Driving in Orkney 2026: Single-Track Rules, Ferries, Parking

Driving in Orkney is easy once you know how single-track roads work. The main roads are ordinary two-lane A-roads; almost everything worth seeing sits down narrower lanes with passing places. This guide covers the passing-place rules, what it really costs to bring a car across, hiring one when you land, the Churchill Barriers, parking, fuel and charging — every figure checked against the operator or the council in October 2026.

Orkney's Roads, Speed Limits and the Law

The backbone is two A-roads: the A965 from Kirkwall to Stromness via Finstown, and the A961 south from Kirkwall across the Churchill Barriers to Burray and South Ronaldsay. They are two-lane and well surfaced. Skara Brae, Yesnaby, the Brough of Birsay and most of the islands' best sites sit on the single-track lanes that branch off them.

Speed limits are the standard UK ones. An unrestricted single-track road is legally 60mph, but that is a ceiling, not a target — dips, blind crests, farm entrances and sheep make a much lower speed the sensible one. In towns and villages, watch for the change to 20mph: from January 2026 Orkney Islands Council began cutting many existing 30mph zones to 20mph, with signs going up in Kirkwall, Stromness, Finstown, Dounby, St Mary's, St Andrews, Rousay and Burray. A stretch becomes legally 20mph once its signs are in, so follow what is posted rather than what an older guidebook says.

Two legal points catch visitors. Scotland's drink-drive limit is 50mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, lower than England's 80mg, and there is no reliable way to turn that into a number of drinks — if you are driving, have none. And if you live outside the UK, you can drive here on your home licence for up to 12 months from your last arrival. Hire firms set their own rules on top, so check theirs before you book.

Single-Track Road Etiquette: The Six Rules That Matter

A passing place is a short widening of a single-track road, marked by a small square white sign reading "Passing Place". It exists so two vehicles can get past each other — not for parking, and not for photos. The Highway Code (rules 155 and 156) sets out how to use them:

1. If the passing place is on your left, pull into it and let the oncoming vehicle through.
2. If it is on your right, stop opposite it on the road, so the other driver can pull into it on their left. Never pull across into a passing place on your right.
3. Never park in a passing place, even briefly. Leaving a car where it obstructs the road is an offence, and on these lanes a parked car can block a bus, a tractor or an ambulance.
4. Reverse if you are nearer. If the closest passing place is behind you, back up to it rather than waiting for the other driver to do it.
5. Let a queue overtake. If someone is following you, pull into the next passing place on your left and let them by.
6. Give way to traffic coming uphill whenever you can — it is much harder to restart on a slope.

A raised finger or hand from the wheel is the usual thank-you, and it is returned. One thing not to rely on: a flash of headlights. The Highway Code (rule 111) says never to assume a flash is an invitation to go — make your own judgement and proceed carefully.

Bringing Your Car to Orkney by Ferry — 2026 Fares

Three routes carry cars to Orkney. On all of them the car fare does not include the driver, who pays a passenger fare on top. Vehicle space on summer sailings goes early, so book it as soon as your dates are fixed.

One-way fares. Pentland's apply from 1 April 2026. NorthLink's run from low to peak season; peak is 15 June to 31 August.

Which route is right for your car

• Pentland Ferries from Gills Bay — the cheapest crossing: £55 for a car plus £23 for the driver, so £78 one way. Three sailings a day each way. Gills Bay is about four miles west of John o' Groats and roughly half an hour's drive east of Thurso. You land at St Margaret's Hope on South Ronaldsay, about 25 minutes from Kirkwall across the Churchill Barriers.
• NorthLink from Scrabster — £72 in low season, £74 mid and £79 peak for a car, on the MV Hamnavoe. Up to three sailings each way a day in summer, two on quieter days. You land at Stromness, the closest port to Skara Brae and the Ring of Brodgar.
• NorthLink from Aberdeen — £108 to £149 for a car. Between April and October the northbound ship calls at Kirkwall on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, leaving Aberdeen at 17:00 and arriving at 23:00; from November it calls on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. The southbound sailing is the overnight one, leaving Kirkwall at 23:45. Sleeping pods are £18 and cabins start at £78.

Motorhomes and campervans pay by length. On Pentland, 5–6m is £77, 6–8m is £114 and over 8m is £150. On NorthLink, anything under 6m pays the car fare and longer vehicles add a charge per extra metre — £12.95 to £16.70 a metre from Scrabster, £14.40 to £19.35 from Aberdeen. Price your exact length on both before choosing.

Hiring a Car in Orkney — Operators, Prices and Airport Pickup

The alternative to the car ferry is to fly into Kirkwall Airport, or cross as a foot passenger, and hire on arrival. Orkney's hire market is small and local, so book well ahead for summer.

• Orkney Car Hire (James D Peace & Co) — Junction Road, Kirkwall, 01856 872866. Free collection and drop-off at Kirkwall Airport, no deposit, no mileage charges and a free second driver. Its published tariff lists a small car at £95 for one day or £368 for a week, so longer hires work out far cheaper per day. Full payment is taken at the start of the hire, and the insurance excess is higher for non-UK licence holders.
• W R Tullock — Castle Street, Kirkwall, 01856 875500, with a desk at Kirkwall Airport. Tullock is the Orkney agent for Europcar, which is how a national brand appears at the airport.

Both firms say their cars must stay in Orkney. If you plan to take a hire car on an inter-island ferry to Hoy, Westray or Sanday, ask before you book. Bringing a hire car from the Scottish mainland is another option: Arnold Clark, for one, lets its rental cars go on ferries to the Scottish islands without written permission, though it bills any weather delay as extra hire days. Check the terms of whichever company you use.

