DAYS
8
TOUR CODE
ORKN-27
COST
£3295
DAYS
8
TOUR CODE
ORKN-27
COST
£3295
The Orkney Islands are brimming with natural delights as well as ancient treasures. Chambered cairns, ceremonial stone circles and Neolithic villages scatter the peninsula while seabirds fly overhead and nest in rugged cliff edges.
Overview
Wild & Ancient
This tour is part of ACE’s ‘Wild & Ancient’ collection, unique products designed to showcase the many interwoven aspects of the landscapes we visit. These tours usually focus on natural history, interpreting the landscapes, their ecology and their conservation. As part of this wider exploration, they also shed light on an array of fascinating historical sites, from the Bronze Age Nuraghi of Sardinia to the Neolithic monuments of Orkney. On some tours, the archaeological and historical content is provided by an additional Tour Director or local guide. Please read the advertised itinerary carefully and if you would like further information about a specific tour, contact the ACE office.
While on the ‘Mainland’, we will journey out to uncover Neolithic Orkney through visits to a selection of cairns and to Skara Brae, the best preserved prehistoric settlement predating Stonehenge and the Pyramids. Later in the tour, we will extend our reach to Scapa Flow, to learn about Orkney’s wartime heritage.
Venturing beyond mainland Orkney, we will take small ferries over to Westray, Papa Westray, Hoy and Rousay, visiting fishing and crofting settlements to meet locals and begin to understand some of the challenges of island life in the extreme north of Britain, while also exploring the multitude of wildlife and landscapes – from lush marshlands to glacial erratics. At Papa Westray, we hope to visit Knap of Howar, the oldest standing stones in north-west Europe and a brilliant example of Neolithic funerary architecture.
Woven throughout our tour will be the unique and special Orcadian wildlife. The waters around the islands are rich in marine life, supporting grey and common seals and teeming seabird ‘cities’ of fulmars, kittiwakes, puffins and guillemots. Inland, rich moorland and farmland are home to curlews and oystercatchers, as well as majestic birds of prey such as the rare hen harrier and short-eared owl. They also host one of the UK’s few endemic plants, the rare and delightful Scottish primrose.
Tour Director
Peter Exley
Peter Exley is an ornithologist and conservationist who worked for the RSPB for over 27 years, including on projects reintroducing cranes to Somerset. Peter has led many popular ACE tours in the United Kingdom and abroad.
This tour will be led by Peter Exley, BSc, an ecologist and conservationist who worked for the RSPB for over 27 years, including projects reintroducing cranes to Somerset, saving seabirds on Lundy and the Isles of Scilly, with BirdLife International in South Korea, and the Albatross Task Force in South Africa. He is a Trustee of Devon Birds and secretary of Moor Meadows. His special interest is interpreting nature and landscapes, and he is one of the authors of the Stonehenge World Heritage Site Interpretation Strategy. Peter has led and managed many ACE tours in the UK, Netherlands, Madeira, the Faroes and Shetland.
– ACE customer on the 2025 Orkney tour led by Peter Exley
Our Accommodation
We will stay at The Orkney Hotel in Kirkwall, a 17th century property chosen for its location, ideally situated in the town centre. While the accommodation is of a more basic standard, the hotel provides a comfortable base close to Kirkwall’s amenities and our visits.
Itinerary
Day 1
Assemble at The Orkney Hotel, Kirkwall, for seven nights. Tour commences 1815 at the hotel with welcome, introduction and evening talk: Introduction to the Archaeology of Orkney.
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Frequently Asked Questions
To read our full list of frequently asked questions please visit our general FAQs here.
What is the maximum group size of this tour?
What is the deposit cost for this tour?
What tour staff will be on this tour?
Am I fit enough to travel on this tour?
Fitness Requirements
The majority of ACE Cultural Tours are active in nature. To make the most of our time in a destination and provide excellent value for money, they are busy – there are often several visits included each day. As such, our tours require a certain minimum level of physical and mental fitness, mobility and stamina.
Many visits will involve navigating several steps, uneven ground, steep ascents and descents, and could involve embarking and disembarking aircraft, coaches, trains and cruise vessels. Plenty of walking, punctuated by lengthy periods of standing, is the norm. Some tours may involve long coach journeys.
It is essential that all customers are sufficiently fit and able enough to fully participate. Furthermore, every tour comprises a group of guests. We cannot allow the entire group to be negatively impacted by one participant, either holding up the pace we reasonably need to maintain or disproportionately requiring the attention and support of the tour staff.
We carefully consider the intensity, fitness and other requirements of each itinerary and describe them on the tour pages of our brochures and website. Please study these descriptions closely. When you call to book, we will reiterate those requirements and ask you to confirm that all group members are indeed fit enough and otherwise able to meet the criteria. It is your responsibility to answer fully and honestly. If it transpires that you are not able to keep pace with the tour and/or it reasonably appears you are negatively impacting (or are reasonably likely to negatively impact) the enjoyment of the rest of the group (including their ability to complete all scheduled visits), we may ask you to sit out certain days/visits, take a taxi at your own expense (if available in the location), or even, if we consider there is no other reasonable alternative, ask you to leave the tour and make your own way home.
At times this tour can be physically demanding and participants should have a good overall level of fitness, mobility and stamina. Please consult our Booking Terms & Conditions for general fitness guidance, and be prepared to pay careful attention to the guidance of the Tour Director. Conditions are often windy and some sites require walking on rough, often boggy ground, over slippery and/or broken paths, and near cliff edges, where care must be taken. Access to cairns can also be challenging. Please note The Orkney Hotel has no lift and all rooms are located on the 1st and 2nd floors, however staff will be on hand to aid with luggage.
As a minimum, participants should be able to successfully complete the following self- assessment tests:
- Walk for one hour at a reasonable pace and without needing to take a break to rest
- Climb at least two flights of stairs at a reasonable pace
- Stand unaided for at least 30 minutes
- Stand up and sit down ten times in one minute
- Carry or otherwise move your own luggage
Please ensure you have read and understand our full fitness requirements as described in our terms and conditions.
Practicalities
Please note travel to and from Orkney is not included in the cost of this tour as we find participants prefer a variety of arrangements for travel. Advice can be provided on travelling by ship and air – please contact the ACE office for further information.
UK Government Travel Advice
For additional travel information from the UK government please consult the following pages.
Cost Details
Orkney: Natural & Neolithic Wonders
July 8 - 15, 2027
Included: accommodation based on sharing a twin or double bedded room, seven breakfasts, one lunch, seven dinners with wine, water & coffee, excursions & admissions, gratuities & all taxes.
Not Included: return travel, travel insurance, executive single room supplement £325, double room for single use supplement £395.
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