Sea Kayaking Around Orkney's Sheltered Bays

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16 Jul 2026

Sea Kayaking Around Orkney's Sheltered Bays

Why Orkney's sheltered bays suit sea kayaks

Orkney has a reputation for wild weather, and out on the Atlantic headlands that reputation is well earned. But look at a chart and you will see something else: a lattice of sounds, firths and bays tucked between the islands, offering genuinely protected water on days when the open coast is out of the question. Scapa Flow is the obvious example — a vast, near-landlocked harbour sheltered by Hoy to the west and the Churchill Barriers to the south. Beginners can build confidence here, while experienced paddlers can spend whole days picking apart quiet shorelines, anchorages and wartime remains.

Elsewhere, the Bay of Firth, Deer Sound, Wide Firth and the sheltered approaches to Kirkwall and Stromness all offer somewhere sensible to launch and a fair chance of calm water. For anyone staying in an Orkney guest house, that is the real appeal: you can plan a satisfying day on the water without committing to the exposed west coast.

Reading tides and wind before you go

Sheltered does not mean simple. Orkney's tidal streams are among the strongest in the United Kingdom, and in the narrow sounds between the islands they can run at several knots. Get the timing wrong and even a short crossing becomes hard work; get it badly wrong and you can be pushed onto a lee shore with little room to manoeuvre.

Check the tide table for the day and note not just high and low water, but the direction of the stream and when it turns. Slack water is rarely where you expect it to be.
Watch the wind forecast closely. Wind against tide in a sound creates short, steep, confused seas very quickly, whatever the chart suggests.
Ask locally. Harbour staff, instructors and resident paddlers know which bays work in which conditions, and they will usually tell you.

If in doubt, choose the sheltered side of the island you are on and keep your plans flexible. A short paddle in calm water beats an epic you never intended.

Seabirds, seals and other company

This is where a kayak comes into its own. Sitting low and quiet on the water, you can drift close to ledges and shorelines that larger boats simply cannot reach. Orkney's cliffs and skerries hold guillemots, razorbills, fulmars and, in summer, puffins. Black guillemots — tysties, as they are known locally — are common in the sheltered bays, their whirring calls and smart black-and-white plumage a constant companion. Arctic terns plunge-fish around you, and great skuas patrol overhead with a confidence that suggests they own the place.

Grey and common seals haul out on rocks and skerries throughout the islands, and otters work the shoreline, particularly early in the morning. In summer you may see harbour porpoise, bottlenose dolphins, or a basking shark cruising with its dorsal fin slicing the surface.

Give hauled-out seals a wide berth and never paddle between a mother and her pup.
Keep well clear of nesting colonies on cliffs and islands; a flushed colony can mean lost eggs and chicks.
Approach wildlife slowly and side-on, and stop paddling if an animal changes its behaviour because of you.

Kit and launching points

Orkney water is cold all year round, so dress for immersion rather than air temperature. A drysuit is the sensible default, with warm layers underneath, plus a buoyancy aid, spraydeck and helmet if you plan to explore rocky ground. Carry a VHF radio in a waterproof pouch, a charged phone in a dry bag, and a means of calling for help if the radio fails.

Pack a chart and compass, a tide table, a spare paddle, a towline, a first aid kit and a basic repair kit. A flask and something to eat matter more than you think on a day with a stiff breeze.

Easy starting points include Scapa Beach near Kirkwall, the sheltered water inside the Churchill Barriers, and the piers and slipways around Houton and Stromness harbour. Launch respectfully, keep access clear, and park where you are not blocking a working pier.

Coming ashore: guest house comfort

Part of the pleasure of paddling Orkney is the contrast between a day on the water and a warm room at the end of it. When you book, ask about a drying room, somewhere secure to store boats and kit, and whether an early breakfast is possible — an early start often means the best of the tide and the calmest of the wind. Many guest houses will happily fill a flask and share a genuine opinion on conditions, which is worth more than any forecast.

Before you set out

A short routine will keep most days enjoyable:

Check the forecast, the tide table and the local stream direction.
Tell someone ashore where you are going and when you expect to be back.
Carry the right kit, and practise a rescue or two before you need one.
Be willing to change your plan — or abandon it — if the water says no.

Do that, and Orkney's sheltered bays will reward you with some of the finest, quietest sea kayaking in Britain.

Outdoors

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5 Comments

Robert Sonny says Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am

I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
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- John Abraham says Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am
  
  I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
  Reply
  - Robert Sonnysays Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am
    
    I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
    Reply
Robert Sonny says Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am

I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
Reply

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