Located off the far northern tip of mainland Scotland, where the Atlantic meets the North Sea, few people get the chance to make the journey to these remote and sparsely inhabited islands. With over 5,000 years of history there are Neolithic villages, tombs and stone circles and many reminders of its Viking past. A place unlike the rest of Scotland and proud of it!
What is included in the price
The tour price covers transportation on our sexy buses and an even sexier tour guide to lead the way! We also reserve all accommodation whilst on tour so a bed is guaranteed. Accommodation should be paid for on arrival at each hostel. Hostel prices are approximately £14 - £18 per night.
Travelling is all about choice. Unlike others we do not operate a restrictive kitty system, if you want to spend your budget differently to the next guy, that’s cool with us. We don’t believe in treating people like sheep and recognise everyone has their own likes and dislikes. Why pay for a meal you don’t want or entry to an attraction that’s not for you? With Haggis Adventures accommodation, meals and entrance fees are not included in the tour price allowing you to keep your options open. This means you can buy your own food to suit your tastes or miss out an attraction: it’s your choice!
Free Time
- Live it up in the Capital of the Highlands with a wild & sexy night out in Inverness for local music and characters
- Try great fish and chips in Kirkwall.
- Learn a ’peedie’ bit of Orcadian dialect. (‘Peedie’ means ‘wee’ which means ‘small’)
- Brave the Carbisdale Castle ghosts and take a visit to the local pub.
Accommodation
Accommodation is guaranteed on all trips - we reserve the beds and you pay as you go. The price is between £15 and £20 per person per night in shared dorm accommodation.
Itinerary
Day 1: Edinburgh to InvernessHeading north from Edinburgh, we head over the River Forth and into the Kingdom of Fife before passing through Perthshire - surrounded by mountains, forests and salmon packed rivers. First stop is at Dunkeld with its glorious Cathedral. We then head over the lonesome Pass of Drumochter which links the southern and northern Highlands. Lunch is in the small village of Kingussie, made famous by the 'Monarch of the Glen' TV show. Then it's off through the Cairngorm National Park to lonely Culloden Battlefield, scene of the last major battle in Britain.
Day 2: Inverness to KirkwallWe continue our journey north passing over the Moray Firth where we may even spot some common dolphins or minke whale. We then pass the Black Isle (home of the delicious Black Isle Beers) Its then onto John 'O' Groats, Britain's most north easterly point before catching the ferry over the Pentland Firth to the Orkney Islands, home to more archaeological ruins in one area than anywhere else in Europe and our base for the next two nights!
Day 3: Kirkwall to OrkneyToday we head off to explore Skara Brae, dating from the late Neolithic period and inhabited between 3200BC and 2200BC. This incredible stone village is made up of eight dwellings (some still containing original furniture) linked together by a series of low alleyways and is a marvel of ancient building techniques. There will also be time to visit the magnificent standing stones at the Ring of Brodgar before heading to the 5,000 years old plus Maeshowe - a Neolithic chambered cairn and passage grave.
Day 4: Orkney to Carbisdale CastleFirstly this morning we visit an Italian chapel. This place of worship was built by 550 Italian prisoners of war in the Second World War. We then bid Orkney farewell and make the ferry crossing back to the mainland and a journey south through Scotland’s rugged terrain. We travel through the sparsely populated wilderness of Sutherland and Caithness, via glens left deserted as a result of the Highland Clearances. Tonight you have a chance to spend the night in a haunted Highland castle where you can spend the evening exploring it's corriders, forest and grounds that surround this legendary building.
Day 5: Carbisdale to EdinburghWinding our way down the West Coast of Scotland back to Edinburgh in a leisurely manner, we’ll visit the monstrous Loch Ness and the mysterious and haunting Glencoe - areas that formed the backdrop to the movies "Braveheart" and "Rob Roy", then across the wilds of Rannoch Moor (watch out for the Stags) and south past historic Stirling, arriving back in Edinburgh early evening.
Tour Cost
Orkney Raider (5 Day)
Adult $379.00
Student $359.00
Prices in Australian Dollars