Papa Westray: World's Shortest Flight & Knap of Howar

Papa Westray — Papay to anyone who lives here — is four miles long, a mile wide, home to roughly ninety people, and somehow holds two world-class claims. The Knap of Howar is the oldest preserved stone house in northern Europe, older than the pyramids and older than Skara Brae. The two-minute hop from neighbouring Westray is the world's shortest scheduled passenger flight, in continuous operation since December 1967. This is the 2026 guide to a tiny North Isles outpost that punches very far above its weight.

Where is Papa Westray, and how do you say it?

Papa Westray sits at the northern edge of Orkney's North Isles, a thin strip of fertile farmland and low coast about thirty miles north of Kirkwall. The name is Old Norse — Papar-ey, "Island of the Priests" — a reference to the Celtic Christian hermits who were already settled here when the Vikings arrived in the late eighth century. Locals shorten it to Papay (pronounced "pap-ee"), and that's the name you'll hear on the ferries, in the community shop, and over the airfield radio. Westray, its larger neighbour two miles to the south, is a separate island with its own ferry, its own pier, and — crucially for the famous flight — its own airfield.

The Knap of Howar — Older Than the Pyramids

The Knap of Howar sits on a low sandy bluff above Papay's west coast, half a mile from the airstrip. Two oblong stone houses, joined by a low passageway, were built and lived in between roughly 3800 and 2800 BCE — making this farmstead, by a wide margin, the oldest preserved stone house in northern Europe. It predates Skara Brae by around five hundred years and the Great Pyramid of Giza by a millennium.

What survives is genuinely remarkable. Walls stand to head height (about 1.6 metres) in places. You can step through the original passageway, see the hearths in situ, and pick out a stone-built aumbry — a wall cupboard — that was used for storage when the wheel was still a novelty. Excavations recovered cattle and sheep bones, fish hooks, polished stone tools and pottery fragments, painting a picture of mixed farmers and fishers settled in this same spot for around a thousand years.

• Access: free and unticketed, year-round. Park near Holland House and follow the marked footpath west (about 600 m on grass and farm track).
• Guardianship: Historic Environment Scotland. There is no visitor centre on site — the interpretation is a single board.
• Best with: the Papay Ranger, who can unpack the stratigraphy, the artefacts, and the wider Neolithic context most visitors never reach on their own.

If you're building a Neolithic-Orkney itinerary, Papay slots above Skara Brae chronologically and pairs naturally with the Ring of Brodgar, Maeshowe and the Heart of Neolithic Orkney UNESCO sites on the Mainland — and with the broader sweep of Orkney's Norse and saga-age sites that came thousands of years later.

The World's Shortest Scheduled Flight — Westray to Papa Westray

The Westray–Papa Westray hop is the title-holder, and it has been since 4 December 1967. Loganair operates the route under the Scottish Government's Air Discount Scheme contract, using one of its two Britten-Norman BN2B-26 Islanders — the high-wing eight-seat twin-prop workhorses that fly almost every Orkney inter-island air service. A single pilot flies; passengers sit in the cabin behind. The contract was renewed in 2025 for a further four years to March 2029, so the route is secure into the foreseeable.

The numbers

• Distance: 1.7 miles (2.7 km) gate to gate — slightly less than the runway at Edinburgh Airport.
• Scheduled flight time: 90 seconds (booked as 1.5 minutes on the timetable).
• Typical actual flight time: closer to 80 seconds with a normal headwind.
• Record fastest flight: 53 seconds, with a stiff tailwind.
• Annual passengers: around 5,000 in 2024 — a mix of islanders, mail, school commuters and curious travellers.

How to actually book it

• Book direct via the Loganair website. Single fares between Westray and Papa Westray sit in the £20-£25 range; the Air Discount Scheme reduces this further for Highlands & Islands residents.
• The flight runs as part of the Kirkwall → Westray → Papa Westray → Kirkwall daily rotation, so you can fly Kirkwall–Papay (with a quick stop on Westray) for a single ticket. This is the easiest way to bag the record.
• You receive a certificate signed by the pilot on landing, which is the souvenir most passengers actually came for.
• Tip: book the late-morning rotation so you land on Papay with a clear afternoon for the Knap of Howar and the RSPB reserve, then catch the passenger ferry back to Pierowall on Westray for a different view of the strait.

North Hill RSPB — Arctic Terns, Skuas and a Rare Wildflower

The whole northern third of Papay is the North Hill RSPB reserve: 209 hectares of low maritime heath and sandstone cliff edge that hosts one of the UK's largest Arctic Tern colonies plus significant numbers of Arctic Skua (the Bonxies' smaller cousin). The reserve is open access on a single waymarked path — fine for casual visitors but, in the breeding season, you need to know what you're walking into.

• Arctic Terns: peak May–July. They dive-bomb anything that ventures near a nest, which is why the RSPB recommends a stick held above the head — the birds strike the highest point, not you.
• Arctic Skuas: handsome dark seabird pirates, nesting on the heath. Also defensive in breeding season.
• Puffins, guillemots, razorbills, fulmars: on the sandstone cliffs to the west. Best from late May to early August.
• Scottish Primrose (Primula scotica): North Hill is one of the very few places in the world to find this tiny purple wildflower in bloom — May and late July through August are the two flowering peaks.
• Seals, porpoises and the occasional minke: the strait between Papay and Westray is a reliable cetacean corridor in summer — keep an eye on the water during the famous flight.

