UKH

Hey folks,

The thought of a trip to Orkney is brewing in my mind, and I'm just wondering how many folks opt to take a car further than Scrabster? Do most leave it there and then use taxis etc, or take bikes? 

Any general Hoy/Orkney beta also appreciated! Keen on the Old Man (obviously), North Gaulton and potentially Yesnaby Castle as well, but any route recommendations appreciated.

Cheers,

Patrick (They/Them)

In reply to Patrick Surguy:

Left the car at Scrabster.  There wasn't room for it on the ferry anyway.  Didn't need it.  Spent more time in boats than taxis 

In reply to Patrick Surguy:

Surely Aye! versus Nae!?

A vehicle isn't needed for Hoy/the Old Man: arrange a taxi from the ferry terminal to and from Rackwick where you can camp or stay in the bothy.

I'm not sure about the Mainland stacks like North Gaulton.

In reply to flaneur:

Valid point, sadly I can't seem to edit the poll! 

Yeah it seems the Old Man is fine sans car, it's the other ones I'm not so sure on

In reply to Patrick Surguy:

Last time we went up we got the Aberdeen/Kirkwall ferry, which saved a LOT of driving and if you decide to take the car over I'd highly recommended. We took sleeping bags and got a reasonable sleep on the crossing in a quiet corner, despite it being rough weather.

Obviously if you're not taking a vehicle sailing into Stromness is much more convenient.

In reply to Patrick Surguy:

I'd say take one, but interestingly perhaps not so much for the climbing but for the other stuff you might want to fit in around the climbing. As has already been said - Hoy is fine without. But, perhaps you might want to visit the standing stones at stenness one evening or go for a look at some of the wartime heritage sites (which I found really interesting) which are dotted about. Doing this at odd times around climbing might be quite awkward without a car, so I'd take one - I was very glad we did. Also, it does of course open up accommodation options - we were over in Finstown where we were able to rent a little cottage at a more affordable price and with more choice than in e.g. Stromness.

In reply to Patrick Surguy:

Def not needed for Hoy and you can save quite a bit of money by going on foot/bike. As others have said, there is a taxi on Hoy that will pick you up from the Stromness - Moaness ferry and take you to Rackwick (and back).

There is a lovely walk round the coast from Stromness to Yesnaby (taking in N Gaulton castle on the way), it's maybe 8 miles or so total but if you are stopping at N Gaulton then slightly shorter the first day and then a really short finish to Yesnaby the second day. If you don't fany the walk, there is a bus that will take you to the start of the Yesnaby road, it's a short walk from there to the cliffs, bus info here: https://www.orkney.gov.uk/Service-Directory/B/Bus-Services.htm

I think there is a water tap at Rackwick but I'm not 100% sure. Probably trickier for Yesnaby and North Gaulton because most of Orkney Mainland is farm land and I'm not sure I'd want to drink out of the streams there unless you filtered the water first.

Edit: There is a lot of convenience to be gained by having a car on Orkney Mainland for tourism and going to the supermarket, etc. It is worth considering what you will do if it craps it down with rain for a couple of days - with a car you can get to the indoor wall or swimming pool or tourist sights etc. much more easily.

In reply to Patrick Surguy:

Yesnaby is brilliant, in conventional terms much better climbing than the Old Man of Hoy (which is a bit rubbish really); and is good for showery weather. Dotting back and forward there from Stromness campsite might well be frustrating without a car.

In reply to Patrick Surguy:

It's easy enough to call a taxi to take you to Yesnaby from Stromness. Obviously a car of your own is easier still. Maybe depends how many are going in terms of whether the cost of taking the car on the ferry is justified.

In reply to Michael Gordon:

If you're going to get taxis everywhere, why not just take your car?!

In reply to Michael Gordon:

If the OPs visit coincides with one or more cruise liners docked in Orkney, they might struggle to find a taxi.

In reply to Maggot:

As I say, it depends on relative cost. If cost aint an issue, take the car.

In reply to Patrick Surguy:

If you do decide to take your car to Hoy, be aware that some sailings (morning sailings to Hoy and afternoon ones back) are booking up for cars about a week in advance at the moment.  Usually plenty space for foot passengers but if you want to take a vehicle you’ll either have to book early or be prepared to be flexible on when you travel.

In reply to Patrick Surguy:

We did Old Man without a car. Used taxis when needed.

In reply to Patrick Surguy:

Worth noting that Pentland Ferries from Gills Bay is significantly cheaper than Northlink from Scrabster.

In reply to Patrick Surguy:

I've been to Orkney a couple of times now. My experience was that it is a big place, the things that we wanted to see were varied, quite spread about and the weather changeable so having a car both for personal transport and in which to leave things that weren't needed for that particular activity was invaluable. 

Having got a car as far as the North coast of mainland Scotland, I'd certainly want to take it over to the islands. Some of the individual islands, accessed by ferry, including Hoy might be OK on foot or with a bike though.

It is a fantastic place to visit though and I can't recommend it highly enough.

In reply to Michael Gordon: less easy to call for one to get back but there is a signal just before you reach Qui Ayre Point when approaching from the carpark (where there is no signal).

In reply to Simon Pelly:

We did it without a car or a ferry. We kayaked over from Stromness campsite early and pre-arranged a taxi to get us to Rackwick and back from Moaness. The Old man was great, but definitely not in my top 100 climbs - still worthwhile for the experience though. The best part of the day by far was the paddle back to Stromness in the dark with all the navigation lights and a decent tide running. Pulling up alongside the campsite (pitch black by that point) and seeing my wife leaning over the sea wall to greet us was definitely in my top 10 ways to end a good climbing day. 

In reply to Neil Morrison: Signal at the carpark now (with O2) and over a wider area near the crag.

In reply to Patrick Surguy:

We cycled from Thurso where I was living at the time: Friday to Sunday. We did the old man then climbed in yesnaby all with tents and kit. Great weekend, lovely memories.

In reply to Patrick Surguy:

Thanks all for advice! Ended up taking the car. Would've been absolutely doable without, but it obviously allowed for a bit more freedom. What a special place!