Neolithic treasures and sparkling seas on Orkney - all for £2 bus fares

From its windows the X99 reveals gorse-gold hills rolling west toward snow-patched mountains, fields of spring lambs sloping to a silver sea, wide estuaries, cascading burns, thatched crofts, rocky bays and birch woods starred with anemones. The 111-mile, 3½-hour trip costs just £2.

Until March 2026 a single from Inverness to Scrabster was £28; a new bus fare cap in Orkney, Highland and Moray now limits any journey in the area to £2. The Northlink ferry to Stromness departs from Scrabster; its dining room serves Orkney smoked-cheddar macaroni cheese and Orkney fudge cheesecake, and on deck passengers can see the Old Man of Hoy, a 137-metre sea stack, with seals, gannets and guillemots below.

Stromness offers a compact town centre near the ferry, galleries including the Pier Arts Centre with works by Barbara Hepworth and Ben Nicholson, and small guesthouses a short walk from the port.

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