Orkney had been on our Scotland list for a while, and when we finally started planning a trip, we knew we wanted to do more than simply fly in and see the highlights. We decided to turn it into a road trip, starting in Inverness and taking the ferry north to Orkney before returning to the Scottish mainland a few days later.

With historic sites, dramatic coastlines, ancient standing stones, whisky and gin, seafood, and plenty of chances to see Scotland’s famous Highland cows, a lot is packed into a small area.

A Weekend in Orkney: The Ultimate Inverness to Orkney Road Trip

We had just a couple of days, so this itinerary moves at a fairly quick pace. If you have more time, I would absolutely recommend slowing it down. But if you are looking for a weekend Orkney itinerary from Inverness, this is how we did it.

Day 1: Inverness to Orkney

We flew into Inverness on Thursday evening and stayed overnight in Inverness so we could get an early start the following morning. The drive from Inverness to the ferry at Gills Bay takes around 2 hours and 40 minutes, so an early start is important if you want to make some stops along the way.

Inverness to Gills Bay

We grabbed breakfast around 7:30 or 8:00 a.m. and planned to be on the road by 8:30. There are a couple of options for stops along the way depending on your interests and how much time you have.

The Castle & Gardens of Mey is one option. The castle was the former home of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and is open Wednesday through Sunday during the season, weather permitting.

Another option is to continue toward John O'Groats and stop at Duncansby Stacks and Lighthouse.

If the weather is cooperating, I would lean toward Duncansby. The dramatic sea stacks make for one of the more scenic stops in this part of northern Scotland. We opted for this stop on the way to the ferry and the Castle & Gardens of Mey on our return.

For lunch, Café Groats or Mr Eddy's are convenient options near John O'Groats.

Taking the Ferry to Orkney

Arrive at the ferry terminal at least thirty minutes before your departure time (they cut off entries thirty minutes prior when they start loading the ferry). Our ferry left at 1:30 p.m., arriving at St Margaret's Hope at 2:40 p.m.

The ferry ride itself is part of the experience. As you leave the Scottish mainland behind, you start to feel like you're heading somewhere different.

Once we arrived in Orkney, we headed toward some of the islands' most recognizable sights.

*Italian Chapel Orkney Islands.* £*4 adults, free for children 12 and under*

The Churchill Barriers & Italian Chapel

Our first stops were the Churchill Barriers and the Italian Chapel.

The Churchill Barriers are a series of causeways built during World War II to protect the naval base at Scapa Flow. They now connect several of Orkney's southern islands. It’s honestly a bunch of concrete blocks along the waterway, but the history behind them is very cool.

The Italian Chapel is one of those places I didn't really know much about before planning the trip. Italian prisoners of war built it during World War II, and it's surprisingly elaborate given its history and location.

From here, we continued toward Kirkwall.

Exploring Kirkwall

We had dinner booked at the Kirkwall Hotel for 6:15 p.m., giving us a little time to explore the town beforehand. Dinner was fantastic, and my husband especially loved the Highland Park Bar in the hotel.

The centerpiece of Kirkwall is St. Magnus Cathedral, a striking red sandstone cathedral founded in 1137. It is Britain's northernmost medieval cathedral and one of Orkney's most recognizable landmarks.

From the cathedral, you can easily walk to the Bishop's Palace and Earl's Palace, two important pieces of Kirkwall's medieval history.

I also recommend leaving a little time to simply walk around the town. Albert Street and Broad Street are lined with shops, restaurants, and historic buildings, and Kirkwall is compact enough that you can see quite a bit without needing much time.

St. Magnus Cathedral

After dinner, we drove to our accommodation near Stromness.

If you're staying somewhere with a kitchen, this is also a good time to grab groceries and breakfast supplies at the Coop nearby. You'll have an early start the next morning.

Day 2: Ancient Orkney, Skara Brae & Highland Park

Saturday was our biggest sightseeing day on Orkney, and it was also the day that really showed just how much history is packed into these islands.

We started with breakfast before heading west toward some of Orkney's most famous archaeological sites.

Yesnaby Sea Stacks

Our first stop was Yesnaby Sea Stacks since they were just a ten-minute drive from our stay.

The sea stacks sit along Orkney's western coastline and are an easy addition to a day exploring the west side of the island. The coastline here is rugged and exposed, so be prepared for wind—even when the weather looks decent elsewhere. We kept the kids in the car for this stop because the wind was so strong, and I didn’t get too close to the edge.

From Yesnaby, it was about an 11-minute drive to our next stop.

Skara Brae

Skara Brae was one of the places I was most excited to see.

This prehistoric settlement dates back thousands of years and is remarkably well preserved. Walking through the remains of the stone houses gives you a glimpse into what life looked like here long before the pyramids were built.

We had tickets for the 9:30–10:00 a.m. entry window, so I recommend booking ahead, especially if you're visiting during the busier months.

Give yourself enough time here to actually walk through the site rather than treating it as a quick photo stop. There is a small museum when you enter, then you work your way outdoors. Because the wind was so strong the day we went, we took a different route to the ruins, while sand whipped up from the beach. Conditions weren’t ideal, but we zipped up and made it work.

Ring of Brodgar

From Skara Brae, it was only about an 11-minute drive to the Ring of Brodgar.

The massive stone circle is part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that includes several of the islands' most important prehistoric monuments.

You can walk around the stones and take in the surrounding landscape. It's one of those places where the setting is almost as impressive as the actual monument.

