B&B run by a very nice lady and her daughter. Comfortable, well appointed rooms, beautiful views…read moreof the bay, the hills, the sheep, and the horses, terrific WiFi. Excellent breakfast - cereal, fruit, bread, meat and cheese plate served at your table with seconds if you wish. All for a reasonable price. About a mile walk uphill from the ferry terminal. (A half mile by shortcut for the surefooted. She'll show you the path). Yvonne will give you directions when you book. Just don't chicken out -- keep heading up the last road until you see the sign.

We Frame It is a great shop with very helpful staff. It's primarily a shop which sells ready framed…read moreprints and photographs, and also does framing. They have a huge range of frames which they make to order, and they will cut mounts to order also. They very often have some reasonably priced ready made frames available to buy - the ones made from offcuts are particularly good value. The staff are always very helpful about giving advice if it is required. The range of gifts and postcards is growing all the time, and includes jewellery and mugs, There's also a range of 'Spaekin Orcadian' goods - t-shirts, coasters, etc with Orcadian dialect words and their meanings printed on them, which make great holiday gifts or mementoes.

Nearest accommodation to the Pentland (Orkney Islands) Ferry terminal in Gills Bay. Beautiful open…read morelocation, comfortable building, large rooms, panoramic views, very friendly proprietors. What's not to like? We picked this randomly from the roadside and were delighted with our choice. The price of GBP 60 with breakfast for a double in May was very reasonable. They probably could charge more because there are very few choices in the area.

The Skaill House is located in Orkney, Scotland. A tour of this house is included with the tour of…read morethe Skara Brae. You could purchase a ticket to only the Skaill House, but I recommend purchasing a ticket for both instead. If you are into history, then you will like visiting Skaill House. Lots of interesting things to see and learn here. The house was built in the 17th century (1620 to be exact). It is a short walk from the ruins of Skara Brae so it is worthwhile to check out. The house has been restored, and it opened to the public in 1997. Enjoy!

Skaill House is an old 17th century mansion originally built by Bishop George Graham. The house…read moreoverlooks the Bay of Skaill and is part of the Skara Brae tour. It is a short walk from the ruins to the house. There have been 12 Lairds (Lords) that have lived at the house. It can be a bit tight when there are a lot of people touring the house. I didn't get to spend much time because there were so many people. The rooms are small and cozy and I loved the library. There is a small shop at the end of the tour (of course) to buy some gifts. They also offer falconry lessons and you can have your wedding there. There are many ghost stories as many skeletons have been found around the grounds some going back to Viking days.

While recently doing the "North Coast 500" route around the Scottish coast, we stayed at the John…read moreO'Groats Guest House as a stopping point, and are so glad we did! Under new ownership, the lovely couple that now own it have put their heart and soul into the house, and it shows! The rooms are updated with new furniture and fixtures, as well as upgraded with all the technological plug-ins you could need while traveling, such as Wi-Fi, Netflix, etc. The night before your stay you will get a message from the owners, who live on-site, asking what your special request is for any meals you would like. Since there are limited dining options at John O'Groats, this was hospitality above and beyond most B&B's we have stayed at. The owners are fabulous chefs, and only use locally sourced meat, cheese, eggs, milk, jams, etc. which are delivered to them fresh from local farms. We requested the Local Meat & Cheese Tray as our starter, and it was wonderfully fresh and delicious! Our locally sourced pork burger was fantastic as well. Breakfast is also included with your stay, and the owners did not disappoint with a list of local options for breakfast that you select the night before, and tell them what time you would like breakfast. It was such a nice way to start our day on the next leg of our journey around the Scottish coast. The warmth and hospitality we received at the Guest House was unexpected and very welcome. We would stay again.

We recently stayed at the John o' Groats Guest House, and it was a highlight of our month's…read morevacation in England and Scotland. Located near the ferry landing for trips to the Orkney Islands, we knew it would be a great location for us, surrounded by the stark but beautiful northern Scotland scenery. What we did not anticipate, though, was that the owners, Mary and Mark, would be the most welcoming and accommodating people ever. Not only did they provide a very nice room and great food, they did everything possible to make our stay pleasant. Mark even took us down to the ferry for our Orkney tour and picked us up at the end of the day. We had such a good time dining with them and the other guests and hanging out after! It was what you would always like to experience in a small B&B or guest house, but rarely do. If you are going to be in the area, you could do no better than to stay at the John o' Groats Guest House.

I crossed over from St Margaret's Hope a few days ago on this fast, comfortable little car ferry. I…read morearrived in the islands aboard the Aberdeen ferry but was glad to be returning on one much more comfortable, less crowded and fast.

