Off the boat at Stromness
Orkney day tours from Scrabster begin where the boat lands. One listing on this site is built for exactly that: it meets the Scrabster to Stromness ferry, spends 5.5 hours on Skara Brae, the Ring of Brodgar and the Stones of Stenness, and returns you in time for the ferry back. The price is $157 per person, with the Skara Brae entry fee in it and the ferry fare not.
Quick answer
The short answer. If you are crossing from Scrabster for one day, book the $157 ferry day. Of all Orkney day tours from Scrabster, it is the one whose guide waits at the Stromness Ferry Terminal and whose day ends at the next sailing back. You buy the ferry ticket yourself; the guide, the commentary and the Skara Brae and Skaill House entry fees are covered. 223 reviewers rate it 4.8.
How the day works
The ferry sets the start and the finish. The guide fills the hours between.
Orkney day tours from Scrabster are built around one fixed thing: the boat. The ferry crosses from Scrabster to Stromness, and the guide is in the car park of the Stromness Ferry Terminal when you come off. Pam from the United Kingdom put it simply: «he was waiting for us as we exited the ferry.» One meeting point, right where the boat comes in.
From there the day is 5.5 hours on the island. The listing promises one thing about the end of it, and it is the thing that matters most: the tour returns to Stromness in time for the ferry back. It gives no clock times; the day follows the sailing, so book the tour and the crossing for the same date and keep the two confirmations together.
The group is capped at 14 passengers, and the commentary in the vehicle is in English only. It is a seat in a shared group, not a private car, at $157 per person.
The route
Stop lengths as the listing gives them, in a day of 5.5 hours.
The Yesnaby cliffs, a stop for the view and the camera.
The longest stop of the day: a guided visit to the Neolithic village, discovered in 1850, with the entry fee in the price.
The 400-year-old house. Its entry fee is in the price too, together with Skara Brae.
A walk round the stone circle with the guide. The henge dates back 4,500 years.
A photo stop at one of the oldest stone circles in the UK.
An hour on your own in Kirkwall, or the chapel built by Italian prisoners of war during WWII. The chapel is optional, at extra fee.
Views over Scapa Flow, the main British naval base in both World Wars, before the drive back to the ferry.
What you pay for
One price for the day on the island; the crossing is a separate ticket.
The listing is blunt about it: ferry fares are not included. The $157 covers the day on Orkney, meaning the guide, the seat, the commentary and the entry fees for Skara Brae and Skaill House. Of the eleven tours on this site, this is the only one whose listing puts the Skara Brae entry fee in the price.
Two things cost extra on the day. The Italian Chapel is an optional stop with its own fee; the listing does not give the amount. Lunch is not mentioned at all, so plan your own. Pam from the United Kingdom again: «Take a packed lunch as it gets very busy to find food.»
In total, Orkney day tours from Scrabster cost you two tickets: the crossing, bought from the ferry company, and the tour, bought here. The tour side comes with free cancellation.
On the route
A stone village and the coast: the kind of ground Orkney day tours from Scrabster cover.
A line of visitors walks a path above grassy hollows edged with drystone walls, and behind them a pale sandy bay opens onto blue water.
Seen from above, a round stone room holds a two-tier dresser of flat slabs, upright stone box beds and a sandy floor.
Flat, layered rock ledges run to the edge, and below them dark blue sea breaks white over a low reef.
Ship or ferry
Ferry passengers meet at Stromness; ship passengers need a Kirkwall start.
If you are arriving on a cruise ship at Kirkwall, this is not your day, and the listing says so itself: its starting point is the Stromness ferry terminal, 15 miles from the cruise port. Orkney day tours from Scrabster time everything to the ferry, not to a ship's all-aboard.
For a port day, three other listings fit better. The $249 private day includes pick-up and drop-off and is described as perfect for cruise passengers. The $225 beaches and cliffs day, limited to 7 participants, offers to collect you from your ship on arrival. The $157 West Mainland day starts in Kirkwall and can drop you at the cruise port at the end if required.
Every option, current fare
The ferry day, the days you can join from Kirkwall, and our top pick. The five-hour private tour is priced per group, not per person.
| Tour | Price | Price is for | Length | What the price covers | Where it starts | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ferry day | $157 | per person | 5.5 hours | Guide, Skara Brae and Skaill House entry. Ferry fare not included | Stromness Ferry Terminal car park | 4.8 · 223 |
| West Mainland day | $157 | per person | 6 hours | Guided Skara Brae 85 min, Brodgar 40 min. Up to 14 guests | Stand 5, Kirkwall Travel Centre | 4.9 · 275 |
| Private full day | $212 | per person | 8 hours | Private guide, Skara Brae 1.5 hours, Italian Chapel, Broch of Gurness | Five pickup points, one at Stromness Ferry Terminal | 4.4 · 5 |
| Five-hour private day | $1,316 | per group, up to 3 | 5 hours | Private vehicle and guide, Skara Brae 1 hour. Chapel at extra fee | Pickup in Kirkwall | 5.0 · 50 |
| Beaches and cliffs | $225 | per person | 6 hours | Up to 7 guests, Yesnaby and the Bay of Skaill | Hatston, Kirkwall, or your cruise ship | 4.8 · 21 |
| 3 days from Inverness, our top pick | $654 | per person | 3 days | Two nights in Kirkwall in en suite rooms. Ferry crossing on the route | Near Inverness Cathedral | 4.8 · 87 |
Already on Orkney?
