Sky Gathering, 2025
Stratocumulus spotted over Stromness, Orkney, Scotland by Simon Cuzner (Member 43,030).
MAY 14 TO MAY 19, 2025
Join us for a Sky Gathering in the wild beauty of Orkney, Scotland
In May of 2025, the Cloud Appreciation Society will be holding five days of talks, walks and workshops, all themed around the sky, in the stunning archipelago of Orkney off the north east coast of mainland Scotland.
We will learn about the sky in an ancient and vibrant land
Our 2025 Sky Gathering will be centred in the picturesque harbour town of Stromness, Orkney. Cloud Appreciation Society members and their friends will be treated to an amazing range of cultural, historical, and natural world experiences themed on the sky and weather in this unique location.
With the help of expert guides, we will explore some of the stunning neolithic monuments in the UNESCO World Heritage Site. We will immerse ourselves in the culture of Orkney, participating in artist workshops, enjoying delicious locally sourced food, and learning about the area’s wildlife with talks by local ornithologist and naturalist experts.
Hosted by Gavin Pretor-Pinney (Member 001), this trip is being organised with Orkney resident Rebecca Marr (Member 7,548) to ensure our visit is integrated into the heart of the welcoming community on this enchanted northern isle.
Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) from mainland Scotland
Stromness will be our base for the Sky Gathering
The weather and skies of Orkney are ever-changing
We’ll explore some of Orkney’s many Neolithic sites
Stromness is a picturesque harbour town
We will explore world-class Neolithic sites
With its dramatic coastal cliffs, pristine beaches, and wild landscapes, Orkney offers an archaeological adventure unlike any other.
Guided by expert archaeologists based in Orkney, we will embark on a remarkable journey into the Neolithic age. We will explore the ancient site of Skara Brae, Europe’s best-preserved Neolithic settlement which dates back to 3,100 BC and was only discovered in the nineteenth-century when a storm tore the top off a sand dune. We'll visit the majestic standing stones of the Ring of Brodgar and speculate with the help of our experts on their purpose amid the panoramic drama of the surrounding landscape. These remarkable sites form the heart of Neolithic Orkney. They are part of this UNESCO World Heritage Site and they are why many describe Orkney as the ‘Egypt of the North.’
The Ring of Brodgar dates back to 2,500-2,000 BC
Skara Brae, a Neolithic settlement from 3200 BC
The islands are abundant with standing stones
We will learn about Orkney from expert guides
Orkney boasts a remarkable concentration of Neolithic sites some of which are older than the ancient pyramids of Egypt.
We will experience the local culture, food, wildlife and history
We will immerse ourselves in the vibrant cultural life of Orkney and experience the local food and natural world – all led by artists, experts and artisans from the islands. Local folk musicians will introduce us to the islands’ musical heritage. Local artists will lead us in immersive sky-themed workshops. We will find out about the bird, plant and marine life of Orkney from naturalists who live there. We will visit the 1137 Viking cathedral whose sandstone pillars have been eroded by the winter’s lashing rains, and see the 1944 Italian Chapel decorated from a wartime Nissen hut by Italian prisoners of war as a place of worship with baroque-style trompe l'oeil cloud decorations.
We will enjoy Orkney's finest culinary delights, from seafood caught fresh from the surrounding waters to artisanal cheeses and homemade Orcadian dishes. We will be treated to specially curated menus for our welcome and farewell dinners in Stromness, and we will be able to taste the weather of Orkney in the local whisky, Highland Park.
We will enjoy Orkney’s fine folk musicians
Sourcing local sustainable food will be a priority
We'll visit St Magnus, the Viking cathedral (1137)
We'll spot Orkney’s wildlife with expert guides
Stromness Museum preserves the town’s heritage
We will visit the Italian Chapel (1944)
We will savour the tastes and traditions of Orkney
Sky-themed events and talks will involve local musicians, artists, naturalists and historians.
