Roger Davies

Tour Orkney with Roger Davies

Orkney has something for everyone. Guiding is great fun, and I look forward to giving visitors a friendly welcome, sharing my enthusiasm for these islands and increasing your enjoyment!

I bring a professional background to guiding: I was a secondary head in Shropshire for 25 years before “retiring” to Orkney three years ago; now, as a trained and qualified “green badge” guide, I have the knowledge and skills to bring Orkney alive for our visitors. While there is memorable history and archaeology (5,000 sites!) here, the islands are thriving today too, with a lively arts scene and strong cultural traditions: the present – and the future - of 21st-century Orkney also have much of interest!

If you don’t know the islands at all and would like to begin with the most famous visitor attractions, then the Neolithic sites are surely the first places for your Orkney tour!

The heart of our “West Mainland” has UNESCO World Heritage status because of the combination of a 5,000-year-old stone village, a magnificent burial chamber and two impressive stone circles. Each is a remarkable place to step backwards in time and it is a privilege to share them with visitors. 

There is of course much more to Orkney history than the Neolithic, with a strong Norse tradition and significant sites from almost all time periods – Iron Age brochs, our 12th-century Cathedral dedicated to local martyr St Magnus, medieval palaces, towns deeply evocative of history, an important manor house, farm museums giving insight into the life of ordinary folk, and much from the World Wars – the Chapel built by Italian prisoners of war is an extraordinary triumph of the human spirit, perhaps my favourite in all of Orkney. For a little more depth, all this can be explored through excellent museums: general ones in the larger towns as well as a number with special focus.

However the richness of life here extends very firmly into the present:

 There is excellent coastal walking and the wildlife you would expect – with luck including a puffin! I am Chairman of Orkney Field Club, so have a particular interest in this area. There is a strong tradition of craftsmanship, and many fascinating workshops can be visited on the absorbing Orkney Craft Trail. Fine local foods are widely available through a number of good restaurants. Finally, a visit to one or more of Orkney’s outer isles can be most rewarding, illuminating anything from the Second World War to our remotest wildlife.

 

A visit to Orkney is a special event. I do believe that a tour with a professional guide will enhance your time here, making it more meaningful and showing you much that you would otherwise miss. Equally I would be happy to offer lectures.

My flexibility in meeting your needs is vital: I can suggest an Orkney tour that reflects your interests and the time you will have on the island, giving something absolutely “tailor-made” for you, whether one person or a party of many. I’m delighted to do “step-on” guiding (ie in your own vehicle) or walking tours; you’d be most welcome to give me a ring (01856 721395) or e-mail me using the button at the head of the page to discuss the possibilities.

Promoting the highest standards of guiding within Orkney

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