Kirkwall, private, or three days: the other ways onto the same stones.
If you stay a night or two in Kirkwall, you do not need Orkney day tours from Scrabster at all. The $157 West Mainland day starts at Stand 5 of the Kirkwall Travel Centre, runs 6 hours with up to 14 guests, and gives Skara Brae 85 minutes with a guide and the Ring of Brodgar 40. It adds a drive by Scapa Flow, the 16th-century Earl's Palace at Birsay and the Kirbuster Farm Museum. With 275 reviews at 4.9, it is the most reviewed listing here. Its listing does not say whether the Skara Brae entry fee is in the price.
For a private day, the $212 per person full day runs 8 hours, and one of its five pickup points is the Stromness Ferry Terminal; the listing does not promise a return for the ferry. The five-hour private tour costs $1,316 per group of up to 3, picks up in Kirkwall and names ferry day-trippers among the people it is tailored for.
If you have more than a day, our top pick is the $654 three days from Inverness: it passes John o’ Groats, crosses by ferry from Gills Bay as part of the route, and gives you two nights in Kirkwall.
Before you book
A few minutes on two booking pages make Orkney day tours from Scrabster run smoothly.
Book the ferry crossing and the tour for the same day. The tour price does not cover the ferry.
The tour returns you in time for the ferry back. Keep your return crossing on that same day.
No meal is mentioned in the listing. A reviewer suggests bringing a packed lunch.
Decide between an hour in Kirkwall and the Italian Chapel, which carries an extra fee.
The ferry day offers free cancellation. Read the deadline on the booking page before you pay.
From the reviews
Short, honest and mostly about the guide.
The ferry day holds 223 reviews at 4.8. Three lines, quoted as written:
Sandra from the United Kingdom: «The guide was very friendly and obviously passionate about the history and archaeology of Orkney.»
Mandy from Australia: «Was a great way to see the key sites without the stress of self driving…»
Denise from Australia: «an excellent day trip. i loved it. shame we only had time for one day on Orkney.»
Our verdict
Book the $157 ferry day if you cross from Scrabster and go back the same day. Among Orkney day tours from Scrabster it is the one that meets the ferry, shows you Skara Brae with the entry fee paid, and gets you back to Stromness for the return sailing. Staying in Kirkwall? Take the $157 West Mainland day.
Book direct
The tour that meets the ferry, the Kirkwall day at the same price, the private five hours, and our three-day top pick from Inverness.
★ 4.8 · 223 reviews
★ 4.9 · 275 reviews
★ 5.0 · 50 reviews
★ 4.8 · 87 reviews
Common questions
Yes. The $157 ferry day meets the Scrabster to Stromness ferry at the Stromness Ferry Terminal car park, spends 5.5 hours on Orkney and returns you in time for the ferry back. The ferry ticket you buy yourself.
No. The listing says plainly that ferry fares are not included. The tour price covers the guided day on Orkney and the Skara Brae and Skaill House entry fees.
On the ferry day, yes: the entry fee for Skara Brae and Skaill House is included. It is the only listing on this site that says so. The others do not say.
Yes. Orkney day tours from Scrabster cover both, with 1.5 hours at Skara Brae and 30 minutes at the Ring of Brodgar. The West Mainland day, the private full day and the five-hour private tour cover both too.
On the ferry day, 1.5 hours with a guide. The West Mainland day gives 85 minutes, the private full day 1.5 hours and the five-hour private tour 1 hour.
On the ferry day the Italian Chapel is optional and carries an extra fee; the listing does not give the amount. If you skip it, you get an hour in Kirkwall instead.
Your options
For a single day, Orkney day tours from Scrabster come down to one booking: the ferry day at $157, plus your own ferry ticket. Want more than a day? Read the guides below.
Go deeper
The one-day tours on the islands, compared by start, hours and stops.
West MainlandThe west of the main island: stone circles, the village and the cliffs.
Skara BraeThe stone village by the bay, and which tours give you time inside.
Getting thereFerries and roads to the islands, and where each tour picks you up.
From a cruise shipTours that mention ships calling at Kirkwall, and what fits a port day.
From Inverness: 3-Day Orkney Islands & Skara Brae Tour
★ 4.8 · 87 reviews · 3 days