Large Group Houses in Orkney

Large Group Accommodation in Orkney

Orkney is 70 islands off the north coast of Scotland, 20 of them lived on, with more prehistory per square mile than anywhere in Britain. Skara Brae, the Ring of Brodgar, the Stones of Stenness and Maeshowe together make up a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Kirkwall has St Magnus Cathedral and the Highland Park distillery; Stromness is the old harbour town facing Hoy. The outer islands are where a group can really disappear: the houses listed here are on Sanday, an hour and a half by ferry from Kirkwall, which is beaches, sky and seals and very little else.

Why Orkney Works for Group Stays

It is a real journey, which is why a group that gets there stays together: nobody is nipping home. In June the sun barely sets; in winter the Northern Lights show up. The islands are low and green rather than mountainous, so the walking is easy and the beaches, on Sanday especially, are long, white and empty. Orkney beef, crab, scallops and the island cheeses and ales make a private chef on the island the sensible way to eat.

Things to Do in Orkney with a Large Group

On the mainland: Skara Brae, the 5,000-year-old village; the Ring of Brodgar at dusk; a timed entry to Maeshowe; St Magnus Cathedral and the Highland Park and Scapa distilleries in Kirkwall; the Italian Chapel on Lamb Holm and the Churchill Barriers across Scapa Flow; the cliffs at Yesnaby and Marwick Head for puffins in early summer. On Sanday: Cata Sand, Backaskaill and Whitemill beaches, the Quoyness chambered cairn, seals at every headland, and the Start Point lighthouse.

Eating and Drinking

In Kirkwall, Helgi's on the harbour front and the Kirkwall Hotel; the Foveran, ten minutes out, for Orkney beef with the view over Scapa Flow; Judith Glue's café opposite the cathedral for breakfast. In Stromness, the Ferry Inn by the pier. On Sanday the house is the restaurant, so stock up in Kirkwall before the ferry.

Ideal Occasions

Orkney suits the family reunion or big birthday that wants to go somewhere nobody has been, walking and wildlife groups, midsummer house parties when it never gets dark, and a Hogmanay with a difference: the Ba' game runs through Kirkwall's streets on New Year's Day.

Nearby Destinations

The wider Scotland page covers the Highlands and the rest of the country; Edinburgh is an hour's flight from Kirkwall.