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North Isles
 The North Isles are scattered to the north and east of the Mainland and present a varied selection of experiences for the visitor.
The Inner North Isles of Rousay, Egilsay and Wyre are reached by a short ferry ride from Tingwall in Rendall. Rousay has a rich array of archaeology as well as abundant wildlife. Shapinsay is a short ferry trip from Kirkwall and offers a wide selection of places to visit.
The Outer North Isles are all reached from Kirkwall, either by sea or air. They offer a diverse range of landscapes, seascapes and habitats. Each island is subtly different, and each offers much to the visitor. All have archaeological and historic sites, wildlife which depends on the terrain and geology and beautiful scenery.
Emphasising their individuality, every parish in Orkney, including the islands, has an ancient nickname which, over the years, has become very much a local identification tag. Now as you voyage around our island chain, you have the opportunity to share these labels, to become an honorary Limpet or Gruillie Belkie.
For the record these odd aliases for the North Isles are Scarfs (Eday); Selkies (North Ronaldsay); Mares (Rousay); Burstin Lumps (Eqilsay); Whelk (Wyre); Gruillie Belkies (Sanday); Sheep (Shapinsay); Limpets (Stronsay); Auks (Westray) and Dundies (Papa Westray).
Reasons for each island being so named are lost in the mists of time. They may simply be island totems but Orkney folklorist Tom Muir points to a local tradition that these island emblems were perhaps the pooled food supplies brought by islanders working on the construction of St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall.
More recently, during World War II, the island labels were used to confuse the enemy when they were included in sailings bills to identify destinations.
However what is in common with all of the islands is the Orcadian welcome. They pace of life seems slower than on the Mainland, they are uncrowded and peaceful, and yet full of interest and surprises.
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