The Orkney Islands
An archipelago of 70 islands off the north coast of Scotland, Orkney's most amazing feature is the number of prehistoric sites which can be found there. As well as Britains oldest standing houses - 5500 years old on the island of Papa Westray - Orkney has stone circles, burial mounds, brochs and best of all the 5000 year old village at Skara Brae, preserved under a sand dune until 1850, when a violent storm exposed it.
The islands are home to thousands of seabirds which attract bird watchers every year, and sports divers come to investigate the wrecks of the German fleet which was scuttled in Scapa Flow in 1919. Trout fishing in the lochs on Orkney is free, and rock climbing on the cliffs of the island of Hoy is popular.
The Islands can be reached by air from London, Glasgow or Edinburgh. Many of the smaller islands are also accessible by air. The shortest scheduled flight in the world is between Westray and Papa Westray - it takes less than two minutes.
Car ferry services to Orkney run from Scrabster, Aberdeen and Invergordon. For more detailed information about The Orkney Isles, see the Orknet web site.
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