Not sure you need a car at all? Our guide to getting around Orkney without a car covers the Stagecoach buses, inter-island ferries and the sites you can reach without one.

Driving the Churchill Barriers

The A961 crosses four Churchill Barriers, the wartime causeways linking Mainland to Lamb Holm, Glimps Holm, Burray and South Ronaldsay. It is the only road to St Margaret's Hope and the Pentland ferry at the southern end. In heavy seas, waves break over the barriers — Barrier No. 2 is the worst affected — and the council closes the road until it is safe.

If you have a Pentland sailing to catch in rough weather, check the barrier status first. Orkney Islands Council posts barrier alerts 24 hours a day on Telegram (t.me/OIC_Roads), X (@oic_roads) and Facebook (oicupdates). Never drive across while waves are coming over the road.

Parking in Kirkwall and Stromness

Orkney Islands Council runs pay-and-display car parks in both towns, charged Monday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm. Long-stay car parks are free. From January to March the first hour is free in pay-and-display car parks, as long as you display the free ticket from the machine.

At the big sites: Maeshowe is visited by guided tour only, so you park at the visitor centre in Stenness and a shuttle bus takes you to the tomb — book ahead in summer. Skara Brae has a car park beside its visitor centre, but no spaces for large campervans. The Brough of Birsay has parking, but the causeway out to the island is only passable at low tide, so check the tide times before you walk across.

Fuel, EV Charging and Driving the Outer Isles

• Mainland fuel: Kirkwall has the most choice, including the Tesco forecourt on Pickaquoy Road. There is also fuel in Dounby in the West Mainland. Fill up before any day on the outer isles.
• Island fuel: most of the inhabited islands sell fuel, usually from the island shop and only during shop hours. On Hoy it is at Longhope, on Westray at Pierowall, on Sanday at both island shops, on Stronsay at Olivebank Stores and on Eday at the community shop. On North Ronaldsay you arrange it by phone. Ring ahead to check opening times.
• EV charging: the council's 31 public charge points across Mainland and the linked isles are run by ScottishPower's SP Recharge network. Pay by contactless, the SP Recharge app or an RFID card. The rapid charger is at the Kirkwall Travel Centre, with a one-hour maximum stay. Other sites include the Pickaquoy Centre, Stromness Ferry Terminal, Finstown, St Margaret's Hope, Burray, Dounby and Houton. Orkney generates more renewable electricity than it uses over a year, so charging here is about as green as it gets.

Taking the car island-hopping: Orkney Ferries charges £11 one way for a car up to 5.5m to Hoy, Flotta, Shapinsay or Rousay, and £16 to the North Isles such as Westray, Sanday and Stronsay. Book vehicles in advance, because unbooked cars are not guaranteed a space. Motorhomes and vans must be booked by phone, and vehicles should be at the pier 20 minutes before sailing. On the smallest islands a car is barely needed — Papa Westray is about four miles long and most visitors arrive on foot.

Sharing the Road with Tractors and Livestock

Orkney is farming country, and slow vehicles and animals are part of driving here. Tractors and trailers are busiest at silage and harvest time. Hang back, don't tailgate, and wait for the driver to pull into a passing place or wave you past. Sheep wander onto unfenced roads, especially on Hoy and the West Mainland hills; slow right down and let them move. And never stop across a field gate or farm track, even for a minute.

The Pre-Trip Driving Checklist

• Book ferry vehicle space and any hire car as soon as your dates are fixed.
• Budget for the driver's passenger fare on top of the car fare.
• Learn rules 1 and 2: pull in on your left, wait opposite on your right.
• Drink nothing if you are driving.
• Book Maeshowe ahead, and check the tide before the Brough of Birsay.
• Check the Churchill Barriers in rough weather before heading south.
• Fill up on Mainland, and ring ahead for fuel on the islands.
• For weather, packing and timing, read our first-timer's Orkney guide; to plan a cheaper trip, see the Orkney on a budget guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a 4x4 to drive in Orkney?

No. An ordinary small car handles every public road in Orkney. Single-track lanes are tarmac, and a smaller car is easier to tuck into a passing place.

What side of the road do they drive on in Orkney?

The left, as in the rest of the UK, and the Highway Code applies as normal. The part that is new to most visitors is using passing places on single-track roads.

What's the speed limit on Orkney's single-track roads?

Unless signed otherwise, the national limit of 60mph applies, but conditions rarely allow anything near it. Many town and village streets are now 20mph after the council's 2026 changes, so follow the posted signs.

How much does it cost to take a car to Orkney?

One way, Pentland Ferries charges £55 for a car plus £23 for the driver. NorthLink charges £72 to £79 for a car from Scrabster and £108 to £149 from Aberdeen, plus a passenger fare for the driver.

Can I hire a car at Kirkwall Airport?

Yes. Orkney Car Hire offers free collection and drop-off at the airport, and W R Tullock (the local Europcar agent) has an airport desk. Book early for July and August.

Are there petrol stations on the smaller islands?

Most inhabited islands sell fuel, usually from the island shop during shop hours. Fill up on Mainland where you can, and phone ahead before relying on an island pump.

Once the ferry, car and parking are sorted, the rest is choosing where to stay — see our pick of the best Orkney accommodation, from Stromness cottages near the ferry to Kirkwall bases and West Mainland self-catering close to the Ring of Brodgar.