Orkney

. Tourism to Orkney increased by over a third (2013-19) . The UK's top destination for cruise ships and an increasingly popular location for family staycations . World Heritage Site for its Neolithic archaeology, including northern Europe's most important Stone-Age village, Skara Brae . Orkney features the world's shortest commercial flight (just 60 seconds) About Bradt Travel Guides . Founded in 1974, Bradt is now the largest independent guidebook publisher in the UK with over 200 titles in print . Serial winner of the Gold award for Best Guidebook Series in the Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards . Bradt guides are written by authors who really know their destinations. Many are resident there, or have been visiting regularly over a number of years. . Each new Bradt guide is backed by a dedicated press and social media campaign

Orkney travel guide. Holiday tips and expert advice for the Mainland, Hoy, Graemsay, Flotta, Burray, South Ronaldsay, Rousay, Egilsay, Wyre, Shapinsay, Sanday, Stronsay, Eday, Westray, Papa Westray and North Ronaldsay. Plus Skara Brae, Old Man of Hoy, Ring of Brodgar, Maeshowe, Scapa Flow, Marwick Head, wildlife, beaches, walking and archaeology.This thoroughly updated second edition of Bradt's guidebook to the alluring Scottish archipelago of Orkney is written by experienced author and journalist Mark Rowe, who is something of a specialist on the more remote parts of Scotland. Bradt's guidebook combines all the practical details a traveller could need (when to visit, suggested itineraries, local culture, accommodation, and where to eat and drink) together with insightful background that ranges from geography and geology to architecture and archaeology, plus significant coverage of wildlife. Comprising 70 islands, of which just 19 are inhabited, Orkney is extraordinary. The World Heritage Site of Neolithic Orkney harbours many archaeological treasures, including Skara Brae, the most important Stone-Age village in northern Europe, and Maeshowe chambered tomb, whose entrance is aligned with the setting sun on the winter solstice. Here you'll also find the Old Man of Hoy, a spectacular 140m-high sea stack; Scapa Flow, scene of the dramatic scuttling of the German fleet in 1919; and dramatic nature reserves with cliffs upon which one in six UK seabirds nests. The deeper you delve - made easy with Bradt's Orkney - the more you uncover. Foodies will be delighted by an astonishing number of local food outlets and family producers, some going back more than 100 years. Discover Scotland's first carbon-neutral island (or that's the plan!), the island whose past may have included sky burials, and the world's shortest scheduled commercial flight (just 60 seconds!). Or why not attend one of the world's leading science festivals or Scotland's sole wine festival? New for this edition are additional mapped walks; greater detail on history; expanded coverage of archaeological developments, the outer isles, new or enhanced visitor attractions including croft tours - all in the UK's top destination for cruise ships and an increasingly popular location for family staycations. With much to enchant archaeology enthusiasts, walkers, cyclists, wildlife watchers, beach lovers and genealogists, Bradt's Orkney is the ideal guide for those who travel with curious minds to discover far-flung places of great cultural, historical and wildlife interest.