Money Saving Tips for a Trip to Orkney

ScrimpingandSaving

I did look into flying for those dates. The cheapest quote was £199 each. For 4 of us that's nearly £800.

We've been to John O'Groats so I can tick that one off the list

I'm trying to think what traffic we might be caught up in on a Monday. It's the first day of the Easter hols for some but not for others.

We'll be passing by Kendal pretty much in rush hour although if we reach Carlisle by 8am we might just miss it. Then even if we set off at 8.30am most of the traffic should be gone from the motorway.

By the time evening rush hour starts we should be almost at the ferry port.

I will check the route before we go for roadworks, etc.

I love your confidence in me Mara!

Doshwaster

ScrimpingandSaving wrote: »

I did look into flying for those dates. The cheapest quote was £199 each. For 4 of us that's nearly £800.

Fair enough. I didn't realise that there were 4 of you. I suppose if it had just been 2 of you then flying could have made sense.

I don't envy you the drive though - over 700 miles of "are we there yet?"

TinaBallerina

Hi ScrimpingandSaving, I came across this thread from your other thread on the Debt Free Thread and as I grew up in Kirkwall I've been trying to think of cheap and free things that you could do while there with your children. You said you don't fancy driving once you are there and I don't blame you, your drive sounds an epic journey (and I though driving from Edinburgh was hard!) but the mainland is fairly small and the longest drive from coast to coast is probably 35 mins and the average drive will probably be 20 mins, so I have included ideas where you would need to drive. That said, I think you could probably find plenty to do in Kirkwall itself so don't worry too much if you really can't face driving!

Free things - Orkney is brilliant for history so a drive out to the Churchill Barriers and the Italian Chapel - entry to the chapel should be free as far as I know.
There's St Magnus Catherdral in Kirkwall, very beautiful inside.
A drive or walk up Wideford Hill, gives beautiful views over Kirkwall
A drive out to the Gloup, which is a sea cave and waves crashing into it can be quite dramatic and the sea views are lovely.
If you don't want to drive, you could park in Kirkwall and walk out and have a walk along Scapa beach.
Bay of Skaill is also a beautiful beach, but you'd need to drive there too. White white sand and is near Skara Brae (although Skara Brae is owned by Historic Scotland and probably therefore has an entrance fee).
There is also the Orkney Museum and Tankerness Gardens in Kirkwall, which was free last time I was there.
A walk out to Weyland Bay in Kirkwall, lovely views.

Maeshow, Ring of Brodgar and Standing Stones of Stenness are also owned by HS so will have admission charges.

If the weather is rotten there is always the last resort of the swimming pool at Kirkwall Grammer School and there is a small cinema at the Pickaquoy Centre in Kirkwall - but when you are travelling that far I can understand that you don't want to spend time doing things that you could do anywhere in the country!

I hope you enjoy your trip to Orkney, your father has chosen a beautiful place to live!

ScrimpingandSaving

Thank you! Well the ferry is booked so there's no turning back now! You have given me plenty of ideas so thanks for that - I would really like to see some of the archaelogical sites but most have pricey admission charges that I can see which is a real shame.

I am looking forward to walking around the cliffs and the Gloup sounds lovely despite the name!

I think my dad will want to show us as much as he can of the island too so we will try to make the most of our time there.

Thanks again, I'll let you know how we get on.

agrinnall

ScrimpingandSaving wrote: »

Thank you! Well the ferry is booked so there's no turning back now! You have given me plenty of ideas so thanks for that - I would really like to see some of the archaelogical sites but most have pricey admission charges that I can see which is a real shame.

It would be a huge pity not to see the fantastic archeological sites on Orkney having driven such a long way. Have you looked into the Historic Scotland Explorer Pass? It's cheaper than a full membership and probably better value for anyone who'll just be in Scotland for a short time.

http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/index/places/explorer.htm

Ich_2

Once north of Kendal the M6/M74 will be quiet until nearly Glasgow, there is a Tesco just off Jct 43 as well as the Asda near Jct 44 (note that the road system has been changed over the last 2 years after the completion of the Carlisle northern bypass, so from M6 take the 2nd exit now and then turn right at the next roundabout))

Mara_uk7

You must be almost home by now .... I hope you had a good time in Orkney and will come back for longer next time .

ScrimpingandSaving

I am home Mara and wow, you live in a beautiful place! We got very lucky with the weather, it was sunnier than it is back down here.

So....our journey started with much stress. The night we arrived at my in-laws, my father-in-law had a stroke. Luckily we were there as we called for an ambulance straight away and I know that wouldn't have happened otherwise. He spent 3 nights in hospital and received prompt treatment which revealed an irregular heartbeat. It was thankfully a mini-stroke and whilst his speech is still a little affected, he has made a good recovery.

We set off whilst he was still in hospital but we were reassured that other family members were on their way to help and there was really nothing more we could do. We kept our phones on us and promised we'd turn back if anything happened.

We made it to Carlisle for 7.30am and from there I took over driving and it was smooth sailing all the way to Inverness. We got there for 12.30pm and had lunch in Leekie's Bookshop (brilliant soup and even better, I found a book!).

We thought we were on the homeward stretch but my, that journey from Inverness to Wick was the longest! It took forever! Still, we had left ourselves plenty of time. We filled up at Tesco in Wick, got a few bits and we were in Gills Bay for 5pm.

Crossing no probs. We did try to cram a lot into the 2 days we were there. We saw the Italian Chapel and tasted some of the Orkney wines. We took a walk around the cliff edges and the beach and our son, to his great delight, found loads of bones which he has insisted on bringing back with us. We visited the Orkney Brewery and took a tour. We also went to Scapa Beach, (very moving memorial to the Royal Oak) Stromness and Kirkwall. For a bit of culture my father insisted on taking us for a drink in the British Legion.

We came back on the Thursday and that overnight stop in Perth was a godsend. I don't think we could have faced the journey back all in one go. We spent Easter with the in-laws and were very pleased to see his father-in-law back doing all the things he shouldn't be doing like driving the tractor and Bobcat, chopping logs, etc.

I'm really glad we went. It was pure luck we were there when he had his stroke and my dad was just really chuffed that we had made it to see him, so everybody was happy. He seems in fairly good health himself although his memory is definitely on the wane.

Thanks for all the help and advice on this thread. The recommendation of the Perth Travelodge was excellent, the info about the boats was also invaluable as was the tip about filling up in Wick and places to go in Orkney. I wish we could have seen some of the other islands but perhaps we'll visit again one day and yes, this time for a little longer!

TinaBallerina

Hi S&S, welcome home! Sorry to hear about your Father in Law but I am glad to hear you were there at the critical time and he had made a good recovery. Yes, that journey from Inverness to Wick is quite slow going, I recall the roads being very twisty and turny, so you never really get up to a reasonable speed! It sounds like you managed to cram loads into your trip and I'm glad the weather was good for you. I feel all nostalgic reading your post, so thank you for putting a smile on my face today.

Mara_uk7

So glad you enjoyed my home islands, Even the weather was kind, Hope Dad in law is on the mend.

Come back someday, we will have to get together for a coffee (Im buying ! lol ) x