Western Isles, Orkney & Shetland Travel Guide

Callanish Standing Stones, Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides

Attractions

Outer Hebrides Islands

Dunvegan Castle, Isle of Skye (photo by Pam Brophy - CC-SA 2.0 Generic license)

Dunvegan Castle has been continuously occupied by the MacLeod clan for eight centuries, making it the only Highland fortress with such an unbroken family lineage. The castle, built atop a 30-foot basalt rock formation, comprises buildings from 10 different construction periods spanning from the 1200s to the 1850s. Inside, visitors can marvel at the legendary Fairy Flag, a sacred banner said to have magical powers in battle, and the medieval Dunvegan Cup amongst fine oil paintings and clan treasures. The castle's award-winning gardens feature a water lily pond, a 17th-century sundial, and the 'Dunvegan Pebble'—a rotating 2.7-ton Carrara marble sculpture. Beyond the castle walls, visitors can take boat trips to see the Loch Dunvegan seal colony or enjoy traditional Scottish fare at the MacLeod Tables Café. Whilst photography isn't permitted inside, the castle's exterior can be photographed from various vantage points along the single-track road beyond the entrance.

St Kilda Islands ※

The Street, St Kilda (© Joe Gough - iStockphoto.com)

St Kilda is a volcanic archipelago boasting Europe's highest sea cliffs and Britain's largest seabird colonies, with nearly one million birds including puffins, gannets, and guillemots. This dual UNESCO World Heritage Site features a fascinating 4,000-year history of human habitation that ended in 1930 when the last 36 islanders were evacuated. The islands harbour unique wildlife, including endemic subspecies of wren and fieldmouse, as well as ancient Soay sheep. The abandoned settlement in Village Bay contains well-preserved traditional Highland stone houses and over 1,400 cleits (distinctive drystone storage structures) scattered across the landscape. The islanders historically sustained themselves through an extraordinary lifestyle of harvesting seabirds and their eggs, alongside limited farming, creating a unique subsistence economy. Today, whilst uninhabited except for defence and conservation staff, St Kilda offers visitors spectacular diving opportunities in crystal-clear waters home to whales and basking sharks, and a small campsite on Hirta can accommodate up to six people.

Portree (Port Righ)

Portree, the largest settlement on the Isle of Skye, is a picturesque harbour town with a population of about 2,260 residents. The town serves as the main service centre of the island, featuring colourful houses along its waterfront and a range of amenities including the Aros Centre cinema, a swimming pool, and library. Local cuisine highlights include fresh seafood, with The Harbour Chip Shop offering daily landed pollack and rock salmon as interesting alternatives to traditional fish and chips. The town becomes particularly bustling during peak tourist seasons, with numerous hotels, hostels, and bed-and-breakfasts both in town and along the approaching roads. Visitors can find banks, cafes, restaurants, fuel stations and supermarkets, making it an ideal base for exploring the wider island1. The town's Gaelic heritage remains strong, with approximately 31% of Skye's population still speaking the language.)

Stornoway (Steornabhagh)

Founded by Vikings in the 9th century under the Norse name Stjórnavágr (meaning 'steering bay'), Stornoway has grown into a bustling port town with approximately 8,000 inhabitants. The town centre features the neo-Gothic Lews Castle, which houses the Museum nan Eilean where visitors can view six of the famous Lewis Chessmen. The town is renowned for its culinary specialities, including the PGI-protected Stornoway black pudding, locally produced kippers, and smoked salmon prepared in one of Britain's last working brick kilns. The harbour area showcases the Iolaire Memorial art installation, comprising 280 illuminated wooden poles commemorating a tragic maritime disaster in 1919. Cultural attractions include An Lanntair Arts Centre and the Harris Tweed Story Room, where visitors can learn about the island's famous handwoven fabric that remains vital to the local economy. The Lews Castle Grounds offer scenic cycling and walking trails, and house the Outer Hebrides' only 18-hole golf course.

Other attractions

Callanish Standing Stones

Canna Island

Lews Castle

Mingulay, Berneray & Pabbay Islands

Orkney Islands

Yesnaby

Yesnaby features spectacular Old Red Sandstone coastal cliffs with sea stacks, blowholes and geos formed 390-400 million years ago. The area's most notable landmark is Yesnaby Castle, a two-legged sea stack that attracts climbers and is often described as a smaller version of the Old Man of Hoy. The site hosts rare wildlife, including the Primula scotica flower found only in isolated parts of northern Scotland and the great yellow bumblebee, one of Britain's rarest species. During World War II, the cliff top served as an anti-aircraft battery protecting Scapa Flow, with several preserved military buildings still visible today. Local folklore tells of the 'Yesnaby Healer', a woman who could allegedly stop bleeding in both humans and animals, even from a distance. The area has also inspired artistic works, including 'Yesnaby Ground', an interlude for solo piano by Orkney composer Peter Maxwell Davies. Archaeological enthusiasts can explore the Iron Age Broch of Borwick to the north of the car park, whilst geologists can examine fascinating evidence of ancient volcanic activity and fossil stromatolites, locally known as Horse Tooth Stones.

