West Manse

Top choice in Orkney


No timetables reign at this imposing house with arcing coastal vistas; make your own breakfast when you feel like it. Your welcoming hosts have introduced a raft of green solutions for heating, fuel and more. Kids will love this unconventional place, with its play nooks and hobbit house, while art exhibitions, eclectic workshops, venerably comfortable furniture and clean air are drawcards for parents.

There's also a self-catering apartment, Brotchie (£300 per week). The owners also let out a fabulous little waterside cottage in Pierowall that's totally designed for the needs of a visitor with a disability, accompanied by a carer.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Orkney attractions

1. Westray Heritage Centre

3.43 MILES

This heritage centre has displays on local history, nature dioramas and archaeological finds, with some famous neolithic carvings (including the 5000-year…

2. Noltland Castle

3.74 MILES

A half-mile west of Pierowall stands this sturdy ruined tower house, built in the 16th century by Gilbert Balfour, aide to Mary, Queen of Scots. The…

3. Noup Head

4.94 MILES

This bird reserve at Westray's northwestern tip is a dramatic area of sea cliffs, with vast numbers of breeding seabirds from April to July. You can walk…

4. Knap of Howar

6.32 MILES

By the seashore, this sturdy stone-built farmhouse and storeroom are solidly built testimony to crofting life on Papa Westray island…5500 years ago. An…

5. Bothy Museum

6.34 MILES

On a historic farm in the centre of Papa Westray, this tiny museum is packed full of objects from the everyday life of the island's past. Agricultural…

6. Kelp Store

6.84 MILES

This 18th-century seaweed shed has been impressively restored and holds an interesting exhibition on Papa Westray's history and craft traditions.

7. St Boniface Kirk

6.97 MILES

This pretty church stands near the shore surrounded by a picturesque graveyard. Papa Westray was the cradle of Christianity in Orkney, and this was…

8. Holm of Papay

7.19 MILES

This uninhabited island just off the eastern shore of Papa Westray is notable for its three chambered cairns, the largest of which (South Cairn) is most…