Campsites near Kirkwall

Orkney’s “big city” is a charming port surrounded by green lands offering coastal camping.

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2 top campsites near Kirkwall

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Sinclair Bay Lodges

4 units · Glamping8 acres · Wick, Scotland

Luxury seafront glamping pods with private patio and jaccuzi. Fully equipped kitchenette with fridge freezer and en-suite shower room. All bedding, towels, cutlery and cookware are included. We have a bike shed on site and private parking for cars. Located on the John O'Groats trail and NC500 route.

Doigh Nadair

4 units · Tents30 acres · Scotland

We are a recently purchased family run croft with ponies, pigs, sheep, goats, ducks, and hens. A rural setting within walking distance of the village of Lairg. We do not allow dogs as your camping pitch will be visited by our hens and you will be surrounded on one side by our ponies and the other by our goats and sheep. If you would like to include some time with our animals during your visit please get in touch and let us know. We will be around during your stay carrying out day to day tasks on the croft. A few patches of mown grass, a few sensible rules and two toilet sheds (each with porta potti and sink with cold water) are just about all that separate Doigh Nadair from a wild camping pitch. It’s simple stuff: if you’re someone who loves the idea of wild camping, but aren’t quite ready to head into the highlands with a backpack, then this place is for you. It’s somewhere to enjoy the outdoors in all its glory with the basics taken care of, thanks to a thoughtful owner. The owners Kirsteen and Leon are happy to share their journey so far to off grid life and the animals who used to be part of the petting farm they ran in Speyside before they moved. We’re not just talking about the pretty views of the hills surrounding Lairg but the fact that this land has been left relatively untouched for a number of years. The croft is quite biodiverse and Leon and Kirsteen would like to keep it that way. As a result, the few campers who are allowed on site at any one time are asked to exercise a light touch. The whole site is off grid so don’t expect electric hook up. There is water, but self-sufficiency is important here so you’ll need to come prepared. Having said that, there are usually a few farm-fresh eggs for sale, but for more than that you’ll need to head to the nearby village of Lairg where there is a pub, restaurant, take away, spar and a costcutter. The site is not quite seaside, lochside, mountainside or wild — but it’s satisfyingly close to all of these.

Happy farmer sitting in a truck in a grassy field

Campsites near Kirkwall guide

Overview

Kirkwall is capital of the flat, fertile Orkneys, and the biggest ferry port, with connections to Aberdeen and Lerwick on the Shetland Islands. The sense of otherworldliness begins as you disembark your ferry or plane in the green, almost treeless, openness, the strong winds, the smell of salt, and the stone houses bunched around the harbour. Historic and culturally vibrant, Kirkwall offers a convenient place to stock up on outdoorsy provisions before journeying elsewhere. Unusual for a town, Kirkwall is also surrounded by green slopes conducive to pitching up, with two big (if blustery) modern camping and caravan parks respectively north and just west of the centre.

Where to go

Burray and South Ronaldsay

The easiest adventure from Kirkwall is south to these two rocky isles, once only accessible by boat, now linked by causeway but still retaining a special island-like character, and lined with sandy coastal hikes. The causeways that link these isles, the Churchill Barriers, protect Scapa Flow, one of the world’s largest natural harbours and a fantastic spot for snorkelling or wreck diving. South Ronaldsay has a couple of small campsites, with glamping pods and pre-erected bell tents also available.

Hoy

Rugged Hoy is like no other Orkney Island—wild and mountainous where others are neat and flat. There are lots of places to overnight in the outdoors here: Rackwick’s bothy and wild camping are perhaps best. The best hike is from Rackwick to one of Scotland’s most famous rock stacks, the Old Man of Hoy.

Birsay and North Mainland

It’s not far from Kirkwall to the far side of Orkney mainland, with Birsay, reaching its spectacular best at weather-bashed tidal island the Brough of Birsay, as far as you can go without needing a boat. The Birsay Outdoor Centre provides lush flat pitches in what is otherwise one of the mainland’s wildest moorland areas.

When to go

Orkney’s maritime climate prevents temperatures from dropping too much in winter (it rarely snows) but stops it getting very hot in summer—bring (very) warm gear for camping, even in midsummer. Within the April-to-September tourist season, the sun, rain, and wind can come any time and often all at once, but ferries, flights, and busses run full schedules during this period. April and September are the best crowd-free months.

Know before you go

Kirkwall has Orkney’s only airport with flights to mainland Scotland—flights also leave to many outer Orkney Isles.
Ferry and flight connections between Orkney mainland and its isles do not run very regularly. Check schedules carefully, and be aware that weather can turn in an instant and cancel any schedule.
Kirkwall and Stromness are the only places with shops to stock up on camping essentials.
Whilst wild camping is allowed in Scotland, Orkney is not the best place for it, as a high percentage of land is farmland.
Winds get very strong—hold onto your canvas when setting up camp.