Day 1: Arrive Edinburgh — Welcome Dinner
Arrive in Edinburgh, Scotland’s magnificent capital. Settle into your centrally located hand-picked hotel. Evening welcome dinner at a traditional Scottish restaurant with your tour leader and fellow travelers. Briefing on the incredible journey ahead. Overnight Edinburgh (4-star).
Day 2: Fly North to Orkney — Southern Isles & Italian Chapel
Morning flight from Edinburgh to Kirkwall, Orkney’s compact capital. Your local guide meets you at the airport. Afternoon exploration of South Ronaldsay, connected to the Orkney mainland by the Churchill Barriers—causeways built by Italian prisoners of war during WWII to protect the naval anchorage at Scapa Flow. Visit the remarkable Italian Chapel, constructed by those same POWs from two Nissen huts, scrap metal, and extraordinary artistry—a moving monument to creativity in captivity. Evening in the charming harbor town of Stromness with its flagstone streets and artist community. Overnight Stromness.
Day 3: Orkney’s UNESCO Heart of Neolithic Orkney
A full day immersed in Orkney’s 5,000-year-old treasures, collectively designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Morning at Skara Brae, Europe’s most complete Neolithic village, revealed by a storm in 1850. Walk through the stone houses with their stone beds, dressers, and hearths—frozen in time since 3,180 BC. Continue to the Ring of Brodgar, a massive stone circle (originally 60 stones, 27 still standing) rising from a narrow isthmus between two lochs. The scale is humbling, the mystery profound. Afternoon at Maeshowe, the finest chambered tomb in northwest Europe, aligned so the winter solstice sun illuminates its interior passage. The walls bear 12th-century Viking runic graffiti—including “Tholfir wrote these runes”—proving the Norsemen were as awed by the place as we are. Return to Stromness. Overnight Stromness.
Day 4: Stromness Walk & Fly to Shetland
Morning guided walking tour of Stromness, Orkney’s second-largest settlement—a town of narrow flagstone lanes, historic inns, and a deep connection to the sea (Hudson’s Bay Company ships recruited here for centuries). Visit Stromness Museum’s eclectic collection of maritime artifacts and Orkney natural history. Stop at Sheila Fleet’s jewelry workshop, where Orkney’s landscapes are transformed into beautiful silver and enamel pieces. Afternoon flight from Kirkwall to Sumburgh, at the southern tip of Shetland. Settle into your Lerwick hotel. Evening at leisure to explore Shetland’s lively capital. Overnight Lerwick.
Day 5: Southern Shetland — Jarlshof & Sumburgh Head
Morning at Jarlshof, Shetland’s most extraordinary archaeological site—a complex of settlements spanning 4,000 years from the Neolithic to the 17th century. The site’s layers include Bronze Age smithies, Iron Age brochs, Pictish wheelhouses, and a Viking longhouse mentioned in the Orkneyinga Saga. The name “Jarlshof” (Earl’s House) was coined by Sir Walter Scott. Continue to Sumburgh Head, Shetland’s southernmost point, where the RSPB reserve hosts thousands of puffins, guillemots, and razorbills from April to August. The lighthouse offers clifftop views across the turbulent waters where the North Sea meets the Atlantic. Overnight Lerwick.
Day 6: Northern Shetland — Cliffs, Vikings & Seabirds
Full-day exploration of northern Shetland with an expert local guide. Journey to the dramatic cliffs of Eshaness, where volcanic rocks have been sculpted by Atlantic storms into arches, stacks, and geos. Visit the Tangwick Haa Museum, a 17th-century laird’s house telling the story of Shetland’s turbulent history. Continue to the island of Muckle Roe for a walk across ancient red granite landscapes. Afternoon at Clickimin Broch, an exceptionally well-preserved Iron Age tower on the shores of Clickimin Loch in Lerwick—one of the finest brochs in Scotland. Farewell dinner featuring Shetland lamb and seafood. Overnight Lerwick.
Day 7: Return to Glasgow
Morning at leisure to explore Lerwick—perhaps the Shetland Museum and Archives, one of Scotland’s finest regional museums, or the town’s independent shops for Fair Isle knitwear and Shetland silver jewelry. Afternoon flight from Sumburgh to Glasgow. Transfer to Glasgow city center or airport for onward travel.
