Cycling

Orkney is perfect for easy cycling. The landscape is predominantly flat and, on the rare occasions you do encounter hills you are rewarded with fine views – often across to the next island or, on Mainland, the vast Scapa Flow. Roads are well surfaced and quiet, with plenty of very quiet minor roads providing access to all corners of the islands. Perhaps the best thing about Orkney for cyclists, though, is the large number of interesting places to stop off at and explore. Many are archaeological sites – if you like cycling and archaeology then Orkney is paradise – but there are many other curiosities dotted around the largely pastoral archipeligo. Many of them are small and take only 20-30 minutes to visit leaving you plenty of time to achieve the day's mileage. They also tend to be just a few miles apart so act as great staging posts – or simply excuses to stop and swig the waterbottle and eat a banana.

Cycling around a particular feature gives a ride a purpose – and what better feature than an island? Rousay (see Ride 2, below) is ideal in this respect as a road follows the coast all the way round, but the choice is endless in Orkney – with over a dozen principal islands to choose from and most easily accessible for a day ride from Kirkwall. Bikes go free on ferries so are a very cost-effective – as well as a peaceful and environmentally friendly – means of exploring. No need to book. Just queue up alongside the foot passengers and go!

Sustenance isn't a problem when cycling on Orkney as most villages have a shop despite their apparent size on the map and most of the large villages have cafés too.

To get you started here's four of the best day rides on and close to Orkney Mainland. At the end there is a description of how you can link up the first three rides to make them into a complete tour with three or four overnight stops.

Ride 1: Archaeological highlights of West Mainland

Start/finish: Finstown.
Route outline: Evie – Birsay – Skara Brae – Ring of Brodgar –Stones of Stenness – Maeshowe.
Distance: 40 miles.
Map: http://www.mapmyride.com/route/detail/19973638/


What’s it like?
A route that encompasses all of West Mainland’s archaeological treasures in a day – and, for the fit, provides an invigorating alternative to a coach tour. Allow plenty of time as this is a long route and there are numerous sites to visit. Skara Brae merits 1-2 hours and tours of Maeshowe take a minimum of 45 mins. Alternatively, include an overnight stay. Birsay is the most obvious half-way house and has the best facilities and choice of accommodation.

Click here to see the full details and route description

Ride 2: Rousay

Start/finish: Tingwall pier (Evie, Mainland) or Trumland pier (Rousay).
Route outline: A simple anti-clockwise circuit of the island.
Distance: 14 miles.
Map: http://www.mapmyride.com/route/detail/19973638/

What’s it like?
This is an ideal route for inexperienced cyclists in that it’s short and requires next to no map-reading. There is one stiff climb at the start but you are rewarded at the top and all round the coast with superb views. Rousay is richly endowed with sites of historical interest, particularly along the south coast. Note, however, that Midhowe Broch and other sites on the Westness Walk can only be reached on foot on an easy two-mile walk.

Click here to see the full details and route description

Ride 3: Hoy

Start/finish: Stromness.
Route outline: Ferry to North Hoy – Rackwick – Lyness – North Ness – ferry to Houton.
Distance: 31 miles.
Maps: http://www.mapmyride.com/route/detail/19973912/ and http://www.mapmyride.com/route/detail/19468582/

What’s it like?
Hoy comes from the Old Norse ‘haey’ meaning high island and it’s the relief that makes this one of the Orkney Islands the odd man out and arguably the most scenic and dramatic. The northern end is characterised by bare, towering fells with cliffs to match. The good news is that the high points largely surround the route rather than cross it, so you’re mostly looking up at them rather than cycling over them. The south, by contrast, is steeped in 20th century naval heritage. Lyness is home to the Scapa Flow Visitor Centre & Museum and the naval cemetery while all around you will come across ruined buildings dating back to the second world war. There’s so much to see, in fact, that an overnight stay on Hoy is recommended.

Click here to see the full details and route description

Ride 4: The Churchill Barriers

Start/finish: Kirkwall.
Route outline: St Marys – Burray – St Margarets Hope – Mine Howe.
Distance: 33 miles.
Map: http://www.mapmyride.com/route/detail/19974340/

What’s it like?
For novelty this bike ride takes some beating. There can be few other places in the world where you can visit four different islands in quick succession without using a bridge or getting your wheels wet while literally cycling over history. The islands in question here are Lamb Holm, Glimps Holm, Burray and South Ronaldsay and the means of connecting them are the Churchill Barriers. They were built in the second world war by Winston Churchill to plug the gaps between the islands and help secure Scapa Flow where the British naval fleet was based. There aren’t quite so many places of interest to visit on this ride compared to the others, so it’s ideal for those that want to work up some momentum or don’t have a full day to spare.

Click here to see the full details and route description

Four-day tour of West Mainland

Route outline: Kirkwall – Finstown – Rousay – Birsay – Skara Brae – Maes Howe – Stromness – Hoy – Houton – Kirkwall.

Click here to see the full details and route description

Useful contacts

Using a bike is an ideal way to see the real Orkney. Cycle hire is available from:

Cycle Orkney
e. cycleorkney@btconnect.com t. (01856) 87 5777, Tankerness Lane, Kirkwall.

Orkney Cycle Hire
e. orkney.cycle.hire@talk21.com w. orkneycyclehire.co.uk, t. (01856) 850255, 54 Dundas Street, Stromness.