Fair Isle

Fair Isle, the UK's most remote inhabited island, sits between Orkney and Shetland and is home to around 60 people. The island features two Stevenson lighthouses, the George Waterston Memorial Centre and Museum showcasing 5,000 years of history, and is renowned worldwide for its distinctive knitwear, traditionally used as currency for bartering with visiting ships. It's a significant ornithological site where 350 bird species have been recorded, including 27 'first sightings' in Britain, though the famous Bird Observatory burnt down in 2019. The island's dramatic coastline has witnessed at least 100 shipwrecks, most notably the El Gran Grifon of the Spanish Armada in 1588, whose 300 sailors were cared for by islanders for six weeks1. The Norse settlers named it Fridarey (island of peace), and it was later acquired by the National Trust for Scotland in 1954. The island boasts over 250 flowering plant species, including rare varieties such as the Oysterplant and Frog Orchid.

Kirkwall

Kirkwall, the largest town in the Orkney archipelago, centres around its Medieval Cathedral and features the 16th-century Tankerness House, now housing archaeological finds. The town boasts a lively retail centre with independent shops, whilst hosting several cultural events throughout the year, including the St Magnus Festival in midsummer, a Science Festival in September, and a Folk Festival in May. Just ten miles away lies the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site, featuring the ancient tomb of Maeshowe, the Ring of Brodgar stone circle, and Europe's best-preserved Stone Age village at Skara Brae. The area's Norse heritage is celebrated annually with the unique Kirkwall Ba' games on Christmas and New Year's Day, where locals divide into 'Uppies' and 'Doonies' to battle through the streets with a handcrafted leather ball. The surrounding waters of Scapa Flow offer world-class wreck diving opportunities, whilst the town serves as an excellent base for exploring numerous nature reserves, dramatic cliffs, and sandy beaches that have inspired generations of artists and musicians.

Stromness

Stromness, carved by the sea, features winding flagstone streets and old stone houses huddled along a sheltered harbour, with private piers jutting into the water. The town's maritime heritage spans centuries, serving as a crucial stop for Hudson's Bay Company ships and now hosting dive boats and renewable energy initiatives. Notable attractions include the UNESCO World Heritage site Skara Brae, a 5,000-year-old Neolithic village, and the Ring of Brodgar stone circle which predates both Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids. The town boasts a vibrant arts scene centred around the Pier Arts Centre, whilst the Stromness Museum houses fascinating maritime artefacts and natural history collections. Local culinary specialities include the internationally distributed Stockan's Oatcakes, which have been baked in the town since 1969, filling the streets with their appetising aroma, and the popular Orkney Fudge, created after World War II. The town comes alive during the Orkney Folk Festival in May, with music filling local pubs and venues.

Balfour Castle

Balfour Castle, a Victorian-era baronial house completed in 1848, is a remarkable example of a calendar house featuring 7 turrets, 12 exterior doors, 52 rooms, and 365 panes of glass. Set on 70 acres of wooded grounds with panoramic views of surrounding islands, the castle incorporates a secret passage behind false bookshelves in the library leading to the drawing room, which was historically used by the Balfours to avoid unwanted visitors. The castle's dining room features unique stags' heads that once functioned as gas lights, whilst its French-style drawing room leads to a sea-facing conservatory. The castle is now a private house and can no longer be visited. The nearby Dishan Tower, originally built as a dovecot in the 1600s, was later converted into a salt water shower when the castle was completed.

Noltland Castle

Noltland Castle, built between 1560 and 1574, is a remarkable Z-plan tower house featuring 71 gun holes across its exterior walls, making it both a nobleman's residence and an artillery fortress. The castle was built by Gilbert Balfour, who served as master of Mary Queen of Scots' household and was implicated in two notable murders, including that of Lord Darnley. The structure's ground floor housed the kitchen and stores, whilst its unique architectural features include a distinctive main spiral stair with a tapered round capital1. Though never completed, the castle experienced a tumultuous history, being seized by Lord Robert Stewart in 1572 and later set ablaze twice - once by covenanters in the 1650s and again by Hanoverian forces in 1745. Today, visitors can explore the castle grounds and interior, which has proven enjoyable for people of all ages.

