Moving to Orkney

Orkney Mainland

On Orkney Mainland you will find shops for most anything you need from florists to hardware and supermarkets to take-away's'.

There are three Big Name supermarkets, Tesco, Co-op, Lidl, and Jewsens (builders merchants).

There is also a Boots Chemist, a Woolworth's, and Scottish Power (electrical goods).

Of course there are then numerous smaller traders:

Butchers, Florists, Clothes shops, Cafe's, Newsagents etc.

Outer Islands

On the smaller islands the shops are inevitably thinner on the ground, most have at least one general provisions shop.

Westray for example has three general merchants (and it never ceases to amaze me just what they stock, veritable Aladdin's caves), as well as two Hotels with bars (one of which does take away food), a woolen knitted goods shop which is also a licence take away, a cafe, and various craft studios.

Although the smaller islands can't support the range of stores that Mainland has, there is an excellent infrastructure in place to handle purchases of larger goods from the mainland. Most islands have a haulier that will collect goods from Orkney Mainland and transport them to the island. Typically it is just a case of asking the Orkney Mainland supplier to drop the goods at the despatch centre and then they get picked up by the relevant haulier (at least that's how it works on Westray).

UK Mainland.

Even goods from suppliers that "only deliver to Mainland" can be handled through one of the bigger hauliers.

JBT (Jim Brackenridge Transport) have warehouses/depots in Inverness and Aberdeen and will carry goods delivered there by Mainland suppliers, on to Kirkwall.

Streamline Shipping Group have centres at Inverness and Aberdeen and will carry goods to their warehouse in Kirkwall.

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