Travel with Rick Steves · Saturday, September 26, 2026
Rick Steves describes Orkney as a treeless, windy landscape with rolling hills and beaches that are beautiful but frigid. Kinley Francis explains this is due to the harsh weather from the North Atlantic and North Sea, with winds often reaching 100 mph. Despite the challenging conditions, residents are accustomed to it, with no one 'blinking an eye' at the storms.
“I was just impressed by how treeless the island was. It was windy, gentle fields, rolling hills, and pretty bald, you know, cows, no stop lights, you know, etc.”
“Yeah, well, one thing you need to explore in the island is you need to remember to wear layers. It's not about what you're wearing, it's how many layers you've got on.”
“We are a treeless island and that's because of the storm force weather we get from the North Atlantic from the prevailing westerly.”