Extreme North

[slocumjoseph]

I’ve been on a couple of trips to Orkney in the last eight months. If anyone is thinking of going that far North I now have a couple of great campsites to recommend. The first is a small but perfectly formed site, just outside the Gills Bay ferry and close to John o Groats. It’s called Ferry View and it’s run by a lovely hardworking couple who’ve put their personal touch on everything. Very quirky and quaint. Perfect for anyone doing the NC500 or the Pentland ferry. I went back to Orkney at Christmas but my ferry booked on the 22nd Dec. was cancelled so the site was a perfect refuge for 24hrs as they are open all year.

Welcome to Ferry View|Campsite on the NC500|Eco-friendly

A small and friendly campsite in the Highlands of Scotland on the NC500 for campervans motorhomes and tents. Visit Scotland's Route 66. Gateway to the Orkney Islands.

www.ferryview.scot

The next site I discovered in the Summer was in Orkney. Anyone visiting the islands must visit Stromness. They not only have an unspoilt, undeveloped, narrow and winding high street but if you can negotiate all the way to the end you end in a campsite right on the end of the peninsular. It’s called the Point of Ness Campsite and has fantastic closeup views of the boats and ferries entering and leaving the harbour. The site office and facilities are closed during the Winter but the plots are all open so it’s where I parked for the night again. I underestimated the weather though, Storm Gerritt moved in with 80mph gusts. I thought I’d parked safely but lost my nerve about 2.30am. and moved the van to some shelter. Later in the day I drove back to watch the action and it was spectacular as the sea was coming right across the site. I recommend it in the Summer but you need to be self sufficient in the winter and be wary of the weather!!!

Point of Ness Campsite | Orkney.com

The 3 star Point of Ness campsite is situated on the shoreline overlooking Stromness, one mile west of the pierhead and ferry.

www.orkney.com

 

[CAB]

If you have a loo, or can hold it until you can walk down to the Ferry Terminal during opening hours, then go to Rousay and Peedie Farm.

Water at the ferry dock.

Motorhome | Campervan | Stopover | Aire | Peedie Farm | Campsite | Scotland

Motorhome and Campervan Stopover Aire on Peedie Farm Rousay. Perfectly situated to explore the archaeology, bird reserves and natural wonders on Rousay, Egilsay and Wyre in the Orkney archipelago.

www.peediefarm.co.uk

 

[CAB]

Birsay is good as well, full facilities and great for the Brough of Birsay. Excellent cakes in the nearby tea shop.

Birsay Hostel and Campsite

Information on the Birsay Outdoor Centre.

www.orkney.gov.uk

The Wheems Organic Farm and Campsite on South Ronaldsay is just wierd!

But then again, we found South Ronaldsay a very odd place anyway!

 

[slocumjoseph]

If you have a loo, or can hold it until you can walk down to the Ferry Terminal during opening hours, then go to Rousay and Peedie Farm.

Water at the ferry dock.

Motorhome | Campervan | Stopover | Aire | Peedie Farm | Campsite | Scotland

Motorhome and Campervan Stopover Aire on Peedie Farm Rousay. Perfectly situated to explore the archaeology, bird reserves and natural wonders on Rousay, Egilsay and Wyre in the Orkney archipelago.

www.peediefarm.co.uk

Thanks. I’d planned on doing Rousay but the storm changed my timetable as I needed to be back in Kirkwall for the Ba’ on Christmas Day. My principal reason for being up there in the Winter was for the crazy festival traditions. I was there in the Summer for the amazing archaeology and back again this Winter, also hoping to get my first ever glimpse of an aurora but the weather was relentless. So I spent a lot of time trudging across muddy fields and crawling into burial chambers. The Ba’ was madness, as expected but I got some good film. Then had to head South for another, crazy but spectacular festival on New Years Eve in Stonehaven. The Fire Festival. Those traditional festivals and of course, the archaeology made this last Orkney trip memorable but one of the things that will stick in my mind for a long time was the appalling driving conditions. It was raining from the start in London almost to the borders, the storms made life difficult in the islands and the rain was relentless for eight hours on the return down the motorway. In the dark and with that intense amount of concentration I was a zombie the next day. But..I’ve grown to love the place and will do it all again.

A ball game between the Uppies and the Doonies. Each team trying to get the ball to opposite ends of the town. No Rules!!

Kirkwall Ba' 2018 | This is Christmas Day in Orkney - the Kirkwall Ba' is back! This ancient tradition sees the Uppies and Doonies battle through the streets of the town... | By orkney.com | Facebook

This is Christmas Day in Orkney - the Kirkwall Ba' is back! This ancient tradition sees the Uppies and Doonies battle through the streets of the town...

www.facebook.com

Not my film but this 2023 one gives an idea of what the fire festival is...

 

[slocumjoseph]

Birsay is good as well, full facilities and great for the Brough of Birsay. Excellent cakes in the nearby tea shop.

Birsay Hostel and Campsite

Information on the Birsay Outdoor Centre.

www.orkney.gov.uk

The Wheems Organic Farm and Campsite on South Ronaldsay is just wierd!

But then again, we found South Ronaldsay a very odd place anyway!

My plan is to return, perhaps in November or December and see Birsay and Rousay. The Wheems website states they are open all year so I would consider it but what is weird about it?

