Plotting the shore route
Winding the yarn map...
Orkney wool, tweed, and knitwear in a compact town walk — once you sort which pier your ship actually uses.
Orkney wool, tweed, and knitwear in a compact town walk — once you sort which pier your ship actually uses.
Finished knitwear
Orkney tweed · knitting kits · wool goods · local fleece
23 Victoria Street, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1DN
The only supplier of genuine Orkney tweed, from its own sheep — with wool knitting kits alongside the cloth.
Independent island hours; confirm the day's opening before making it the anchor stop, especially outside summer.
Visit Orkney Tweed ShopOrkney Tweed · Last checked 2026-07-08
Finished knitwear
Orkney knitwear · Eribe knitwear · local crafts · gifts
25 Broad Street, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1DH
Orkney knitwear and designer makes opposite St Magnus Cathedral — a knitwear and gift stop rather than a yarn shop.
Frame this as knitwear and gifts: yarn inventory is not confirmed, so do not count on skeins here.
Visit Judith GlueJudith Glue · Last checked 2026-07-08
A free two-page PDF guide with a map, shop details and return-to-ship tips. Save it to your phone or print it. Choose your berth; email updates are optional.
Get the free PDF guideOrkney tweed, island knitwear, and medieval Kirkwall in one compact town route.
Pier arrangements, textile shops, and visitor information checked August 1, 2026. Confirm today's shop and museum hours.
Get the free PDF guide ↓Allow about 2.5 to 3.5 hours for the short route; 4 to 6.5 hours for the full town route. You'll travel by walking in kirkwall, after the cruise shuttle from hatston and keep the final 45 minutes free for the return to your ship.
Check your ship's daily program before you go ashore. Your terminal can change how long it takes to reach the first shop.
Harbour Street in the town centre
walk: Allow 7–10 minutes to Orkney Tweed
Walk up Bridge Street, then continue to Victoria Street.
Northwest of Kirkwall town centre
shuttle: Allow 15–25 minutes to the town drop-off, then 5–10 minutes on foot
Use the cruise shuttle into Kirkwall and remember its return pickup point.
The town-centre walk from Hatston is much longer than the in-town route. Use the ship's cruise shuttle.
Kirkwall harbour basin beside the town centre
tender: Allow for the ship's tender queue, then 7–10 minutes on foot
The landing is close to Bridge Street. Note the final tender time before you leave the harbour.
Check your ship's app or daily program. If the pier remains unclear, allow the Hatston shuttle time and ask the welcome team where the return shuttle or tender line will form.
Walk or shuttle
Kirkwall Pier and the tender landing are central; Hatston adds the cruise shuttle.
Walk
Orkney Tweed is the wool-and-kit stop; Judith Glue is strongest for knitwear and gifts.
Walk
All three sit within the compact historic centre.
Walk or shuttle
Use the pier, tender line, or Hatston shuttle named by your ship.
Orkney tweed · knitting kits · wool goods · local fleece
Orkney knitwear · Eribe knitwear · local crafts · gifts
Browse locally made tweed and knitting kits, then walk to the cathedral and harbour.
Allow 2h 9m–3h 30m, including the time set aside to get back to your ship.
Kirkwall Pier: allow 2h 9m–2h 50m
Hatston Pier: allow 2h 9m–3h 30m
Kirkwall tender landing: allow 2h 9m–2h 52m
Add Judith Glue, the Orkney Museum, and the Bishop's and Earl's Palaces to the textile route.
Allow 3h 59m–6h 20m, including the time set aside to get back to your ship.
Allow 30–45 minutes
The medieval sandstone cathedral sits opposite the museum. Weddings, funerals, services, and events can change visitor access.
Check current visitor informationAllow 50–75 minutes
The museum covers Orkney from the Stone Age through modern island life. It closes for lunch and is usually closed on Sundays.
Check current visitor informationAllow 35–55 minutes
The neighbouring medieval and Renaissance ruins are a short walk beyond the cathedral.
Check current visitor informationSt Magnus Cathedral opens later in summer and the Orkney Museum normally closes. Make the textile shops and a harbour walk the centre of the day.
Choose Orkney Tweed and St Magnus Cathedral, then return on an earlier shuttle.
Keep the route to Victoria Street, Broad Street, and the cathedral. These stops sit close together.
Enter your email and we'll send the two-page PDF. You can download it here right away too.
Your ship's daily program and each shop's latest notice take precedence if a berth, timetable, or opening hour changes.
2 craft or textile stops to explore. Kirkwall is a textile call more than a classic yarn-shop call: genuine Orkney tweed, wool knitting kits, and island knitwear inside a few walkable streets. Central calls put you steps from the shops; Hatston berths need the shuttle first.
See where each place sits in relation to your cruise terminal.
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Orkney Tweed Shop
23 Victoria Street, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1DN
Shop details checked July 8, 2026.
The only supplier of genuine Orkney tweed, from its own sheep — with wool knitting kits alongside the cloth.
Hours: Independent island hours; confirm the day's opening before making it the anchor stop, especially outside summer.
Access: Confirm entry, stairs, aisle width, and curb conditions directly before relying on the route.
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Judith Glue
25 Broad Street, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1DH
Shop details checked July 8, 2026.
Orkney knitwear and designer makes opposite St Magnus Cathedral — a knitwear and gift stop rather than a yarn shop.
Hours: Frame this as knitwear and gifts: yarn inventory is not confirmed, so do not count on skeins here.
Access: Confirm entry, stairs, aisle width, and curb conditions directly before relying on the route.
View traveler photos or submit a shop photo.
No photos yet.
Photo form
Checking your sign-in status...
Read cruise-day notes or leave a review.
No reviews yet.
Review form
Checking your sign-in status...
These are options for getting around Kirkwall.
Cruise Orkney arrival guidance
Confirm berth, tender, and shuttle arrangements for your call — timing hinges on which pier you land at.
