Star.pngStar.pngStar.pngStar grey.pngStar grey.png

Orkney

From Roader's Digest: The SABRE Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Orkney
Arcaibh
Location Map ( geo)
Orkney Flag.png
Cameraicon.png View gallery (11)
Other Important Destinations
Kirkwall • St Margarets Hope • Stromness
Current Highway Authorities
Orkney Islands Council
Borders
(Caithness • Zetland)
Transport Scotland Roads
none

Orkney is a small traditional county that covers the Orkney Islands off Scotland's northern coast. All of the islands in the archipelago, with the exception of Stroma which is within Caithness are within the county.

Geography & Economy

The B9061 on Stronsay

With the exception of Hoy, the islands are generally low lying and relatively flat. Although almost entirely treeless, the land is often fertile, particularly on some of the northern isles which have sandy soils. This offers good farmland, and combined with fishing off the shore in the sheltered waters between the isles has helped sustain the islands population for centuries. In more recent times, tourism has boosted the economy, largely centred around the 'Neolithic Orkney' group of ancient monuments. Walking and cycling on the outer isles is also a popular option for visitors.

The vast natural harbour of Scapa Flow served as a Naval base in both world wars, and led to the construction of the Churchill Barriers, over which the A961 was later extended. The isle of Flotta in Scapa Flow is now also an important link in the North Sea Oil and Gas industry, which whilst nowhere near as important as it is in Shetland, has brought money onto the islands. Green Energy is also likely to boost the islands economy as the oil boom tails off, with tidal and wind energy the main projects.

Roads

A stormy day on the Churchill Barriers

The Mainland has a good network of A and B roads, most of which are good quality routes with little traffic except in the peak summer season. The south eastern chain of isles down to South Ronaldsay are connected up by the A961 as it crosses the Churchill Barriers. The south western and northern Isles only have B roads serving them, but nevertheless a good network of unclassified routes serve the out lying farms and houses, as indeed they do on the mainland.

The islands are all connected by a network of ferries, with three routes from the Scottish Mainland, and a network of interlinked routes serving the outer isles. Many of these sail from the island capital of Kirkwall, but Stromness and Houston are the ports for the southern isles. All the roads in the county are non-trunk roads and are maintained by Orkney Islands Council.

Route From To Length

     

A960 Kirkwall Gritley 9.9 miles View
A961 Kirkwall Burwick (South Ronaldsay) 20.3 miles View
A962 Albert Street Junction Road 0.06 miles View
A963 Kiln Corner Roundabout Holm Road 1.7 miles View
A964 Kirkwall Stenness 15.0 miles View
A965 Kirkwall Stromness 15.8 miles View
A966 Finstown Birsay Bay 17.4 miles View
A967 North of Stromness Birsay Bay 11.9 miles View
A986 Finstown (W) Twatt 8.2 miles View    
B9040 Water Sound Ferry Burwick 8.0 miles View
B9041 Burwick Cleat 1.0 mile View
B9042 Eastdam Herston 2.7 miles View
B9043 St Margaret's Hope Hoxa 2.5 miles View
B9044 Water Sound South Cara 1.3 miles View
B9045 Sutherland Kirk Bay 1.8 miles View
B9046 Whome Pan 1.1 miles View
B9047 Osmondwall Bu 20.3 miles View
B9048 Lyness Ore Bay 0.6 miles View
B9049 Linksness Quoyness 0.8 miles View
B9049 Quoyness (W) Burra Sound 1.2 miles View
B9050 Gritley Skaill 2.2 miles View
B9051 Gritley Deer Sound 1.8 miles View
B9052 St Mary's Foubister 3.5 miles View
B9053 Upper Scapa Scapa Bay 1.0 mile View
B9054 Harbour Palace Road 0.5 miles View
B9054 Finstown (W) Twatt 8.2 miles View
B9055 Stenness Aith 5.5 miles View
B9056 Voy Swannay 8.7 miles View
B9057 Aith Evie 9.4 miles View
B9058 Elwick Ness of Ork 5.0 miles View
B9059 Balfour Sandgarth 3.6 miles View
B9060 Whitehall Village South Schoolhouse 4.1 miles View
B9061 Aith Millgrip 3.4 miles View
B9062 Sandybank Odie 1.7 miles View
B9063 Backaland Calfsound 6.1 miles View
B9064 Wasbister Westness 8.9 miles View
B9065 Rousay Ferry Terminal Trumland House Lodge, Brinian 0.34 miles View
B9066 Rapness Rackwick 7.9 miles View
B9067 Braehead Nether House 3.3 miles View
B9068 Kettletoft Scar 4.5 miles View
B9069 Kettletoft (N) Saltess 7.6 miles View
B9070 Loth Broughtown 6.3 miles View
B9148 Kirkwall Scapa Bay 0.9 miles View      