Standing Stones of Stenness

Just three minutes down the road is another major prehistoric site: the Standing Stones of Stenness.

The remaining stones are thought to be some of the oldest standing stones in Britain, making this a pretty incredible stretch of road if you're interested in history.

Within a relatively short distance, you're able to visit three completely different sites that are thousands of years old.

Lunch at Loki Seafood Shack

By this point, we were ready for lunch.

We stopped at Loki Seafood Shack, a casual option that made sense for a day spent exploring the island.

Orkney is known for its seafood, so this is a good place to embrace that rather than looking for something familiar. We got to-go orders and enjoyed it at our apartment in Stromness before our afternoon exploring.

Highland Park Distillery

After lunch, we headed toward Kirkwall for Derik’s Highland Park Distillery tour at 2 p.m. I gifted him “The Archive Experience” for his birthday last year, and it was one reason for our trip to Orkney, in addition to the prehistoric sights.

The tour ran from approximately 2:00 to 3:45 p.m. If you're traveling with kids, this is one part of the itinerary that requires a little planning. Coffee shops and parks are nearby, so one person can do the tour while the other takes the kids to burn off some energy. I took the kids to the Archive for milkshakes, and I got a vanilla latte. Afterward, we walked to the nearby Branyquoy Park where they played for almost two hours.

Dinner in Stromness

We finished the day with dinner at the Ferry Inn in Stromness at 5:30 p.m.

Stromness is a great place to spend an evening. The harborfront town is small and walkable, with narrow streets and historic buildings packed along the waterfront. If you want to shop, check the local times, because opening hours are quite limited during the day.

After a full day of driving and sightseeing, it was nice to have dinner somewhere close to where we were staying.

Day 3: Orkney to Inverness

Sunday was our final day on Orkney, and we had another ferry to catch, so we started the morning back in Kirkwall. We stopped at Movement Coffee for breakfast and caffeine, and enjoyed one final stroll around Kirkwall while a light rain fell.

Orkney Distillery

If you have room in your luggage, stop at Orkney Distilling before leaving. The distillery is open daily, making it an easy addition to a Sunday morning itinerary. After picking up some gin, we headed toward the ferry.

Ferry Back to the Scottish Mainland

We planned to arrive at the ferry around 11:00 a.m. for the 11:30 departure, arriving back on the mainland at approximately 12:40 p.m. And then the road trip continued. We used the afternoon to explore a few more places along the northern coast.

Castle & Gardens of Mey

If you didn't visit the Castle & Gardens of Mey on the way to Orkney, this is your opportunity. Adults pay £18.30 to enter the castle and grounds. You can also buy a ticket just to walk the gardens. Though the tours aren't “guided” per se, people in each room you walk through will share some history and information with you.

Castle Sinclair Girnigoe & Castle of Old Wick

Next, we headed toward Castle of Old Wick, one of the more atmospheric castle ruins along the Caithness coast. If you have time, you can also add a stop at Castle Sinclair Girnigoe.

Neither takes much time, which makes them good stops when you're trying to pack a few sights into a road trip day. The walk out to the Castle of Old Wick is easy, though it was very muddy with standing water when we went. Wear appropriate shoes you don’t mind getting muddy.

Puldagon Farm

We planned to continue to Tarbat Ness Lighthouse, but we pivoted since it was lunchtime. The lighthouse sits at the end of the Tarbat Ness peninsula, with sweeping coastal views. Instead, we headed to Puldagon Farm, where the kids enjoyed petting the baby Highland cows while we waited for lunch at the farm’s restaurant.

Dinner at Black Isle Brewery

After checking into the Premier Inn Inverness East (we only booked because we had points; it was not on my top list for cleanliness, but we sucked it up for one night), we headed to Black Isle Brewery for pizza and pints. After three days of ferries, archaeological sites, castles, coastlines, distilleries, and a lot of driving, it was a pretty great way to end the trip.

Tips for Planning an Inverness to Orkney Road Trip

Book your ferry in advance

If you're renting a car in Scotland and taking it to Orkney, don't leave the ferry until the last minute. Having your ferry times booked also makes planning the rest of your itinerary much easier.

Give yourself more time if you have it

We packed a lot into this trip. This itinerary works if you have limited time, but if you have three or four full days on Orkney, I'd slow down and give yourself more time at the archaeological sites, beaches, and towns.

Check opening hours before you go

Several of the attractions on this itinerary are seasonal or have limited opening days and hours. This is especially important in Scotland, where opening hours can change throughout the year.

Watch the weather

Weather can change quickly in northern Scotland. Have a flexible plan, particularly for coastal walks and viewpoints, and pack water-resistant gear and shoes.

Pack Dramamine or seasickness patches for the ferry

On our way to Orkney, our daughter got seasick, and I was struggling a bit with the waves. Coming back, we gave her children’s Dramamine, and she was great, but come prepared just in case.

Was Orkney Worth the Trip?

Absolutely.

Orkney feels very different from the rest of Scotland, and I have been fortunate to see a lot of Scotland. The combination of prehistoric sites, World War II history, dramatic coastline, small towns, and island culture makes it a destination that deserves more than a quick day trip.

Would I change anything about our itinerary? I would probably add another day.

But if you are working with a long weekend or want to combine Inverness and Orkney into one Scotland road trip, this itinerary gives you a good introduction to the islands without requiring a week away.