruins, standing stones, and Cubbie Roo’s castle. Some islands have a small population, including 550 people in Westray and five people in Auskerry. Plummer, Carolus (2003). Venerabilis Baedae Historiam Ecclesiasticam[ Ecclesiastical History of Bede]. Gorgias Press. ISBN 978-1-59333-028-6. [ permanent dead link] Learn more about the tidal island and its access on the article dedicated to the Brough of Birsay. Brough of Birsay #9 – Broch of Gurness Kirkwall is the administrative capital of the Orkney Islands and largest town. The airport, and ferry port for Aberdeen and Shetland, are here; it has the most accommodation and is the obvious base for visitors. Its main attractions are St Magnus cathedral, the Earl's and Bishop's Palaces, a couple of museums, and two distilleries. Two mysterious stone balls found buried in 5,500-year-old 'disappearing' tomb in Orkney". www.scotsman.com. 2 September 2021. Archived from the original on 12 September 2021 . Retrieved 12 September 2021.

During most years, the islands are the home of several international festivals, including the Orkney International Science Festival in September, a folk festival in May, and the St Magnus International Arts Festival in June. [168] After the Norse occupation, the toponymy of Orkney became almost wholly West Norse. [206] The Norse language changed into the local Norn, which lingered until the end of the 18th century, when it eventually died out. [205] Norn was replaced by the Orcadian dialect of Insular Scots. This dialect is at a low ebb due to the pervasive influences of television, education, and the large number of incomers. However, attempts are being made by some writers and radio presenters to revitalise its use [207] and the distinctive sing-song accent and many dialect words of Norse origin remain in use. [Notes 20] The Orcadian word most frequently encountered by visitors is peedie, meaning 'small', which may be derived from the French petit. [209] [Notes 21] Right next to the Broch of Gurness is Aikerness Beach, one of the longest stretches of sand on Mainland Orkney. To tourists, one of the fascinations of the islands is their "nightless" summers. On the longest day, the sun rises at 04:00 and sets at 22:29 BST and complete darkness is unknown. This long twilight is known in the Northern Isles as the "simmer dim". [122] Winter nights are long. On the shortest day the sun rises at 09:05 and sets at 15:16. [123] At this time of year the aurora borealis can occasionally be seen on the northern horizon during moderate auroral activity. [124]The region receives an average annual rainfall of between 850 mm and 940 mm. Fogs are common during mid-autumn and summer, and strong gales are experienced at least four times annually. One of the archipelago’s fascinations is the nightless summer, with the sun rising at 4:00 AM and setting at 10:30 PM on the longest day of the year. During winter’s shortest day, the sun rises at 9:00 AM and sets at 3:15 PM. Brief History Skara Brae is a preserved Neolithic settlement on Mainland, Orkney Islands. It is often believed that the princess's death is associated with the village of St Margaret's Hope on South Ronaldsay but there is no evidence for this other than the coincidence of the name. [73]