Stromness – a Day in Orkney, Past the Old Man of Hoy
A day, from Scrabster Ferry Terminal and back.
The route
Stromness is an old stone harbour town of flagstoned lanes and private piers, and the ferry from Scrabster gives you the best part of a day there before bringing you home the same evening.
The crossing sails past the Old Man of Hoy, the town museum is full of whaling, Arctic and Scapa Flow stories, and lunch is at the Ferry Inn by the pier. It suits anyone who loves a sea crossing and an old harbour town, children included.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The nearest of ours is House of the Northern Gate, 6 miles away. Sleeps 18.
Book the ferry from Scrabster to Stromness
Book NorthLink's 8.45am sailing from Scrabster and the 4.45pm back from Stromness online, by phone or at the terminal: the day return runs Monday to Friday all year and on Saturdays from April to October, and check-in closes 30 minutes before each sailing.
The day
Stromness
Ninety minutes across the Pentland Firth, a slow walk down the old main street to the museum, lunch by the pier and an afternoon among the lanes before the boat home.
About ten hours, ferry to ferry
The ferry from Scrabster to Stromness
NorthLink's MV Hamnavoe sails from the Scrabster Ferry Terminal on Queen Elizabeth Pier, a mile and a half from Thurso, at 8.45am from Monday to Friday all year and on Saturdays from April to October. Foot passengers check in at the terminal, which opens at 7.15am, and check-in closes at 8.15am. Leave the car in Scrabster Harbour Trust's long-stay car park, 400 metres from the terminal: £15 for a week or any part of one, with tokens sold in the terminal. Fares are each way, from £22.10 to £26 for an adult depending on the season at the time of writing, about half that for children of 5 to 15, and under-fives go free. The crossing takes 90 minutes and sails past the red cliffs of Hoy and the Old Man of Hoy. The Feast restaurant is open on every crossing, there's a children's play area, and dogs have their own lounge, with a free place to reserve. In a gale, check NorthLink's Service Update page before setting out.
20 min on foot
Stromness Museum
The ferry docks at the north end of Stromness and the museum stands at the south end, a 15 to 20-minute walk along the narrow flagstoned main street. The way runs past the Pier Head and the John Rae statue, the Stromness Hotel and Argo's Bakery, and along Graham Place. The museum's Blue Plaque Trail, free to download from its website, follows the same street, so take your time. Stromness Museum opens Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm and Sunday 11am to 4pm; adults pay £8, students £5, and under-16s go free. Its galleries cover the town's seafaring and social history, wartime Scapa Flow, natural history and ethnography, and Sea Stories, an exhibition of maritime objects rarely shown before, runs until April 2027. The entrance and ground floor are level, with a stair lift to the natural history gallery only, and there's an accessible toilet and baby changing. Assistance dogs only.
About 10 min on foot
The Ferry Inn
Lunch
Lunch is at the Ferry Inn on John Street, back up the street at the north end, across the road from the ferry terminal. It opens every day from 12.30pm from April to November, with Orkney seafood, beef and lamb, a fish and chips special, and local ales on four handpulls; in summer, book a table online. Children are welcome (ask for a high chair), but dogs aren't allowed while food is being served. If it's full, Julia's Shed beside the ferry terminal does filled rolls, Orkney crab, home baking and coffee to take away, with tables outside.
The ferry from Stromness to Scrabster
The afternoon is yours: the shops and galleries along Victoria Street, the old stone piers between the houses, and the views across the harbour to Hoy. Be back at the Stromness Ferry Terminal, beside the Ferry Inn, by 4.15pm, when check-in closes for the 4.45pm sailing. It is the last boat of the day to Scrabster and docks there at 6.15pm. The terminal has toilets, a lift and vending machines. If the wind is getting up, look at NorthLink's Service Update page during lunch.
If it rains
The crossing, the museum and the Ferry Inn are all under a roof: on a wet day give the museum longer and keep the afternoon for the shops on Victoria Street. A gale can stop the ferry, so check NorthLink's Service Update page first.
The Galley, Scrabster, a restaurant in Scrabster.
Photographs by Ian Tresman and Ferry Inn Stromness via Google