Friday 15th May 2026
Photography Workshop with Raymond Besant
🕒 10:00 to 12:30
📌 Binscarth Wood (open map)
💰 £60
🔢 All ages (under 16s must be accompanied)
A flower and macro photography workshop in Binscarth wood where people can learn about the best techniques, use of light including artificial light in order to improve their photography. This will be a relaxedsession.
Unnatural Arrivals – The Stoat Crisis in Orkney
🕒 10:30 to 17:00
📌 Orkney Museum (open map)
💰 Free (donations welcome)
🔢 All ages (under 16s must be accompanied)
This exhibition brings together artists responding to a dramatic ecological change in Orkney. Since 2010, stoats (Mustela erminea)—a species not native to the islands—have spread rapidly, threatening ground-nesting birds, hen harriers, short-eared owls, and the unique Orkney vole.
Through painting, sculpture, photography, and more, the works explore the impact of this invasion on the islands’ fragile ecosystem, as well as the wider questions it raises about conservation, intervention, and coexistence. Drawing on local knowledge and scientific research, and informed by efforts such as the Orkney Native Wildlife Project, the exhibition offers a powerful reflection on nature, balance, and change.
Suminagashi Workshop (Session 1) Â
🕒 11:00 to 12:30
📌 Hoy Heritage Centre (open map)
💰 Free (booking required)
🔢 All ages (under 16s must be accompanied)
Learn the Japanese marbling technique and enjoy the sensitive chaos of working with ink, water and air.Â
Rock pooling BirsayÂ
Join us for a guided rock pool session at Birsay. An opportunity to discover marine species you may have never encountered before. If you’re lucky you may even meet a live groatie!
Must be able to climb over slippery rocks. Please wear wellies or water shoes.Â
Social Shorewatch: The GloupÂ
🕒 13:00 to 14:30
📌 Mull Head Car Park (open map)
💰 Free (booking required)
🔢 All ages (under 18s must be accompanied)
Join us for a Social Shorewatch at The Gloup, as we scan the sea for whales, dolphins, and porpoises, while keeping an eye out for the many other wildlife species that can be spotted along the coast.
Sensible outdoor weather clothing and footwear is required. Feel free to bring drinks and snacks, as well as any spotting equipment such as scopes and binoculars- although some are provided.Â
Suminagashi Workshop (Session 2) Â
🕒 13:30 to 15:00
📌 Hoy Heritage Centre (open map)
💰 Free (booking required)
🔢 All ages (under 16s must be accompanied)
Learn the Japanese marbling technique and enjoy the sensitive chaos of working with ink, water and air.Â
Needle Felted Orkney Flowers
🕒 13:30 to 15:30
📌 For Art’s Sake, Kirkwall (open map)
💰 £10
🔢 All ages (under 16s must be accompanied)
All materials and a cuppa included.
Daytime Snorkelling SafariÂ
The underwater world is one of the final unexplored areas on the planet, with almost 80% of it still unexplored. Incredible shows like Blue Planet have helped bring the wonderful and sometimes crazy creatures that live in the marine world into the public mind. Many people focus on warmer climes such as the Great Barrier reef when thinking about the ocean, but the UK has some incredible and diverse life surrounding it.Â
On this snorkel safari being put on especially for Orkney Nature Festival, we will be showing you around one of Orkney’s finest and safest snorkelling areas to try and find some of these underwater creatures in the comfort of their own home. Whether lured in by the hypnotic sway of the kelp gardens and seaweed, or enjoying the numerous anemones, starfish and crabs there is a huge range of different creatures and colours to see.Â
We do our snorkel at the same location as WW1 and WW2 shipwrecks so if you want you can even spend some time exploring some historical sites which now act as artificial reefs, making them a haven for sea life and birds.
All equipment will be provided, including dry suits, to keep you warm and dry. No previous snorkelling experience is required. You can take the session at your own pace with close support from PADI Instructors and Divemasters. There is no need to be a strong swimmer as the Churchill Barriers are very sheltered, although you do need to be comfortable around the water. It should be possible to spend up to 60 minutes in the water, although there is a team on shore if you want to come out sooner.Â
Talk: Whales and Dolphins of the Northern Isles Â
🕒 19:00 to 20:00
📌 St Magnus Centre (open map)
💰 £2 (donations accepted)
🔢 All ages (under 18s must be accompanied)
Join us for a talk about the whales and dolphins found in the Northern Isles. Our surrounding waters are home to a remarkable variety of cetacean species, from the well-known harbour porpoise and bottlenose dolphin to larger visitors such as minke whales and orcas.
