All year round

The winter months hold many delights in Orkney

Orkney’s weather can be changeable at any time of year. In winter, stormy, high-wind days are often followed by clear, calm spells and strikingly bright light. Our ancient sites are quieter too, so you may have them almost to yourselves, while the rugged coastline lets you experience the Orcadian elements at their finest.

Indoors, museums, galleries and visitor centres are filled with artefacts that bring the islands’ history to life. Afterwards, you can cosy up in bars and restaurants and enjoy the best of the local fare.

Plan a winter stay with Orkney Escapes and uncover your own island highlights.

Winter reveals a different side of Orkney

Guests at Orkney Escapes can enjoy magnificent sunrises and, on clear days, a soft golden light that lasts from morning to dusk. A short walk west also offers the chance to watch the sun set between the Hoy Hills as the day draws to a close.

Christmas and New Year at Orkney Escapes

At Christmas and Hogmanay the house and cottage is decorated festively with a tree and cosy lighting.

The sun is low and days are short and the light is golden.

Christmas is a magical time in Orkney, with decorated trees and festive lights brightening towns and villages. Local musicians and choirs fill concert venues, and you may even catch a winter play or pantomime showcasing Orkney talent and humour.

Festive Events

The Ba

The Ba is a distinctive street game in which the Uppies and Doonies compete to carry the ball to goals at opposite ends of Kirkwall. Played on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, it attracts large crowds, and once the action intensifies, spectators need to stand back.

Stromness Yule Log Pull

The Stromness Yule Log Pull, a revived tradition, is a spirited tug-of-war between the Northenders and Southenders. It takes place at the Pier Head on New Year’s Day afternoon and is followed by a firework display to welcome the year ahead.

At midnight, boats in the harbour sound their horns and the Stromness Pipe Band plays at the Pier Head. Weather permitting, people gather there for the Bells.

Tractor Run

The Tractor Run is a newer charity fundraiser in which farmers decorate their tractors with lights and parade them through the town streets, creating a festive spectacle for spectators.

Creative Orkney

The Pier Arts Centre’s annual open exhibition showcases work by artists living in Orkney, with every piece available to buy. It is a striking display of local talent and a testament to the curators’ skill in presenting such a wide range of styles and sizes. The exhibition is always impressive and inspiring for younger artists.

Other galleries, The Waterfront and Northlight, run concurrent exhibitions,

Burns Suppers

Towards the end of January, you can usually choose from several Burns suppers celebrating the birth of Robert Burns, Scotland’s national poet. Proceedings traditionally begin with a pipe band, followed by the Address to the Haggis, speeches, and a supper of haggis, neeps and tatties.

A ceilidh often rounds off the evening, with accordion and keyboard dance tunes and the customary raffle.

Catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights

Orkney’s short winter days and long, dark nights create ideal conditions for spotting the Aurora Borealis, known locally as the ‘Merry Dancers’.

When skies are clear, Orkney’s northerly location and low light pollution make it an excellent place to see the Aurora Borealis. The display happens when solar wind interacts with particles in Earth’s atmosphere, creating bands of colour across the northern sky. It can be a spectacular sight, especially if you know how to make the most of your camera.

Orkney's beaches, coastline at Birsay and countryside in particular the Ring of Brodgar provide excellent spots to watch the Northern Lights.

Travel to Islands

A little bit of wintry weather isn't enough to stop our island communities from welcoming visitors over the coming months. Where better to clear the head and relax than one of our beautiful islands, with deserted beaches, peaceful landscapes, and friendly residents.

Papa Westray and neighbouring Westray offer excellent historic sites and a wide choice of high-quality accommodation for a post-festive break.

Visit the tallest land-based lighthouse in the UK on North Ronaldsay, or enjoy a stroll along the beautiful beaches of Sanday, Stronsay and Eday. For a shorter trip, the inner isles of Rousay, Egilsay and Wyre and Shapinsay offer archaeological treasures, walks and wildlife. Don’t miss Hoy with spectacular scenery in the snow and Flotta, home to rich wartime heritage and some of Orkney’s most striking landscapes.

Winter birdlife

Orkney is host a wide variety of migrating and wintering birds, especially ducks and divers. You can spot long-tailed ducks here after their summer in the Arctic. Orkney is a birdwatching paradise all year round.

Orkney is also the seasonal home to nearly a thousand great northern divers – a quarter of British wintering population – and Slavonian grebes. They're both designated as threatened species globally, so the chance to see both in such quantities in Orkney is a real unique opportunity. Scapa Flow at Hobbister and Echnaloch Bay are the perfect places to see them.

Keep your eye out for curlews, golden plovers, sanderlings, turnstones, redshanks and much more too –