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Location
Orkney Faerie Museum & Gallery is based in Westray, in Orkney, off the northern coast of Scotland. Orkney is famous for it's Neolithic stone circles like the Ring of Brodgar above, Skara Brae, Maes Howe and also tombs, burial chambers, and other archeological features. Orkney consists of about 70 islands, 19 of which are inhabited, the largest being called 'Mainland' and the rest are divided up between the north and south islands.
Reaching Orkney can be done by either flying, driving, boat and trains. See below for further details.
Flying : You might like to fly to Aberdeen or Inverness from many of the UK's national and international airports, either on Easyjet or other airlines, and then either catch an onward flight to Kirkwall in Orkney main land via Logan Airways (run by BA). If you feel in the mood for some scenery of the islands from the air, then perhaps taking an Islander Plane is the answer for the last part of your trip to Westray.They fly to Orkney outer islands and take up to 7 passengers per trip. Details of this can be found at http://www.hial.co.uk/kirkwall-airport.html
Boat: From Aberdeen you can take a Northlink Ferrieson it's 6 hour trip round to Kirkwall, or from Scrabster ferry port you can take their other Northlink vessel over to Stromness in main land Orkney which takes about an hour and a half. Please contact Northlink for timetables and prices. There is an alternative ferry service run by Pentland Ferries which runs from Gills Bay near John 'O Groats which will take you and your car accross the Pentland Firth to St. Margaret's Hope in Orkney. This trip can also be booked online and the crossing takes an hour.
We're at the top in the Blue circle, but
we can't see the Blue circle from our house!
Car: By car you could travel up the A9 from Glasgow passing through Inverness and head towards Thurso,and then to Scrabster where you can catch the the Northlink Ferry mentioned above.Or instead of heading towards Thurso, head on towards Wick on the A99 and then follow signs to John 'O Groats, from there follow signs to Gills Bay, and from there take the Pentland Ferries crossing. It is advisable to contact all the relevant companies listed on this site before hand to check their time tables and prices and book in advance!
Following our excellent directions, Wee Fairy Tales artist Shirley Ann Mackillop
managed to pop into the museum with husband Andy all the way from Falkirk!
Here she is with some of her wonderful sculptures!
Coach: Citylink coaches run from most Scottish City centres to the outer reaches of Scotland. So for instance you could take a coach from Glasgow to Inverness and then another coach onwards to Scrabster to join the ferry terminal there. This is a slower method and can take more time and planning though. Please visit the Citylink Website for timetables and to reduce the cost of your ticket, it is advisable to book in advance. Once in Orkney you can catch a bus to Kirkwall on the local bus service.
The Inter-island plane
To reach our museum from the Ferry terminal, you head down the main 'Ferry Road' towards the village of Pierowall, and look for signs to Miller's Shop and the Faerie Museum, which is about 3 miles up on the main road. Turn right where the signs indicate and head down to the bottom of the hill. Orkney Faerie Museum and Gallery is on the right hand corner just before the bend. As well as our Faerie Museum, you can watch birds, (Puffins are plenty here in the Summer!), visit archeological remains, in Westray we have recently had discovered the largest Viking Pagan settlement in Europe! We have a ruined castle, tours of the island, and much more. The skies and scenery can also be breathtaking also! Take a look at these shots.The scenes below were taken near the Faerie Museum, in Skelwick, Westray. Near by the Faerie Museum is Peter Miller's shop where you can buy food, gifts and also petrol if you are driving! If you are on foot, a local bus service operates in the Summer from the ferry terminal and can take passengers into Pierowall.They can also drop you off at the top of the road leading to the museum if requested in advance.
