This is about 20 miles northwest of Kirkwall on Mainland, in one of the more remote and picturesque parts of Orkney. The tiny village used to be the capital, has an old church, a ruined palace, and an island with an iron age settlement which is reached on foot by causeway at low tide. The cliff hikes are superb, with lots of seabirds nesting.
Link House is pre 1st world war, solid, beautiful ocean views from the bedroom (and bathroom-the loo with a view!), as well as from the first floor conservatory. The breakfast is all you could hope for, guests eat together at the large family table. There's a great old library/sitting area upstairs and Allison and Edgar are knowledgable and helpful about hikes which start at the front door, the ancient sites which are all within driving distance, and local history.
There's a little store in the village and a teashop which shuts at 5, so you have to drive to eat out in the evening, but there's a couple of pubs and the Merkister hotel(good... more