When the rain stops falling and the mist clears there is no more beautiful place on Earth than Scotland’s northernmost archipelagos, the Orkney and Shetland Islands. Leave the Scottish mainland and set foot on a land of ancient relics, deserted beaches and stunning wildlife. Norse settlers occupied these islands for centuries, making for a unique cultural mix of Scandinavian and Scottish influences. Footprintfocus Orkney & Shetland Islands gives you the information you need to get the most out of your trip; covering beautiful coastlines, mysterious ancient monuments, evocative bays and glorious wilderness, along with the best places to stay and eat and where to enjoy a wee dram of your favourite malt whiskey.

•         Includes Essentials section with indispensable information on getting around.

•         Get off the beaten track and discover jaw-dropping scenery and experience real wilderness.

•         Accommodation listings aplenty, plus where to eat and drink.

•         Detailed street maps will help you find your way around.

•         Slim enough to fit in your pocket.

Packed with practical and detailed advice on how to navigate these ancient archipelagos, this concise Footprintfocus guide helps you make the most out of your trip without weighing you down.

The content of Footprintfocus Orkney & Shetland Islands guide has been extracted from Footprint’s Scotland Highlands & Islands Handbook.

When Alan Murphy upped sticks and left the fleshpots of Dundee to start his own seaweed-collecting business on a remote island croft, many saw it as a cry for kelp. But Alan not only survived several bleak Hebridean winters, he went on to found a sanctuary for wayward seal pups and devoted the next 10 years of his life to working with young stray marine mammals. Later, following a chance encounter with the editor of Footprint’s South American Handbook in a sleazy salsa bar in Soho, London, Alan turned his hand to travel writing, trading the rain swept peat moors of northern Scotland for the steamy jungles of South America to research and write Footprint guides to Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Venezuela. But the pull of his homeland was too strong and Alan eventually returned to Scotland to write new Footprint guides to Scotland, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Scotland Highlands & Islands. Alan now resides in the bohemian Somerset market town of Frome with his wife and three children.