Visiting Orkney, which ferry, best place to leave a car

[gloomyandy]

Thanks for the Gills Bay update. I've spent a fair bit of time on Hoy in the past (and very much enjoyed it), Rousay is on my list along with N. Ronaldsay, Westray, Papa Westray, Sanday, Stronsay and Eday! But mt head is currently spinning trying to make sense of the ferry timetables!

[ambodach]

On Hoy don’t forget to visit the Dwarfie Stane. Amazing thing and unknown outside Hoy probably.

[Mike Sales]

On Hoy don’t forget to visit the Dwarfie Stane. Amazing thing and unknown outside Hoy probably.

I made a pilgrimage to Login's Well in Stromness, where explorers from Cook to Franklin took on their last water before heading off into the ocean.
Wanted to see the Dwarfie Stane but no opportunity.
Our exit from Scapa Flow was barred because of a boat with VIPs remembering Jutland. Had to go a longer way round.

[gloomyandy]

So just a quick update. In the end I used the Gills Bay (Pentland Ferry( route to get to Orkney and parked my car for just under two weeks there. No problems at all. Had a good trip and my planned route worked pretty well allowing me to visit all of the islands I'd got on my list. Of the places I stayed I'd particularly recommend the camp site at Kirkwall and the hostel on Papa Westray, nothing wrong with any of the other places I used but they are the stand outs. Weather was pretty mixed, with a particularly cold wind, but I guess that's how it goes sometimes! I didn't do a huge amount of cycling (though I cycled every road on all of the islands I visited other than the main island!), the roads were good and very quiet so all in all it was a grand place to be!