SUE LAWRENCE, Scotland on Sunday - 1st May 2005

A TRIP to Orkney is on many people’s wish-list, especially once they’ve heard about the islands’ neolithic, Pictish and Nordic heritage and seen the spectacular beauty of the place. Well, now there are even more incentives to head north: the visitor centres from Maes Howe to Skara Brae have been splendidly updated; there’s a series of festivals to suit all tastes, whether you’re into dance, folk, jazz or beer; and many internationally renowned jewellers and artists are based here. And that’s not forgetting the genuinely friendly welcome from the locals. This was much in evidence at the Kirkwall Hotel, a Victorian building on Kirkwall’s harbour. The view from the hotel, over the lobster boats towards the island of Shapinsay, is quite simple stunning, as is the food served up in the hotel’s restaurant.

Getting there

The easiest way is by British Airways (0870 850 9850), operating as Loganair, which flies daily to Kirkwall from Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness. There are also ferry services if you have more time.

Eating In

The hotel’s talented chefs, George Lawrie and Amanda McLaren, are committed to using local produce wherever possible, so their beef (cooked to perfection on a haggis-topped barley bannock) is from Donaldson’s, the first-rate butcher round the corner. Their tatties and neeps for clapshot, a classic Orcadian dish, come from local farms, and their shellfish is landed in the harbour just across the road.

Dinner here is a treat. Whether you try the scallops St Ola (with local ale and cream) or the Orkney beef carpaccio with home-made onion marmalade, it is all superb. But I suggest you leave room for pudding and try their famous Trumland tart, made of local Grimbister cheese and bitter chocolate. The wine list is comprehensive and prices are very reasonable. I would urge a brisk walk round the harbour before breakfast to work up an appetite for the porridge, local kippers or Donaldson’s excellent black pudding, haggis and bacon.

Room service

The bedrooms are comfortable and well stocked with everything you need. Most have good harbour views. The staff are extremely friendly and helpful, giving the hotel a very personal touch.

Plus

Apart from the fabulous food, the best thing about the hotel is its location. Right in the heart of Kirkwall, you can walk everywhere in town, drive all round the mainland and walk over the road to the harbour to catch a ferry to any of the other islands.

Minus

The portions are so generous at the Kirkwall Hotel, and the food so delicious, guests who cannot resist really do need an in-house gym.

Location, location, location

The hotel’s position is excellent, right in the centre of things. A five-minute walk takes you to the magnificent St Magnus Cathedral, which was founded in the 12th century. A half-hour’s drive west is Stromness (home of the poet George Mackay Brown), where I would recommend a visit to the charming Julia’s Café. Here, you can enjoy lunch of home-made soups and sandwiches and deliciously moreish cakes. Six miles north of Stromness is the awe-inspiring Skara Brae, the well-preserved neolithic village that was built centuries before the pyramids of Giza. And the beautifully painted Italian Chapel and the Tomb of the Eagles are just 30 minutes’ drive south of Kirkwall.

Booking info

The Kirkwall Hotel
Harbour Street,
Kirkwall
01856 872232