 

[CAB]

Wheems Organic Farm in Orkney - Holidays, Camping & Campervans

Wheems Organic Farm is a horticulture and animal smallholding in Orkney. We offer camping for tents and campvans, bell tents, camping pods and yurts. Stay and enjoy beautiful Orkney, friendly hospitality and fresh organic food from the farm.

www.wheemsorganic.co.uk

Well, the upper campervan pitches have a great view. With electric.

Never did find out if there was grey waste disposal so just went in the hedge.

Showers and toilets were ... interesting. All working but a bit rough and ready.

Also a conservatory area for campers / cooking / socialising which was nice.

I think it was just quite a contrast to the commercial / council sites we had been on, but no reason not to go there.

But I never did figure out who was in charge, if anyone was!

 

[Linoleum Bonypart]

Birsay is good as well, full facilities and great for the Brough of Birsay. Excellent cakes in the nearby tea shop.

Birsay Hostel and Campsite

Information on the Birsay Outdoor Centre.

www.orkney.gov.uk

The Wheems Organic Farm and Campsite on South Ronaldsay is just wierd!

But then again, we found South Ronaldsay a very odd place anyway!

Why odd ..??

 

[Linoleum Bonypart]

Are the ferry prices better in winter

 

[slocumjoseph]

Wheems Organic Farm in Orkney - Holidays, Camping & Campervans

Wheems Organic Farm is a horticulture and animal smallholding in Orkney. We offer camping for tents and campvans, bell tents, camping pods and yurts. Stay and enjoy beautiful Orkney, friendly hospitality and fresh organic food from the farm.

www.wheemsorganic.co.uk

Well, the upper campervan pitches have a great view. With electric.

Never did find out if there was grey waste disposal so just went in the hedge.

Showers and toilets were ... interesting. All working but a bit rough and ready.

Also a conservatory area for campers / cooking / socialising which was nice.

I think it was just quite a contrast to the commercial / council sites we had been on, but no reason not to go there.

But I never did figure out who was in charge, if anyone was!

Thanks mate. I’ve always slept in the ferry lorry park before. That sounds like a better place to overnight for the return ferry.

 

[slocumjoseph]

Are the ferry prices better in winter

Same all year but if thinking of going in Winter allow time for delays. The Pentland Firth is a notorious crossing and when the wind gets up the ferry has to be cancelled. It’s a bit shorter journey than the Northlink Scrabster/Stromness ferry so is cheaper. Also, the Northlink ferry prices rise in the summer although they do a 10% discount for seniors.

 

[CAB]

Why odd ..??

I think it was just a combination of our experiences, especially one particular day:

• The Wheems campsite, as detailed above;
  
  
• It seems very unpopulated, or rather depopulated, compared to Mainland. It feels like they have given up on tourists.
  
  
• The car park we used for our walk (on the main road close to the ferry terminal) being half overgrown, clearly never used now, and with closed WC (not that we needed it);
  
  
• It was a very odd and memorable walk (from the A961 round the coast to the Eagle's Tomb and back); the farm clearly aren't happy about walkers accessing the shoreline, and fences and barbed wire seem to be deliberately angled outwards;
  
  
• We were divebombed by nesting seabirds at one point as we passed by, even the skylark was sitting on the fencepost barracking us!
  
  
• The Skerries Bistro which we passed on our walk has a large glazed frontage taking in the views, it (and Otter's Tomb) are permanently closed (presumably following Covid); not that we were going in, but it just added to the 'odd feel' of the place;
  
  
• The path around the far south-east bottom corner is closed in Spring / early Summer for nesting, fair enough, we took the signed diversion. But then nothing! No further signs. So we went through the closed gate (with dire warnings of no entry to traffic!) to the (again, permanently closed) Tomb of the Eagles museum, as various walks online had given it as a route. A farm with the closed museum building and a modern house to the side. No-one about, and no indication of a path through. Just as we were about to turn around a woman came out of the house, when we explained about the path closure she directed us around the back of the (closed) car park to a track back to the cliffs and our walk, and said don't worry about the path closure, it's fine to walk that way!
  
  
• On the way back, having run the gauntlet of the angry skylarks, we passed a youngish couple starting off on the same walk. The bloke was very tall, mirror sunglasses, and he completely blanked us when we said hello. I mean, absolutely no recognition. And I don't think he was deaf, or at least that wasn't the reason, you would have to be blind as well not to realise that we were both greeting them. Bearing in mind the amount of other walkers we had seen that day (none) and everything on the walk so far, it was (nearly!) the icing on the cake. But the best was yet to come.........
  
  
• Nearly back to the van. A short section along the road, the sea on one side, with early June sun blazing down; a field sloping uphill on the other side, full of young bullocks, maybe a hundred in total, stretching away up the hill. Thankfully fenced in with barbed wire.
  
  As we walked along the road, one or two near the fence looked up. And decided we were interesting, and started walking along, following us.
  
  A few more looked up, wondered what was going on, and joined in. A few bullocks that were a bit further up the slope started trotting down towards us.
  
  That got the attention of a few more, wondering what was going on. And because they couldn't see, they started running downhill to see what all the fuss was.
  
  Before long, we had 50 or 60 bullocks stampeding downhill and along the fence, all wanting to see what was going on.
  
  Thankfully the fence was a decent one, but there were a few bullocks who must have come away with sore noses!

Obviously this was only our impression, and I can't say that anyone else would experience the same, but it certainly was a memorable visit for us!