Heart of Neolithic Orkney ※

Ring of Brodgar

The Ring of Brodgar is a nearly perfect circular stone circle measuring 104 metres in diameter, making it the third-largest in the British Isles. Built between 2500-2000 BCE, it originally contained 60 standing stones, though only 27 remain today, with heights ranging from 2.1 to 4.7 metres. The stones are encircled by a remarkable rock-cut ditch that's 3 metres deep and 9 metres wide, which may have once been filled with water. Unlike other ancient stone circles, the Ring of Brodgar has no astronomical alignment, adding to its mystery. The site is part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney UNESCO World Heritage Site and is surrounded by at least 13 prehistoric burial mounds. Interestingly, the stones were quarried from various locations across the islands, with some unfinished stones still visible at Vestrafiold, eight miles away, where they have remained on supports for thousands of years. The Ring of Brodgar is older than the Egyptian pyramids but younger than its neighbouring stone circle, the Stones of Stenness.

Skara Brae

Skara Brae is a remarkably preserved Neolithic village that predates both Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids, having been inhabited from around 3180 BCE to 2500 BCE. First uncovered by a fierce storm in 1850, the site features nine surviving Stone Age houses with intact stone furniture, including beds, dressers, and hearths, all connected by covered passageways. The village's inhabitants were skilled farmers, hunters and fishermen who cultivated barley and oats, kept livestock, and harvested from the sea, whilst also creating intricate jewellery and gaming dice. Visitors today can explore a replica Neolithic house, view original artefacts in the visitor centre, and marvel at the primitive yet ingenious sewer system that used water to flush waste to the ocean. The settlement, which forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site 'Heart of Neolithic Orkney', sits adjacent to Skaill House, an impressive 17th-century mansion that can be visited with a joint ticket during the summer months.

Maeshowe

Maeshowe is a remarkable Neolithic chambered tomb built around 5,000 years ago, predating the Pyramids of Giza by 300 years and requiring an estimated 100,000 man hours to construct. The monumental structure features a 10-metre-long passage made of massive sandstone slabs weighing up to three tonnes each, leading to a central chamber with three side cells. Its most fascinating feature is the precise astronomical alignment that allows the setting sun to illuminate the back wall during the winter solstice period, suggesting its use as a primitive calendar. The tomb gained an additional layer of historical significance when Norse raiders broke into it in the 12th century, leaving behind the largest collection of runic inscriptions found outside Scandinavia. Today, visitors must stoop through the narrow entrance passage to reach the central chamber, where they can observe these ancient Norse carvings, including the notable 'Maeshowe Dragon', though access is strictly by guided tour only.

Standing Stones of Stenness

The Standing Stones of Stenness, dating back to 3100 BCE, is one of the oldest henge monuments in the British Isles, predating even Stonehenge. Only four megaliths of the original twelve remain standing today, reaching impressive heights of up to 6 metres. The site features a large hearth at its centre and was once encircled by a water-filled ditch that was 6½ feet deep and 144 feet in diameter, possibly serving as a sacred boundary between the ritual site and the outside world. The stones' Norse heritage is reflected in their name 'Stein-nes', meaning 'the headland of the stones', and some traditions related to Norse gods allegedly continued until the 18th century, including betrothal ceremonies at the nearby Odin Stone where couples would pledge their love by holding hands through a pierced hole. The site is part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney UNESCO World Heritage Site, alongside other remarkable prehistoric monuments such as the Ring of Brodgar, Maeshowe chambered tomb, and Skara Brae settlement.

Shetland Islands

Lerwick

Lerwick, Britain's most northerly town, grew from a 17th-century smuggling village into a bustling harbour settlement, where underground tunnels once concealed gin, brandy and tobacco from customs officials. The town's charming old quarter features 18th-century sandstone buildings along a narrow main street that follows the original shoreline, including the iconic peach-coloured Tolbooth and 21 historic lodberries - traditional waterfront merchant's buildings. Visitors can explore the Iron Age Clickimin Broch, admire Fort Charlotte (built in 1781 and named after King George III's wife), or visit the Shetland Museum and Archives to discover 6,000 years of local history. The town's Norse heritage comes alive during the spectacular Up-Helly-Aa Fire Festival in late January, when locals drag a full-sized Viking longship through the streets in a torchlight procession before burning it. The natural harbour offers excellent opportunities for spotting seabirds and seals, whilst the local cuisine prominently features fresh seafood, including whitefish, crabs, and lobsters.

Western Isles, Orkney & Shetland

Attractions

Outer Hebrides Islands

Other attractions

Orkney Islands

Shetland Islands

Cities, towns, villages & historic buildings

Natural attractions