From wide sandy arcs to hidden coves, Orkney Islands beaches capture the spirit of the islands: remote, unspoiled, and endlessly varied. You can walk for miles on shell sand & dunes, watch seals and seabirds along the cliffs, or simply sit with a picnic and take in the view. For an even richer perspective, join local boat trips and explore the coast from the water, passing sea stacks, caves, and islands that can’t be reached on foot.
Start your journey with our Orkney day tours for inspiration, or plan coastal Orkney boat trips and tours that take you beyond the shore.
Beaches in Orkney – Overview and What to Expect
Beaches in Orkney range from wide sandy bays to hidden coves, with plenty of space for picnicking & walking or simply soaking up the views. Many are backed by shell sand & dunes, where seabirds nest and marram grass bends in the wind. These are truly remote and unspoiled coastlines, where you’re more likely to meet seals than crowds.
Some bays are calm enough for paddling, while Atlantic-facing shores are perfect for surfing & watersports. Everywhere you go, there are chances for wildlife spotting – puffins, seals, and even the occasional orca offshore. Facilities are usually simple: small car parks, toilets, and clear access paths, though more remote spots may require a walk.
Best Beach in Orkney – Top Picks by Vibe
The Bay of Skaill
The Bay of Skaill is a beach of contrasts. On calm days, its wide arc of sand reflects the sky like glass, inviting walkers, families, and dog owners to enjoy its open space. After storms, the Atlantic transforms it into something raw and sublime, with breakers crashing and the Hole o’Rowe carved into the cliffs, standing stark against the pale strand.
Set beneath the 5,000-year-old Skara Brae, part of Orkney’s UNESCO World Heritage highlights, Skaill is a rare place where history meets sea. Easy parking, nearby toilets, and short access over boulders make it practical as well as unforgettable.
Dingieshowe
Dingieshowe is a striking double crescent of golden sand, backed by tall marram dunes and framed by wide views toward Copinsay. Set on a narrow isthmus linking Deerness with St Andrews, it feels like a gateway between land and sea.
Walkers love its long sweep of firm sand, while calmer days bring shells and driftwood ashore, with seals often watching from the surf. After a storm, the beach takes on a wilder beauty, with waves hammering in from the east. Easy access from a small car park and steps over the dunes makes it a favourite for families as well as photographers.
Waulkmill Bay
On the south coast of Mainland, Waulkmill Bay is remarkable for its depth rather than width. At high tide, the view is modest, but as the sea pulls back into Scapa Flow, it unveils a vast, rippled sheet of golden sand that seems to go on forever.
Backed by grassy cliffs and edged with salt marsh, Waulkmill is also one of Orkney’s richest spots for birdlife. The nearby RSPB Hobbister reserve draws red-breasted mergansers, Slavonian grebes, and black guillemots, making it a haven for nature lovers as well as walkers. Calm waters and soft sand add to its allure, especially on bright, still days when the bay glows turquoise.
The Brough of Birsay Beach
Set at the foot of Orkney’s famous tidal island, Brough of Birsay Beach is as much about timing as it is about scenery. At low tide, the sea pulls back to reveal a concrete causeway, leading walkers across to the island with its Viking remains, dramatic cliffs, and summer puffins.
The Brough of Birsay is free to visit and open year-round, but only safely accessible when the tide is out. Once across, you can explore Pictish, Norse, and medieval remains. Archaeological finds such as brooches, rings, and dress pins suggest this was once a major Pictish power centre.
While you wait for the tide to fall, the beach itself offers plenty to enjoy: golden sand scattered with shells, rockpools teeming with life, and sweeping views of the west coast. Easy parking and access make it family-friendly, while the nearby coastal walk past fishermen’s huts and the century-old Birsay whalebone adds to its sense of history and place.
Grobust Beach
On Westray’s north coast, Grobust Beach is a dazzling sweep of white sand framed by rocky outcrops and Atlantic swells. After a northerly gale, the waves roll in big and blue, transforming the beach into a dramatic spectacle. On calmer days, it’s a place of peace and clarity, where soft sand and turquoise waters invite long walks. Locals often stroll here from nearby Pierowall village, making it a favourite community spot as well as a visitor highlight.
But Grobust holds more than natural beauty. Set just behind the dunes are the Links of Noltland, a Neolithic settlement still being uncovered by archaeologists. It was here, in 2009, that the famous ‘Westray Wife’ (Orkney Venus) was discovered – Scotland’s oldest known human figurine. Today, you can see this tiny but powerful relic on display in the Westray Heritage Centre.
Few beaches combine such pristine scenery with deep history. At Grobust, every gust of wind, shifting dune, and breaking wave feels like it carries a trace of the past.
Tresness & Cata Sand – Orkney’s Deserted Peninsula
On the island of Sanday lies Tresness & Cata Sand, perhaps the most spectacular of all Orkney Islands beaches. This long ribbon of white sand stretches along a narrow peninsula, dividing the restless North Sea on one side from a calm tidal lagoon on the other. Backed by sweeping dunes, the beach feels almost endless – a place where the horizon blurs into sea and sky.
Cata Sand, the tidal bay behind the dunes, transforms dramatically with the tide. At low tide, it is a vast sandy plain scattered with birdlife, while high tide floods it into a shimmering lagoon. Walkers can enjoy the solitude here, often with only seabirds for company, giving the sense of standing on a deserted island.
