Come and celebrate the natural world this spring at the Orkney Nature Festival.
The week-long event gets underway on 12 May and its programme is jam-packed with walks, talks, hands-on experiences, and lots more.
The festival offers excellent opportunities to get out and about to explore Orkney’s fabulous nature and wildlife highlights, with nearly 40 activities across five islands.
The opening day includes two chances to explore the world beneath the waves with snorkelling safaris at the Churchill Barriers. Join local dive experts Kraken Diving for a special chance to see Orkney’s kelp gardens, sea life, and some wartime wrecks. There’s also an evening session where you might be able to spot prawns, squab lobsters, and some of the other creatures that appear at dusk.
Festival goers will also get the chance to explore RSPB Marwick Head, searching for seabirds, waders, ducks, and more with an expert from the British Trust for Ornithology. Walkers will be shown how to identify birds on their colonies, on the sea, and in flight in one of Orkney’s most spectacular locations.
Orkney’s Species on the Edge team will host a series of events throughout the festival, including walks at Happy Valley, Arcadia Park in Kirkwall, and the Firth Community Gardens. Each session has a different theme, focusing on mindful moments, wildlife watching, bumblebees, and bats.
Two special candle-making workshops will be held during the week with local business, Moonshine Candles. The range is inspired by Orkney’s natural world and the great outdoors – think coastal blooms, woodland warmth, and Orkney sea salt. Participants will be able to create their own candles a bring a piece of nature into their own spaces.
Orkney’s incredible range of RSPB locations will play a central role throughout the festival, with events scheduled for the Birsay Moors, Cottiscarth, Hobbister, and Onziebust. These will range from guided walks to ‘guide in a hide’ sessions, where local RSPB staff will be on hand to point out Orkney’s birdlife.
As well as all that there is a special cinema showing in Stromness, plenty of fascinating online an in-person talks, rockpooling and shorewatching sessions, and even a guided walk through the stunning Rackwick valley in Hoy.
It’s a programme with something for everyone, from young folk to the more experience nature lover.
View the full line-up and book events via the official Orkney Nature Festival website. You can also keep up-to-date on Facebook.