Discover Kirkwall on the Orkney Islands

After our start in Bremerhaven, a day at sea and our first stop in Invergordon, we are now heading to the second port on our journey around the UK. We arrive in Kirkwall today on board Mein Schiff 3.

Kirkwall is the capital of the Orkney Islands with a population of around 8,500. It is located on Mainland, the main island of the Orkney Islands. Over 70 islands belong to the archipelago north of Scotland’s north coast. The royal free city of Kirkwall, formerly known as Kirkjuvagar, was a center of power for the Vikings and is still said to resemble an ancient Norse city today. This is particularly appealing to us as we grew up in Sweden. The Orkney Islands are known for their harsh climate, but also for being home to Scotland’s two northernmost whisky distilleries. A good opportunity to pay them a visit or at least taste the whisky on site.

By cab to the distillery

Mein Schiff 3 docks in Kirkwall early in the morning in typical Scottish, mixed weather. We have planned our day ourselves and want to discover the island on our own today. So we leave the ship at around 10 a.m. and then we take a cab. We pre-booked the cab online with Orkney Cabs. Our driver is already in the harbor waiting for us. Perfect. First up is a visit to the famous Scapa whisky distillery. To get there, we take a 15-minute cab ride for £13 from the port to the second northernmost distillery in Scotland. Since there is no visiting center, it is important to make an appointment in advance.

Scapa Distillery Whisky Tasting

Three different whisky tastings are offered at Scapa Distillery:

Air – £45 – vier Whiskys aus den Abfüllungen der Altersklasse 20+ Jahre

Sea – £35 – vier Whiskys aus den Abfüllungen der Altersklasse 15-19 Jahre

Land – £30 – drei Whiskys aus den Abfüllungen der Altersklasse 10-16 Jahre

We are the only tasting guests today and our visit begins with a look into the whisky warehouse. There are barrels here from all the years and the air is highly flammable due to the alcohol that evaporates here. We are told in advance that no photos are allowed, as any spark could cause an explosion. I understand this the moment I enter the hall. It smells so strongly of alcohol and whisky, like I would never have imagined.

We learn that about two percent of alcohol evaporates from each barrel every year. This loss is called the Angels’ Share, the sip for the angels. As each barrel is aged for at least 15 years, quite a lot disappears during the maturing process. One of the oldest barrels is from 1977, the year I was born, and is now less than half full. This must be fantastic whisky!

We learn that whisky has been produced at Scapa Distillery since 1885. Then it’s off to the tasting. We booked the Sea Whisky Tasting online in advance. We can choose the whiskies. We are allowed to choose four varieties from the age group and then we start. Each whisky is accompanied by an explanation of what it smells like, how it tastes and what is special about this variety. A special service at the tasting is that there are small bottles for bottling the leftovers. This is very practical for those who don’t want to drink too much in the morning and prefer to enjoy the rest at another time.

All bottles can also be purchased here in the store afterwards. And some of them only here in the store. They are not sold in shops, so we decide to take a bottle of whisky home with us as a souvenir of the trip.

Discover the town of Kirkwall

After this exciting whisky tasting, we take a cab back to Kirkwall. We are in the middle of the historic city center and stroll along the streets. We walk past St. Magnus Cathedral, which is an important sight in Kirkwall. It is dedicated to the Earl of Orkney, Magnus Erlendsson. Magnus was Jarl when Kirkwall belonged to the Kingdom of Norway. According to legend, several miracles occurred after his martyrdom, so that he was canonized after his death.

From the outside, the cathedral is well worth seeing because of the different sandstone colors. Both types of sandstone come from the Orkney Islands. The red sandstone comes from Mainland and the yellow sandstone from the island of Eday. Admission is free and it is definitely worth taking a look inside the nave. In addition to the ship’s bell of the H.M.S. Royal Oak, you will also find a stained glass window that Queen Elizabeth unveiled in 1987 to mark the 850th anniversary of the Royal Oak. anniversary of the cathedral.

Then we visit a few typical stores and restaurants. We would like to get to know a few more typical products. For example, there are delicious cheeses from the Orkney Islands, special beers and a handcrafted gin. But first we make our way to the charming tea room at Café Lolz. The owner Lorraine happens to have a birthday and tells us that she took over the store some time ago. Their specialty is delicious scones, for which people come from all over, but everything else is home-baked. We can warmly recommend the café.

After a stroll through the streets of Orkney, we head to a typical pub on the harbor as it starts to rain. The Skippers Bar in the Kirkwall Hotel is a simple, well-kept pub. Of course we try a local beer and enjoy the atmosphere. Then we take another stroll along the harbor, soak up the rough sea air and breathe in the fresh air. The harbor basin in Kirkwall serves as protection for crab fishermen and their boats, which is why many fishing boats are moored here. The Orkney Gin Manufactory is also located at the harbor and we definitely want to visit it.

The Orkney Distillery in Kirkwall

At the end of the day, we go to the garden of The Orkney Distillery at the harbor to taste the Kirkjuvagr Gin. The name Kirkjuvagr Orkney Gin takes up the history of the town and the islands, giving the gin its Nordic flair. You can also book a tour and tasting online for £20. However, the Oot the back gin garden is much nicer, with small wooden alcoves to sit in behind the building. We booked an alcove with a table online in advance on the website. There are gin cocktails and snacks.

The compass on the lid of the bottle is typical of Kirkjuvagr Gin in Kirkwall. The compass is a “Vegvisir” and dates back to the Viking Age. Why is it on the bottle? Just like the Vikings back then, the compass is supposed to guide us to the home of Kirkjuvagr Gin in order to discover it. What a magical idea.

Back on board the Mein Schiff 3

After the last stop, take the shuttle bus back to Mein Schiff 3. The shuttle bus is free of charge and runs regularly from the berth to the Kirkwall travel center, where the bus station is located. The last shuttle departed 45 minutes before Mein Schiff 3 departed, so you should ask on the spot to make sure you get on board on time. Tomorrow will be another beautiful day at sea for us as we continue on to Belfast.