Orkney is actually made up of 70 islands, only 17 of which are actually inhabited. It's a remote and peaceful part of the world, where the crofting way of life still exists.

Don't let the scattered communities deter you from a trip here. Once on Mainland Orkney ferries get you quickly and easily to the other islands. There's a wealth of history to be discovered, dating back to the Iron Age.

The village of Skara Brae on the mainland part of Orkney is one the best preserved Stone Age settlements in Europe. Here, it's easy to get
a picture of how communities once lived. 

There's also a strong Viking history in Orkney and the islands were actually owned by Norway until 600 years ago.

There is 8,000 hectares of nature reserve here, which is home to a vast array of birds and animals, from puffins to seals on the shorelines. 

Indulge in some unique Orkney produce which is exported all over the world. Or enjoy a dram of the hard stuff at Highland Park - the island's oldest distillery which dates back to 1798. 

Divers also flock to this part of the world to explore wartime wrecks and the wonderful fauna and flora that the undersea world have to offer.

A good place to start exploring the Scapa Flow and it's wartime history is the Scapa Flow Visitor Centre at Lyness on the island of Hoy. Once a wartime naval base it is now a vistor centre providing information about Scapa and Hoy. There were many casulties around Scapa during times of war, and Lyness is also home to a wartime cemetary.

More evidence of the second world war can be seen at the beautiful Italian chapel built by the Italian prisoners of war.