Interislander Ferry

Advantages: Archaelogy, clean air, quiet islands, relaxed pace, friendly locals
Disadvantages: Bad weather can interrupt travel; travel costs can mount up

...I spent two weeks in Orkney last September at the tail end of the tourist season, self-catering in a lovely cottage about four miles of the island's 'capital', Kirkwall. Travel: there are basically four ways of getting to and from Orkney. 1) Fly - from Edinburgh, Aberdeen or Inverness. Okay if you've got money to spare, time is short or you don't like long distance travel, but you'll have to be careful how much luggage you're bringing if you then go onto the inter-island air service - there is a maximum allowance, IIRC, on the small Islanders (qv). No jet services into Kirkwall Airport - all aircraft are turboprop. The airport is less than ten minutes drive from Kirkwall town centre: there are fairly frequent buses or taxis are available. 2) Passenger ferry from John O'Groats, Caithness, to Burwick, South Ronaldsay. You're still 23... Read review

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Advantages: Very comfortable ferries, loads to do, generally good service
Disadvantages: The occasional slip-up

...UPDATE: 3/11/04. Renewed membership means every review I've ever written is to come under scrutinous inspection....and must-needed updating. Yep, the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O) are famous for ferry travel from Britain to Europe. Although they do offer a variety of other services (N.B. despite keeping the name, P&O Cruises is no longer a P&O subsidiary, it is owned by cruise-giant Carnival) this is a hopefully brief history of P&O Ferries. P&O offered ferry services from the early seventies to 1985, when the ferries division was sold to Townsend Thoresen. This was all part of a master plan though as in 1986 P&O actually bought Townsend Thoresen out. Things remained as usual on the surface, the ships keeping their Orange and green-funnelled liveries until March 1987, when the Herald of Free Enterprise sunk... Read review

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Advantages: Modern, Attractive, Stylish, Comfy, Enjoyable
Disadvantages: Expensive at times, can get fully booked

...Travelling on the North Sea has in recent times developed a bad reputation. Passengers usually expect any old tub waiting to carry them on an overnight crossing, with poor cabins and no proper facilities. But no more. P&O Ferries have re-branded themselves with a new cruise-style background, and it really does work. Company Background ---------------------------- The company started in 1966 as North Sea Ferries, a joint venture between P&O and Dutch shipping giant Nedlloyd. Having begun with a passenger service from Hull to Rotterdam, the company quickly expanded to operate a passenger service to the Belgian port of Zeebrugge and various freight routes. Not much changed till 1996 when P&O bought out Nedlloyd’s share to become a wholly owned P&O company. In 1997 P&O European Ferries freight routes from Felixstowe to Rotterdam... Read review

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