Holiday Cottages in Scotland
If you are holidaying in Scotland and looking for holiday accommodation in Shetland and Orkney click on holiday cottages in Scotland to see holiday cottages in Scotland including any in Shetland and Orkney.

Holidaying in Shetland
The Shetland Islands are off the beaten track and are sparsely populated with a population of around 23,000. There are over 100 islands making up the Shetlands but only 15 are inhabited. Breathe in the pure air, feel the wind blowing through your hair and feel at one with nature. Prepare to be amazed by the wildlife where the wildlife ‘own’ more of the islands than humans and enjoy the splendour of the rugged landscape. Many visitors feel a certain soulfulness around Shetland – whether that’s down to the power of nature and the natural beauty of Shetland or something deeper you can decide. Visit the archeological sites of Old Scatness Broch and Jarlshof and see how people lived 2000 years ago!

Wildlife watching opportunities abound, from simple bird watching to watching killer whales (if you are really lucky), Shetland is a nature lover’s paradise. 

You can fly from Aberdeen and Glasgow to Shetland or take the ferry from Aberdeen.

 

 

The population of Orkney is a small community and with a population of around 20,000 there are more seals than people - fantastic for wildlife watching! Like Shetland, Orkney is made up of a number of different islands, only some inhabited and offers the opportunity to get close to nature. As a winter destination you may be lucky enough to see the Northern Lights whereas as a summer destination from May to July there is great bird watching, seal & dolphin watching. You can even go whale watching for minkhe and killer whales from June to September.

Famous in Orkney is Scara Brae – a Neolithic stone village in Sandwick, which dates back to roughly 2000- 3000 years before Christ.  Due to being covered by sand for a long, long time, this network of stone dwellings is incredibly well preserved and well worth a visit. Also worth a visit is the Ring of Brodgar in Stenness – a Neolithic stone circle symbolic of Orkney’s historic heritage and the Broch of Gurness (Iron Age broch with settlement).

You can reach Orkney by ferry from Aberdeen or Thurso or by plane from Inverness, Edinburgh or Aberdeen.