Kirkwall

Orkney wool, tweed, and knitwear in a compact town walk — once you sort which pier your ship actually uses.

Dock note

Kirkwall Pier / Hatston Pier shuttle drop-off

Distances use the town harbour. Ships at Hatston Pier should take the complimentary shuttle to Kirkwall Travel Centre — Cruise Orkney puts the Hatston walk at 40–60 minutes, so do not plan it as a stroll.

Photo: Stevekeiretsu via Wikimedia Commons

Yarn ashore

2 confirmed stops

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.

Port map

Where yarn is in relation to the cruise ship port.

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0.3 mi / 0.5 km7 min walk

Yarn stop

Orkney Tweed Shop

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.

Orkney tweedknitting kitswool goodslocal fleece

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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Inside the Judith Glue shop in Kirkwall.

0.2 mi / 0.3 km5 min walk

Yarn stop

Judith Glue

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.

Orkney knitwearEribe knitwearlocal craftsgifts

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.

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Plan ahead

Get the printable Kirkwall yarn-crawl guide.

We'll email you a shore-day yarn map for Kirkwall plus fiber cruise deal alerts. Free, and easy to unsubscribe.

Prefer to grab it now? View the printable guide.

Getting there

Local ways off the pier.

Cruise-day transportation options for Kirkwall, chosen around the terminal and the yarn stops in this guide.

Plan ahead

Cruise Orkney arrival guidance

Confirm berth, tender, and shuttle arrangements for your call — timing hinges on which pier you land at.

Check Cruise Orkney

Nearby guides

Boston

A pre- or post-cruise Boston yarn errand with real neighborhood shops, not pier-side browsing.

Portland, Maine

A compact Maine port where multiple fiber stops can fit into one shore-day walk.

Halifax

A strong Canada port with a walkable downtown fiber shop and deeper yarn options by taxi.

Montreal

A St. Lawrence homeport where the best yarn shops are planned city errands, not pier walks.

Plotting the shore route

Winding the yarn map...

🧶 Yarn Excursions

All ports

Kirkwall

Orkney wool, tweed, and knitwear in a compact town walk — once you sort which pier your ship actually uses.

Dock note

Kirkwall Pier / Hatston Pier shuttle drop-off

Photo: Stevekeiretsu via Wikimedia Commons

Yarn ashore

2 confirmed stops

Port map

Where yarn is in relation to the cruise ship port.

Port guide reviewsKirkwall port guideRead traveler notes or add a cruise-day review for this port guide.0 reviews

Read traveler notes or add a cruise-day review for this port guide.

No reviews yet.

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0.3 mi / 0.5 km7 min walk

Yarn stop

Orkney Tweed Shop

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.

Orkney tweedknitting kitswool goodslocal fleece

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.

Google Maps Apple Maps Shop siteSaveClaim listing Suggest a correction

Shop photosPhotosView traveler photos or submit a shop photo.0 photos

View traveler photos or submit a shop photo.

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Traveler reviewsReviewsRead cruise-day notes or leave a review.0 reviews

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0.2 mi / 0.3 km5 min walk

Yarn stop

Judith Glue

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.

Orkney knitwearEribe knitwearlocal craftsgifts

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.

Google Maps Apple Maps Shop siteSaveClaim listing Suggest a correction

Shop photosPhotosView traveler photos or submit a shop photo.0 photos

View traveler photos or submit a shop photo.

No photos yet.

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Checking your sign-in status...

Traveler reviewsReviewsRead cruise-day notes or leave a review.0 reviews

Read cruise-day notes or leave a review.

No reviews yet.

Review form

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Plan ahead

Get the printable Kirkwall yarn-crawl guide.

We'll email you a shore-day yarn map for Kirkwall plus fiber cruise deal alerts. Free, and easy to unsubscribe.

Prefer to grab it now? View the printable guide.

Getting there

Local ways off the pier.

Cruise-day transportation options for Kirkwall, chosen around the terminal and the yarn stops in this guide.

Plan ahead

Cruise Orkney arrival guidance

Confirm berth, tender, and shuttle arrangements for your call — timing hinges on which pier you land at.

Check Cruise Orkney

Nearby guides

Boston

A pre- or post-cruise Boston yarn errand with real neighborhood shops, not pier-side browsing.

Portland, Maine

A compact Maine port where multiple fiber stops can fit into one shore-day walk.

Halifax

A strong Canada port with a walkable downtown fiber shop and deeper yarn options by taxi.

Montreal

A St. Lawrence homeport where the best yarn shops are planned city errands, not pier walks.