Pentland Ferries sails between Gills Bay on mainland Britain and St. Margaret's Hope on Mainland,…read moreOrkney. The Pentalina high-speed catamaran (a passenger and vehicle ferry) runs the route in little over an hour, making it the fastest way to access Orkney by boat. Leaving Gills Bay, the Pentalina sails through Pentland Firth and some truly spectacular North Sea scenery. Perhaps most interesting is the small island of Stroma, belonging to Caithness. Until the turn of the twentieth century, Stroma had several hundred residents who farmed the land, but by the 60s, the last two families had left. The stone homes, typical of the Highlands, still stand silently today, as does the lighthouse, church, graveyard and harbor. Locals told us that the island is currently owned by a sheep farmer in Caithness who uses the land to graze his sheep. Otherwise, everything is supposedly preserved within the structures exactly as the residents of Stroma left them when they abandoned the island. A Scottish ghost town. As the ferry passes Stroma, and then Swona (part of The Orkney islands), it's worth braving the whipping wind and chilly North Sea air to keep a lookout for seals and seabirds. Most notable among the wildlife are the adorable puffin, hurtling through the air like feathered missiles. (Once you're sufficiently chilled, there are two lounges below deck in which to relax, plus a tiny window selling hot, homemade soup, burgers and sandwiches.) At last, the Pentalina cruises by Hoy where, if the weather cooperates, passengers can catch a glimpse of the iconic Old Man of Hoy, before the final destination of St. Margaret's Hope comes into view. The quaint village lies like a cobblestone ribbon cutting through the emerald green landscape behind it. The cost of your passage is £14; your car will run you £33. Considering the speed with which you reach the Islands, and the views you're treated to along the way, Pentland Ferries is well worth the price of admission.

Ommmm, so Seaview Hotel is about the only place we could find that was open before a 7:30 pm…read moresailing from Gills Bay on the Pentland Ferries (Pro tip learned quickly in Scotland: outside major cities, everything shuts up tighter than a drum in the evenings). Plus, it's just fun to say "John o' Groats." We scoped the bar area -- depressingly run down, but happily full of rowdy locals -- and the dining room -- clearly going for the "executive ballroom" feel, and probably where everyone in John o' Groats holds their wedding reception. We went with the dining room which, apparently, boasts the moniker "Groatie Room." Service was excellent, friendly and accommodating, as at most places in Scotland. Also, a variety of local craft brews was on offer, as at most places in Scotland. Food, however, perfectly matched the stuffy, outdated dining room. Exactly what you'd expect from a sit-down reception catered by Sodexho. A bland Caprese salad, run-of-the-mill paninis, season-less steamed veggies. But, considering Seaview was about the only thing going in John o' Groats and put much need sustenance in our bellies, it garners the A-OK rating.

My husband and I stayed at the very lovely Anchorage B&B during our September trip to John…read moreO'Groats. The owners of the Anchorage recommended the Seaview for our dinner and we even ran into them there that night. Admittedly, this pub is not much to look at. It's dated and a bit run down. However, don't let that deter you. If you love fish, this is the place to go. We started with scallops and they were the best scallops that we have ever eaten. We live in Los Angeles and frequently eat at high end restaurants...the Seaview had them beat! For my main, I had a grilled haddock that was amazing. My husband had a burger made from local beef. Fresh food makes all of the difference. Our meals were fantastic! Beyond that, this is clearly a place filled with locals and everyone was exceptionally welcoming. John O'Groats has the friendliest people that we encountered during our UK trip. Go here, trust me!

There's a pub attached to the St Ola Hotel and if you walk through the bar area it takes you to a…read moresmall dining area (there's also an outside side entrance). Very straightforward, just a couple of booths and tables. We weren't terribly hungry so we got the soup of the day (Basil and Tomato), cajun fries and a very good Steak and Orkney Ale Pie. (Steak & Orkney Ale Pie £14.95 Orkney Ale Braised Beef Pie served with Mash Potato and Buttered Greens). The pie came with a massive but tasteless puff pastry topping and a delicious beef interior. My only complaint was there wasn't enough sauce, it was a little dry. I'd have asked for more sauce but the dining area wasn't really staffed well that night. The beef was memorable and delicious though. Quiet, even though the bar was busy, it was great for a quick, casual bite.

This review is for the restaurant at St. Ola Hotel. I came here for dinner with my husband and…read moreanother couple and our experience was not so great. My first impressions of the environment and ambiance were good. It was a pretty standard-looking pub. It looked like a chill environment. There were tvs and it was very relaxed. We sat down at a table and it took quite awhile before our server asked us if we wanted any drinks. My husband and I shared the "Orkney Farmhouse Crispy Cheese" as a starter. It was alright. It was nice that the cheese was local from the island, but other than that it wasn't too special. I tried to order the "Beef, Bacon, & Grimbister Cheese" specialty stuffed burger, but they were all out of it so I was bummed about that. I ended up ordering the "Ola Burger with Chili" and again, this was nothing special. I was starving but only finished half of my burger. It was just sort of bland and didn't taste very fresh. Our server never came by our table once to see how we were doing. We all had no water in our glasses for a long time. I kept trying to track down a server and no one was coming over. I was so thirsty that I eventually just walked all the way to the bar and asked if we could get a pitcher of water. She said yes, but then she continued to talk with her co-worker for awhile before she even thought about getting the pitcher of water. The prices were not bad. Overall, I was not impressed. We were all very chill about this because we were on vacation and just going with the flow, but I was pretty disappointed. I'm giving it 2 stars because the food was not the most terrible that I have ever had and the restaurant was clean, but the service was severely lacking.