Location
Stromness as your holiday base
Stromness is within easy distance of most major visitor attractions on Orkney such as Skara Brae Neolithic Village and the Ring of Brodgar.
Ferries and buses
It makes a convenient place to arrive in Orkney, with the Northlink ferry port with 3 sailings daily to the Scottish mainland as well as a ferry to Graemsay and Hoy.
Check Northlink ferry times and prices.
It also can provide you with a good base for further exploration, with the main bus service on the island running between Stromness and Kirkwall hourly, passing the World Heritage sites like Maes Howe, the Standing Stones of Stenness, and the Ring of Brodgar.
You can easily get off and on the bus to walk to these sites before catching another bus into Kirkwall for more site-seeing. Get the Orkney bus timetable for the main bus route from Stromness to Kirkwall, the X1 service, courtesy of Orkney Islands Council.
Authentic and full of character
Another reason Stromness is popular with visitors is that it is a characterful, authentic Orkney town, with family-run shops and a strong sense of community.
Narrow lanes and houses huddled together remind us of winter storms and sailors sheltering in thisĀ harbour, from Vikings to the Hudson Bay company to modern day yachtsmen.
Now Stromness has become a quieter place, with arts, crafts, renewable technologies and residential homes replacing most of the maritime industry. The harbour shelters old fishing boats, now converted for the popular scuba diving in Scapa Flow with World War I wrecks.
Things to Do in Stromness
With long daylight evenings here in the summer, you can stroll along the winding street and on further around the shore, watching the seals and the beautiful sunsets.
Our Gala week known as Shopping Week has something to do for all ages and is a strong local tradition.
We have entertainments such as the : Jazz, Blues & Beer Festivals along with the very popular Folk Festival, also some weekends there are music sessions in the pubs.
See Visit Orkney to find out more about What’s On in Orkney.