Kirkwall Bay Touring Park

Kirkwall Bay Touring Park combines a coastal setting on Orkney’s Mainland with convenient access to the island’s main town. Spacious pitches for tents and campervans look out towards Kirkwall Bay, while the shared toilet and shower block includes washing-up facilities. Dogs are welcome, and bookings can be made online. Kirkwall’s pubs, restaurants and shops are around a five-minute drive or 40-minute walk away, allowing campers to spend time in town without staying in its centre.

In Kirkwall, St Magnus Cathedral is a rewarding starting point for exploring Orkney’s Norse history. Founded in 1137, its red and yellow sandstone gives the building a distinctive presence on Broad Street. For a separate walking outing, Wideford Hill offers views across Kirkwall, Scapa Flow, the west Mainland and the north isles. A rugged trail on its western slope leads to a Neolithic chambered cairn; this is an excursion in its own right rather than a route from the campsite.

Exploring further across Mainland brings the Heart of Neolithic Orkney into reach for day trips. Skara Brae preserves stone-built houses with surviving beds and dressers, while the Ring of Brodgar stands in a landscape of lochs and hills. Both belong to the same World Heritage Site as Maeshowe and the Stones of Stenness. Whisky enthusiasts also have Highland Park in Kirkwall, where the distillery’s history dates back to 1798.