Orkney Ferries

Orkney Ferries is a Scottish company operating inter-island ferry services in the Orkney Islands.

History

The company is owned by the Orkney Islands Council and was established in 1960 as the Orkney Islands Shipping Company.

In 1991, the Orkney Islands Shipping Company acquired a private sector ferry company also called Orkney Ferries, which had been established to compete on the short sea crossing from the Scottish mainland to the Orkney Islands, but which had not succeeded in establishing the route. This company's ferry was assimilated into the inter-island fleet, and in 1995 the Orkney Islands Shipping Company adopted the name Orkney Ferries. Despite this acquisition and change of name, the current Orkney Ferries does not operate services to and from the Scottish mainland, leaving this to other operators such as NorthLink Ferries and Pentland Ferries.

Services

Orkney Ferries operate between the Orkney mainland and thirteen of the smaller islands. Services include:

Orkney

Orkney /ˈɔːrkni/ (Scottish Gaelic: Arcaibh), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, United Kingdom. Situated off the north coast of Great Britain, Orkney is 16 kilometres (10 mi) north of the coast of Caithness and comprises approximately 70 islands, of which 20 are inhabited. The largest island, Mainland, often referred to as "the Mainland", has an area of 523.25 square kilometres (202 sq mi), making it the sixth-largest Scottish island and the tenth-largest island in the British Isles. The largest settlement and administrative centre is Kirkwall.

The name "Orkney" dates back to the 1st century BC or earlier, and the islands have been inhabited for at least 8,500 years. Originally occupied by Mesolithic and Neolithic tribes and then by the Picts, Orkney was invaded and forcibly annexed by Norway in 875 and settled by the Norse. The Scottish Parliament then re-annexed the earldom to the Scottish Crown in 1472, following the failed payment of a dowry for James III's bride, Margaret of Denmark. Orkney contains some of the oldest and best-preserved Neolithic sites in Europe, and the "Heart of Neolithic Orkney" is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.

North Ronaldsay sheep

The North Ronaldsay is a breed of sheep living on North Ronaldsay, the northernmost of the Orkney Islands, Scotland. They are one survivor of a type of sheep formerly found across the islands of Orkney and Shetland (the other is the Shetland), belonging to the Northern European short-tailed sheep group of breeds.

They are notable for living almost entirely on seaweed for several months of the year, except for a short lambing season – this is the only forage available to them, as they are confined to the shoreline by a 6 feet (1.8 m) tall dry-stone wall which encloses the whole island. The semi feral flock on North Ronaldsay is confined to the foreshore for most of the year to conserve the limited grazing inland. This breed is raised primarily for wool.

The Rare Breeds Survival Trust lists this breed as "vulnerable," with about 600 registered breeding females in the United Kingdom in Spring 2014.

Wool

Wool from the sheep is spun in Lanarkshire on the Scottish mainland and returned to Orkney for sale. However a small woollen mill now has a processing operation on North Ronaldsay. This mill processes the majority of Island-produced fleeces and supplies fibre for felters and spinners, as well as spinning yarn for knitters, many of whom live in Orkney producing fine clothing and other woollen goods for sale throughout Orkney.

Orkney (disambiguation)

Orkney may refer to:

Scotland

Antarctica

South Africa

Canada

See also