A pan and a recommendation

At the outset, our Orkney itinerary got off script.  Our plan was to stay the first weekend in Inverness to recover the "jet lag," wait for the weekday LoganAir commuter flight from Inverness to Kirkwall on Monday morning (April 11) and pick up our car hire.  It was a logical decision, called good management of the itinerary.  Besides, Orkney Car Hire had short hours on Saturday (which we may have missed), and in any case was closed Sunday.  

So, the reasoning went:  we would visit Inverness and take the first workday flight over to Kirkwall on Monday.

Faith, Hope and Charity--Inverness April 9, 2022

That flight, however, would prove to be delayed over an hour.  In itself, that was not a hugely crucial delay.  We'll be polite and call it a stumble.  The problem was that we had arranged for Orkney Car Hire to meet us at Kirkwall Airport upon landing.  

Darla had purchased an international chip for her phone this trip, so we could text them from Inverness regarding the delay.  We just didn't have much to tell them beyond what would've been apparent on the arrival board at Kirkwall Airport...no plane from Inverness yet.  LoganAir provided us no ETA for the delayed flight, nor any reason for the delay. 

Nor was the car hire timing our only issue.  In our particular case, we had the Brough of Birsay in mind.  Birsay is a Mainland Orkney tidal island that we wanted to visit straight away, given the tide tables.  Low tide was at or about an hour after we were originally scheduled to land.  The Birsay walk requires attention to both time and tide.  We figured we had that covered.  The delay put this travel goal at risk.    

Now LoganAir did apologize to its April Shetland and Orkney customers (which included us).  I suppose that should be considered to their credit.  Their mea culpa was published via BBC...after the fact.  https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0dzzzyym8ko.  

Chief executive Jonathan Hinkles implied their poor on-time performance was due to:  Covid, staffing, aircraft maintenance...or just pick a reason.  LoganAir's April 2022 on-time Orkney flights were reported at 74%.  Meaning, one in four flights was not on time, and we happened to draw that one.  Worse, poor Shetland!  Their on-time flights were reported at 61%.  That is hardly an exemplary customer service record.  Nowhere close.

Yes, delays happen; we're aware.  But it sure would've been helpful (and courteous) had LoganAir provided us an ETA so that we could pass it on to the young Mr. Peace with Orkney Car Hire who was awaiting us at Kirkwall Airport with our car hire.  LoganAir not only delayed us, they delayed Mr. Peace's business too.  

Inverness--April 10, 2022

If we were prescient (and we are not), maybe instead of deciding to pull up for the entire weekend in Inverness, we might have decided to travel through by taking the Inverness Saturday bus north to the Pentland Ferry at Gills Bay.  This ferry, a spanking new large and relatively fast catamaran, crosses Pentland Firth to South Ronaldsay.  Had we done this, we could have seen more of Caithness as well as more of south Mainland Orkney. 

Well okay.  Technically, South Ronaldsay is a separate Orkney island.  Functionally, however, it along with Burray and a couple Holms is connected to Mainland Orkney by the Churchill Barriers, the WWII anti-submarine concrete rubble causeways that were built by Italian POWs.  While the outer islands in Orkney have no public bus transportation, Mainland Orkney has a relative wealth of buses which connect most of the island's main "attractions".  The X10 bus is their workhorse, connecting St. Margaret's Hope (i.e. the slick Pentland Ferry catamaran) to Kirkwall and thence to the port of Stomness.  X10 spans the bulk of Mainland Orkney east-west, and is a fairly quick bus ride.  

Thurso rail head to Glasgow--April 21, 2022

We actually took the noontime X10 bus from Kirkwall to Stromness pier our final day on Orkney, Wednesday, April 20th.  We arrived late morning at Kirkwall pier with the car hire from the Isle of Sanday aboard the MV Varagan and returned the rental to Orkney Car Hire.  As this blog is a bit more than mere ruminations (it pretends to offer travel advice as well), a couple scheduling notes are merited on the car hire.  

First, Orkney Car Hire permits its rentals to board the Orkney Ferries.  That is key.  Not all car hire firms do that in Scotland.  This means that a reasonably extensive day trip on Mainland Orkney and its larger islands--such as Eday or Sanday--is possible.  Otherwise, one would have to rent a bicycle.  And even then maybe not.

Second, Orkney Car Hire is on Junction Road (A963).  In other words, central Kirkwall about a block inland from Harbour Street's row of venerable hotels.  While we stayed with Ayre Hotel (and also have many compliments to them for their first class hospitality), there are several other establishments--St. Ola Hotel, the Kirkwall, the Shore, the nearby Albert and more.  So, Orkney Car Hire is conveniently located both for picking up and returning (even if one takes the large ferries from Stromness or from St. Margaret's Hope instead of landing at Kirkwall Airport).  

As to returning the hire, should you decide as we did to take the large (and rather opulent) North Link Ferry MV Hamnavoe from Stromness to Caithness Scotland, Orkney Car Hire could not be sweeter.  It is even more convenient upon a return being less than a block from the Kirkwall Tourist Centre, where Mainland Orkney's five covered "bus stances" are found--their central bus station for various Mainland routes.  

When we hire vehicles in Scotland, we do attempt to take great care of them.  So a final note for those who may consider a car hire from Orkney.  Upon its return, their vehicle is closely inspected, so don't even think about it.  Further, unlike many car hire firms which rent the rig with something less, Orkney Car Hire lets out its rigs with a full tank of fuel, not just a 3/4 tank and a guess at it.  There's no question on how much gas was used.  The correct answer is none...because you return it full, the same as you hired it.

All in all, it's a first class quality service and indispensable if you want to explore more than the two main tourist sites on Mainland.  We recommend Orkney Car Hire without hesitation.          

In the "not so much" category, next time we'll certainly have to think long and very hard about booking a LoganAir commuter.  Besides, back in 2020 when Covid shut everything down, we were left without a voucher for the cancelled Covid Zone flight.  That money didn't "spoil"...it would've been perfectly fine (shelf stable) in a voucher for use this year.  It was simply taken, a Putin style deal.  

Never say never, of course.  We do realize LoganAir is probably it for an airline to several islands we hope to visit in the future--like Shetland.  LoganAir has a monopoly of sorts.  But we also just might alter forward travel plans and avoid it altogether by deciding instead to take Hebridean Air out to islands we have yet to visit in the Argyll, for example Coll, Tiree, Colonsay, or back to Oban the gateway to the Outer Hebrides.  That or just take a ferry...even if it's a CalMac ferry.  Not at all thrilled with LoganAir.

Sanday colors--April 19, 2022