Key

Motorway
Primary Route
Non Primary Route
Former Motorway
Defunct Route
E Road
Future Motorway
Future Primary
Future Non Primary
Historical Route
Tourist Route
Roman Road
Unbuilt Motorway
Unbuilt Primary
Unbuilt Non Primary
National Cycle Network
Cycle Route
Eurovelo Cycle Route

Junctions

Main Article: Junctions in Orkney


Bridges, Tunnels, and other Crossings

Main Article: Crossings in Orkney



Links






Orkney
Crossings
Roads
NCN1 • A960 • A961 • A962 • A963 • A964 • A965 • A966 • A967 • A986 • B9040 (Orkney) • B9041 • B9042 • B9043 • B9044 • B9045 • B9046 • B9047 • B9048 • B9049 • B9049 (Quoyness) • B9050 • B9051 • B9052 • B9053 • B9054 • B9054 (Finstown - Twatt) • B9055 • B9056 • B9057 • B9058 • B9059 • B9060 • B9061 • B9062 • B9063 • B9064 • B9065 • B9066 • B9067 • B9068 • B9069 • B9070 • B9148
Places
Miscellaneous
Related Pictures
View gallery (11)
Loth Pier, Sanday - Geograph - 224554.jpgWest Silverhall - Geograph - 976596.jpgB9069, Eastern Sanday - Geograph - 1400572.jpgDucks ! - Coppermine - 19636.jpgSpurness peninsula and windfarm, Sanday, Orkney - Geograph - 128689.jpg
Traditional Counties of Britain and Ireland
EnglandBedfordshire • Berkshire • Buckinghamshire • Cambridgeshire • Cheshire • Cornwall • Cumberland • Derbyshire • Devon • Dorset • Durham • Essex • Gloucestershire • Hampshire • Herefordshire • Hertfordshire • Huntingdonshire • Kent • Lancashire • Leicestershire • Lincolnshire • Middlesex • Norfolk • Northamptonshire • Northumberland • Nottinghamshire • Oxfordshire • Rutland • Shropshire • Somerset • Staffordshire • Suffolk • Surrey • Sussex • Warwickshire • Westmorland • Wiltshire • Worcestershire • Yorkshire
WalesAnglesey • Brecknockshire • Caernarfonshire • Cardiganshire • Carmarthenshire • Denbighshire • Flintshire • Glamorgan • Merionethshire • Monmouthshire • Montgomeryshire • Pembrokeshire • Radnorshire
ScotlandAberdeenshire • Angus • Argyll • Ayrshire • Banffshire • Berwickshire • Buteshire • Caithness • Clackmannanshire • Cromartyshire • Dumfriesshire • Dunbartonshire • East Lothian • Fife • Inverness-shire • Kincardineshire • Kinross-shire • Kirkcudbrightshire • Lanarkshire • Midlothian • Moray • Nairnshire • Orkney • Peeblesshire • Perthshire • Renfrewshire • Ross-shire • Roxburghshire • Selkirkshire • Stirlingshire • Sutherland • West Lothian • Wigtownshire • Zetland
IrelandAntrim • Armagh • Carlow • Cavan • Clare • Cork • Donegal • Down • Dublin • Fermanagh • Galway • Kerry • Kildare • Kilkenny • Laois • Leitrim • Limerick • Londonderry • Longford • Louth • Mayo • Meath • Monaghan • Offaly • Roscommon • Sligo • Tipperary • Tyrone • Waterford • Westmeath • Wexford • Wicklow


SABRE - The Society for All British and Irish Road Enthusiasts
Discuss - Digest - Discover - Help