For a fuller marine context — when orcas, minkes and dolphins pass Orkney, and the best months for each — see the dedicated guide to Orkney's marine life; many of the same animals work the North Isles channels in summer.

St Boniface Kirk and the Holm of Papay

Papay's depth doesn't stop at the Knap of Howar. Three other sites pull you across millennia in a single afternoon.

• St Boniface Kirk: a working pilgrimage site since at least the eighth century. The standing structure is medieval, but the graveyard holds a rare Norse hogback gravestone and early Christian cross-slabs — proof of layered Pictish, Celtic-Christian and Norse occupation on the same patch of turf.
• Holm of Papay: a small uninhabited islet a short charter-boat ride east. It holds a Neolithic chambered cairn with twelve side cells and faint "eyebrow" wall carvings — a near-unique feature in British prehistoric art. Trips are arranged through the Papay Ranger.
• St Tredwell's Chapel: ruins of a medieval pilgrimage chapel on a small peninsula in St Tredwell's Loch, associated with eye-healing traditions through to the 18th century.
• Holland House & Farm Museum: the former laird's house, with a small folk-museum of traditional implements documenting Papay's recent agricultural past.

Getting To Papa Westray — Ferry, Flight, or Both

Papay has two ways in. Use both if you can: fly out, ferry back, see two different islands from two different angles.

• Orkney Ferries from Kirkwall: 2 hours 25 minutes direct, three sailings a week, vehicle-capable. Book vehicle spaces well in advance — there is room for around twenty cars and they fill up.
• Passenger ferry from Pierowall (Westray): 25 minutes, foot passengers only, designed to connect with the Westray-Kirkwall ferry and the Westray flights. Excellent value (under a tenner each way).
• Loganair from Kirkwall: ~25 minutes including the famous Westray hop. Daily Monday-Saturday rotation. Book through loganair.co.uk.
• On Papay: the island is walkable end-to-end in about two hours. Bikes can usually be borrowed via the community shop or Beltane House — ask ahead. Ranger-led boat trips to the Holm of Papay and short charter hops to Westray fit naturally into the wider inter-island scene.

Where to Stay and What to Eat on Papay

• Beltane House: the community-run guest house and hostel, with private rooms, dorm beds, and a small campsite. The de facto social centre — Saturday community pub nights, the occasional supper club, the only kettle for miles. Book direct with the Papay Development Trust.
• Self-catering cottages: a small handful of beautifully-restored crofts and converted byres, mostly bookable through the Trust or independent owners. Stay a minimum of three nights to do Papay properly.
• Papay Community Co-operative Shop: stocks essentials, fresh bread on delivery days, and locally-pressed apple juice. Bring cash; card facilities can be patchy if the line is down.
• Eat-out: Beltane runs evening meals on most Saturdays and the occasional themed night; there is no full-time restaurant. Plan to self-cater for at least some meals.

If you'd rather base on the Mainland and day-trip out, staying near Kirkwall puts you within walking distance of the airport check-in for the morning Loganair rotation — possible whether you're arriving without a car or driving the inter-island ferry network. First-time visitors should pair this guide with the wider first-timer's Orkney brief — best months, weather, what to pack.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is the world's shortest flight?

The scheduled flight time between Westray and Papa Westray is 90 seconds (one and a half minutes on the Loganair timetable). Typical actual flying time is closer to 80 seconds, and the official record — set with a strong tailwind — is 53 seconds. The route has been in continuous daily operation since 4 December 1967.

How much does the shortest flight cost?

Single fares between Westray and Papa Westray are in the £20–£25 range when booked direct on Loganair; the Scottish Government's Air Discount Scheme reduces this further for eligible Highlands & Islands residents. Pilots traditionally hand passengers a signed certificate on landing, which is the keepsake most travellers really come for.

How old is the Knap of Howar on Papa Westray?

Radiocarbon dates place the two surviving stone houses between roughly 3800 and 2800 BCE — making the Knap of Howar the oldest preserved stone house in northern Europe. It predates Skara Brae by around five hundred years and the Great Pyramid of Giza by a millennium. Access is free and unticketed all year, managed by Historic Environment Scotland.

Can I visit Papa Westray for a day trip?

Yes — the simplest day trip is to fly Kirkwall–Papay (via Westray) in the morning, walk the Knap of Howar and the North Hill loop in the afternoon, and ferry back to Pierowall on Westray for the late Westray–Kirkwall sailing. You'll have around six hours on the island and you'll arrive home with the shortest-flight certificate in hand.

When is the best time to visit Papa Westray?

Mid-May to late July is the prime window. Arctic Terns and seabirds are on the cliffs, Scottish Primrose is in bloom, daylight runs to nearly eighteen hours, and the ferries run their fullest timetable. August stays good but expect more weather. Outside the summer season, the island is quieter, the wildlife thinner, and the Beltane pub nights more reliably the only show in town.

Is there a shop or pub on Papa Westray?

The Papay Community Co-operative Shop sells groceries and essentials and is open most weekdays. Beltane House runs an evening pub on Saturdays during the season, plus occasional themed meals — there is no full-time restaurant or pub on the island. Plan to self-cater for most meals and confirm Beltane's schedule ahead of arrival.

Papay is the most rewarding small island in Orkney — six thousand years of human occupation, a Britten-Norman Islander climbing out of Westray every morning, and ninety people quietly keeping a community going at the very northern edge of the archipelago. Build it into a wider North Isles week or shoehorn it into a single day; either way the certificate, the Neolithic farmstead and the Arctic Terns are waiting.