Sanday is aptly named for its beaches, yet Tresness remains unique. Not far from the peninsula lies the Neolithic Quoyness Cairn, a reminder that people have lived and left their mark here for millennia. The combination of natural spectacle and ancient history makes Tresness & Cata Sand a must-see for anyone drawn to Orkney’s wilder coastlines.
Rackwick Bay – Orkney’s Hidden Valley of Light
Tucked away on the island of Hoy, Rackwick Bay is often called the most beautiful place in Orkney. Orcadian poet George Mackay Brown described it as “Orkney’s last enchantment, the hidden valley of light” – and it’s easy to see why.
The bay is framed by towering red sandstone cliffs and heather-clad hills, its pale pink sands strewn with wave-smoothed boulders. At dawn or dusk, the valley glows with a magical light, shifting from copper to rose as the tide reshapes the strand. Despite its fame, Rackwick still feels like a secret discovery.
From here, many visitors hike the trail to the Old Man of Hoy, Britain’s tallest sea stack, keeping an eye out for puffins, fulmars, and razorbills along the cliffs. Others linger on the beach, exploring rockpools, wandering through marram grass, or staying overnight at the simple bothy that welcomes wild campers.
Rackwick is more than just a beach: it is a place of history, myth, and raw natural beauty – a landscape that feels both sublime and timeless. For many, a visit here is the highlight of exploring the Orkney Islands’ beaches.
Activities to Try on Orkney Islands Beaches
The beauty of Orkney Islands beaches isn’t just in the scenery – they’re also the perfect launchpad for adventures on and under the water. Whether you’re looking for calm exploration or a hit of adrenaline, the coastline has something to offer.
- Swimming & Snorkelling – Many of Orkney’s more sheltered bays, like Waulkmill or Cata Sand, are ideal for a refreshing swim. If you want to see beneath the waves, local operators offer guided snorkelling safaris in safe spots, where you’ll glide over kelp beds, peer into rockpools, and maybe even spot seals and colourful fish.
- Surfing & eFoiling – The Atlantic-facing beaches, including Skaill and Grobust, bring in rolling surf. On calmer days, you can try eFoiling – a futuristic cross between surfing and flying, where you glide silently above the water on an electric board.
- Diving – For something truly unique, Orkney is one of the world’s top diving destinations. Just offshore lie wrecks from the German High Seas Fleet in Scapa Flow, now artificial reefs teeming with marine life. Beginners can even join “Discover Scuba” sessions to try it in a safe setting.
- Paddleboarding: On calm days, Orkney’s sheltered bays are perfect for stand-up paddleboarding (SUP). Spots like the Churchill Barriers and Scapa Bay let you glide over clear water while passing shipwrecks and seabirds. Local operator Orkney SUP offers lessons and gear, making it accessible for beginners and families. Always dress for cold water – wetsuit, buoyancy aid, and leash are essential.
- Boat Trips – From sandy shores you can hop aboard local boats to explore hidden coves, neighbouring islands, and tidal islets alive with birdlife. Many trips also pass colonies of seals or, if you’re lucky, pods of dolphins.
Whether you come for a wild swim, to surf Atlantic waves, or to drift quietly in a snorkelling mask, Orkney’s beaches connect you directly to the sea in unforgettable ways.
Orkney Swimming Beaches – Shaped by Stone, Sea, and Time
The magic of Orkney Islands beaches isn’t just in their beauty – it’s in what lies under your feet and towers above your head. Formed from Old Red Sandstone some 400 million years ago, these shores are constantly reshaped by tides, storms, and glacial history. Visitors don’t need a geology degree to notice it – it’s written in the colours of the rocks, the texture of the sand, and the drama of the cliffs.
- Sand and dunes – Walk the fine, pale sands of Bay of Skaill or Tresness and you’re treading on grains ground from sandstone and shells over countless tides. In the breeze, you’ll feel dunes shifting around you, reshaped daily by wind and sea spray.
- Cliffs and stacks – Stand at Rackwick Bay or the Brough of Birsay and you’ll hear waves booming against sandstone walls and sea stacks. The towering Old Man of Hoy shows layer upon layer of deep time, glowing pink and copper in the evening light.
- Dynamic shorelines – At Waulkmill Bay and Cata Sand, the beach itself transforms as tides drain and return. Underfoot, you’ll find hard-packed rippled sand one moment, shallow pools and tidal lagoons the next, alive with birds and reflected skies.
- Archaeological ties – Geology shaped Orkney’s history, too. The same sandstone that forms the beaches built Skara Brae and the great stone circles. At Grobust Beach, you can stand on clean white sand while just behind you, archaeologists uncover Neolithic homes from the dunes.
Here, the landscape speaks through stone, wind, and water. Every walk along the shore is a chance to see geology in action – not in textbooks, but right before your eyes.
Featured Beaches – Parking
Most popular Orkney Island beaches, such as Bay of Skaill and Dingieshowe, have small car parks and toilets nearby. Others, such as Waulkmill or Rackwick, use informal roadside spaces or gravel laybys. In towns, you can also purchase pay-and-display car parks, with seasonal free one-hour parking in winter. Wherever you go, avoid blocking passing places, farm tracks, or driveways, as many routes are single track.