In this talk, we’ll explore the different species that can be seen around our coasts. We’ll also discuss some of the science behind studying whales and dolphins, including wildlife behaviour and how researchers monitor populations, track movements, and learn more about these incredible animals.
Frances Scott: Walking the Coastlines of Orkney
🕒 19:00 to 20:30
📌 St Magnus Centre – Friends Room (open map)
💰 £8.50
🔢 All ages (under 16s must be accompanied)
Join us for an evening with photographic artist Frances Scott as she takes us on a journey around the coastlines of Orkney.
For the last decade, Frances has been working on a long-term project to walk the coastlines of Orkney, recording her journey in captivating black and white film photographs and handwritten notes on maps. This body of work has been exhibited widely across Scotland, and was published as a limited edition photobook by Another Place Press.
Come and spend an evening exploring the outermost edges of the archipelago, as Frances shares her experiences of walking the brink where land meets sea.
Hoy Sunset Wildlife Cruise
🕒 19:00 to 21:00
📌 Stromness Pier (open map)
💰 £75
🔢 All ages (under 16s must be accompanied)
Set sail from Stromness on a captivating 2-hour evening wildlife tour along the dramatic coastline of Hoy. As the golden light of dusk settles over the cliffs, we journey towards the towering sea cliffs of St John’s Head, home to thriving seabird colonies. Keep watch for guillemots, fulmars, kittiwakes, and puffins as they wheel and call above the crashing waves below.
Continuing south, we approach the iconic Old Man of Hoy, a striking sea stack rising from the Atlantic, where the changing evening light creates a truly unforgettable view. With calm seas and the chance of spotting seals, porpoises, or even a dolphin, this relaxing evening cruise offers a perfect blend of scenery, wildlife, and atmosphere in one of Orkney’s most breathtaking settings.
In the event of adverse weather conditions the tour route may be changed to allow it to go ahead. This will be at the discretion of the skipper.
Evening Snorkelling SafariÂ
The underwater world is one of the final unexplored areas on the planet, with almost 80% of it still unexplored. Incredible shows like Blue Planet have helped bring the wonderful and sometimes crazy creatures that live in the marine world into the public mind. Many people focus on warmer climes such as the Great Barrier reef when thinking about the ocean, but the UK has some incredible and diverse life surrounding it.Â
On this snorkel safari being put on especially for Orkney Nature Festival, we will be showing you around one of Orkney’s finest and safest snorkelling areas to try and find some of these underwater creatures in the comfort of their own home.Â
For this session, we are doing something a bit different in getting in the water at dusk to be able to see some of the creatures that come out in the dark. We will give everyone a torch to find marine life such as prawns, squab lobsters and stickleback fish that normally keep themselves hidden during the day.Â
All equipment will be provided, including dry suits, to keep you warm and dry. A little experience snorkelling is ideal or, at least, being very comfortable in the water in necessary for trying something in the dark. You can take the session at your own pace with close support from PADI Instructors and Divemasters. It should be possible to spend up to 60 minutes in the water, although there is a team on shore if you want to come out sooner.Â
Bat Night Out with Species on the Edge and Tim Dean
🕒 21:30 to 23:00
📌 Finstown (open map)
💰 Free (booking required)
🔢 All ages (under 16s must be accompanied)
Join Species on the Edge and local bat enthusiast Tim Dean for a late evening bat
night out in Finstown. Drop by to find out about Orkney’s bats and have a go at using a bat detector. Wrap up warm and bring a torch!
Tim Dean is the author of ‘The Orkney Pocket Book’ nature series, a teacher of Community Learning wildlife courses and is the Orkney bat recorder. Species on the Edge is an exciting partnership programme of NatureScot and seven nature conservation charities, all dedicated to improving the fortunes of 37 priority species found along Scotland’s coast and islands. Find out more here http://www.speciesontheedge.co.uk
