Camping in Orkney

Camping in Orkney is rewarding but it asks something of you. The islands are among the windiest places in Britain, and with almost no trees there is very little natural shelter anywhere. A tent that copes happily in an English campsite may not enjoy a night here. Bring proper pegs, guy everything out, pitch behind a dyke or a bank wherever you can, and check the forecast rather than assuming a calm morning will stay calm. It is the wind rather than the temperature that decides whether a night is comfortable.

The reward is space, silence and light. In June it barely goes dark, so evenings stretch out extraordinarily long, and the lack of light pollution makes autumn and winter pitches genuinely good for stargazing and occasionally for the aurora. Sites are small, friendly and well kept, and you are rarely more than a short drive from a Neolithic monument or an empty beach.

Wild camping is legal in Scotland. The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 and the Scottish Outdoor Access Code give a right to camp responsibly on most unenclosed land, and the restrictive byelaws that apply around Loch Lomond do not apply in Orkney. In practice, though, much of the Orkney Mainland is enclosed, actively farmed ground, so genuinely suitable wild pitches are limited. Stay well away from crops, livestock, houses and field gates, keep groups small, stay only a night or two, take everything away with you and ask the farmer if there is any doubt. Motorhome drivers should note that informal overnight parking is a live local issue: use official sites and designated waste disposal points rather than passing places, verges or beach car parks.

The season runs roughly from March or April to the end of October, with most sites closed through winter. May to early September is the realistic window for tents, and May and June are often the driest and brightest months. Midges are far less of a problem than on the west coast of Scotland because of the constant breeze, which is one small mercy in exchange for the wind.