North Sea Cruise: Kirkwall

In this fifth post of a multi-part series, Bethany explores Kirkwall, Orkney, Scotland on her North Sea cruise on Crystal Serenity.

My fabulous North Sea cruise continues today with our first of two stops in the UK – Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Scotland! Follow along as I enjoy exploring this quaint spot.

North Sea Full Itinerary

Below is the full itinerary for the trip. This post includes details about Kirkwall. Looking for info on other stops? Check out the ‘Links’ section at the end of this post!

• August 5-6: Copenhagen, Denmark
• August 7: North Denmark
• August 8: Kristiansand, Norway
• August 9: Sandnes, Norway
• August 10: Kirkwall, Orkney, Scotland
• August 11: Lerwick, Shetland, Scotland
• August 12-13: Tórshavn, Faroe Islands and a sea day
• August 14-17: Reykjavik, Iceland
• August 16: South Coast of Iceland

Hello, Kirkwall!

We arrived into Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Scotland the morning of August 10. The sweetener packet for my morning coffee had some great advice…smile all day long! I started with a smiling selfie with the UK flag. I have visited the UK a few times before, so this is not a new flag for me.

The local port team was busy getting everything set up for our arrival, including a lovely welcome message for us! My excursion isn’t until the afternoon, so I had an opportunity to relax on the ship a bit this morning.

Kirkwall Walking Tour

After lunch, I joined my excursion group for a nice walking tour of Kirkwall. We took a short shuttle bus ride to the city center, and then set off on our tour in the historic waterfront port area.

The Riding of the Marches

Today happened to be a big event in Kirkwall…the annual “Riding of the Marches.” This traditional event was revived in 1986 to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Kirkwall’s Royal Burgh status, which was granted in 1486. The Riding of the Marches event re-enacts the ancient practice of inspecting and reaffirming the town’s historic boundaries. A procession of horses proceeds along a circular route through Kirkwall, ending in a ceremonial toast at Scapa Beach. It was fun to be able to see the horses and their riders!

Around Kirkwall

We continued our walking tour of the beautiful town of Kirkwall. Making our way down winding streets and cobblestone sidewalks, we passed several beautiful buildings and other historic sites.

St. Magnus Cathedral

During the walking tour, we stopped to visit St. Magnus Cathedral. This cathedral was founded in 1137, and it was added to over the next 300 years. This is also the site of the start of the traditional Ba’ game, played on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day – the starting point is commemorated with a stone marker and plaque. Our fantastic local guide told us all about the raucous Ba’ game…read all about it here: https://www.northlinkferries.co.uk/orkney-blog/beginners-guide-to-the-ba/

Our guide showed us all around the interior of St. Magnus Cathedral. It is gorgeous inside and out!

Earl’s Palace

After visiting the cathedral, we walked across the street to the ruins of the Earl’s Palace. This palace was built in the early 1600s by Earl Patrick Stewart. I climbed to the top of Moosie Tower to get some great views! We also visited the ruins of the Bishop’s Palace next door. The Bishop’s palace dates back to the 12th century.

Exploring Kirkwall

After our walking tour ended, I had some free time to continue exploring Kirkwall on my own. It is a very quiet Sunday today, so many shops are closed. But it was nice to wander through the town and admire the pretty architecture.

Afternoon Treat

I headed back to the ship after exploring the quaint town of Kirkwall. Of course, I had to get some gelato…today I chose mint chocolate chip!

A Festive Send-Off from Kirkwall

We had a wonderful send-off before we set sail from Kirkwall this evening! A group from a local dance school performed several different dances for us. My fantastic guide from today’s excursion is one of the teachers of the group, and she performed along with them for a few numbers. Her sister is also an instructor, and plays the bagpipes.

White Night Dinner

Tonight is the always fun White Night Party on the ship. I donned by sparkly white dress and headed to Waterside (the main dining room) for yet another fantastic dinner:

• Appetizer: gratineed seafood crepe with tarragon buerre blanc
• Soup: duck consommé with sherry, shiitake mushrooms, duck spring roll
• Main Course: seared fresh ahi tuna with Japanese rice, apple cider, bok choy
• Dessert: “The Architect” (Gianduja Baileys mousse, hazelnut nougatine parfait)

White Night Party

After dinner, I joined the fun at the White Night Party! I enjoyed a white cocktail, nibbled on the white sweet treats that were offered, and watched some of the ship’s entertainment team perform. Then the dance floor was open for all of us to join in, and I happily cut a rug all night long.

Conclusion

I had a delightful time in the small but charming town of Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Scotland. The walking tour was led by a very personable and knowledgeable local guide (who also helped send us off in style with her enthusiastic dance school pupils later in the afternoon!). It was a laid-back day, with plenty of time to simply wander and enjoy the area. The fun day wrapped up with a lively White Night Party on the ship, as we set sail towards our next stop on the wonderful North Sea cruise.

Links

Check the main page for this cruise to read more about my adventures:

Click the button below for more information about Crystal Cruises:

Note: I fully funded this trip on my own and received no compensation or any other benefits from any service providers I used along the way. The opinions expressed here are my own and I am not being compensated by any service providers.