Scotland Guide
Orkney and Shetland
Shapinsay
Just a few miles northeast of Kirkwall, Shapinsay is the most accessible of Orkney's northern isles. A gently undulating grid-plan patchwork of rich farmland, the island's chief attraction for visitors is Balfour Castle (May– Sept guided tours Sun 3pm), the imposing Baronial pile designed by David Bryce and completed in 1848 by the Balfour family of Westray, who had made a small fortune in India the previous century. The Balfours died out in 1960 and the castle was bought by a Polish cavalry officer, Captain Tadeusz Zawadski, whose family now runs the place as a hotel. The guided tours are great fun, finishing off with complimentary tea and cakes in the servants' quarters.
Less than thirty minutes from Kirkwall by ferry, Shapinsay is an easy day-trip. If you want to visit the castle (Sun only), you should phone ahead and book an all-inclusive ticket from Balfour Castle (£20), which includes a return ferry ticket. The ferry for the guided tour leaves at 2.15pm, but you can catch an earlier ferry if you want to have some time to explore the rest of the island. It's also possible to stay for dinner, bed and breakfast in lord-of-the-manor style at the 
Balfour Castle Hotel ( 
01856/711282, 
www.balfourcastle.co.uk ; Price: ₤201); the rooms are vast and beautifully furnished, and you can also use the library and the other public rooms. More modest B&B is available at Girnigoe ( 01856/711256, www.girnigoe.net ; Price: ₤41-50), a comfortable croft close to the north shore of Veantro Bay. Even if you're just coming for the day, it's worth popping into The Smithy (May– Sept; 01856/711722, www.shapinsaysmithy.com ), the wonderfully cosy licensed café below the island's heritage centre, which serves delicious food (daily lunchtime plus Fri & Sat eve) and also offers bike rental.