The Itinerary
Orkney is proud of its food and drink and this small archipelago produces award-winning seafoods, meats, cheeses, whisky and beer. Our meals throughout the trip will be packed with Orkney fare and we will enjoy a mix of hearty breakfasts, packed and buffet lunches and evening meals showcasing Orkney’s larder.
Please note: the actual order and timing of events might change.
Take a stroll in Stromness before our welcome dinner.
When you arrive at Kirkwall Airport, you will be transferred to the harbour town of Stromness, our home for the Sky Gathering. Your Cloud Appreciation Society Welcome Bag will be waiting for you, and will include useful information as well as CAS goodies and your exclusive Society embroidered patch to commemorate the 2025 Sky Gathering.
Take some time to rest from your trip and maybe have a stroll along the waterfront or visit the museum, where entry is part of your package, before you meet the other guests at our welcome dinner.
After dinner we can retire to the Cloud Hub and enjoy a further chance to meet others in the group.
Meal: Orkney fine-dining welcome meal in Stromness.
Overnight: The Ferry Inn, Stromness.
We will take a shore walk with a marine naturalist.
After a leisurely breakfast, we will take a Culture Stroll around Stromness and hear the stories of artists and writers and adventurers connected to places along the town’s beautiful flagstone streets. Even the flagstones under our feet relate to the sky with weather happenings from millions of years ago recorded in the stone! Our guides, artist Ingrid Budge and filmmaker Mark Jenkins will introduce us to Stromness’ cultural souls such as writer George Mackay Brown, painters Sylvia Wishart and Stanley Cursiter and travellers and adventurers such as Eliza Fraser and John Rae. They will lead us to Stromness Museum where you will be met by naturalist Tim Dean and archaeologist Dr Antonia Thomas who will bring the collections to life.
After lunch we will spend a slow afternoon with our heads in the clouds and our feet on the shore. First with poet Yvonne Gray who will help us create a group poem about our love of clouds, and then with nature ranger Katy Firth who will take us on a shore explore ramble.
After dinner, back at the Cloud Hub, there will be illustrated talks by Gavin Pretor-Pinney and artist Samantha Clark. Sam will share her cloud related art and her thoughts on water and the elements and Gavin will take us on a tour of the atmosphere all the way to Cloud Nine. We will also meet poet Yvonne Gray again and hear the world premiere recitation of our group poem!
Meals: Breakfast at your accommodation, a packed lunch of local foods, dinner in Stromness.
Overnight: The Ferry Inn, Stromness.
The Italian Chapel was constructed from Nissen huts by Italian prisoners of war.
On this day we will be taking a trip across mainland Orkney. Artist and tour guide Ingrid Budge will join us again and narrate our coach trip through Kirkwall across the Churchill Barriers. We will experience an echo of wartime at the Italian Chapel, which was decorated in trompe l'oeil style in 1944 by Italian prisoners of war using a couple of Nissen huts. The ceiling imagery includes a dove of peace among the clouds.
We will meet for lunch at Kirkwall’s Town Hall and hear how the sky and weather haunt the viking tales of the islands from storyteller and author Tom Muir.
In the afternoon we will visit the imposing structure of the 1137 St Magnus Cathedral, built by the Vikings in Kirkwall, Orkney’s largest town. And there will be time to explore the independent shops including knitwear and local food shops and whisky outlets and visit Orkney Museum.
After a buffet dinner at Stromness Town Hall there is an evening programme to sit back and enjoy. We will have our own private cinema with sky related films selected for us by West Side Cinema, storyteller Tom Muir will join us again and tell us some of the stormy tales in Orkney’s folklore, there will be local musicians and you will hear some Orkney dialect weather words from local poets. A packed evening of entertainment with local Cloud Appreciation Society members and cloud enthusiasts joining us for a social.
Meals: Breakfast at your accommodation, lunch at Kirkwall Town hall, buffet dinner at Stromness Town Hall.
Overnight: The Ferry Inn, Stromness.
We'll make cyanotypes exposing paper to the sunlight with found items, like this one created by Orkney artist Ingrid Budge.
It’s time to get creative as we explore the sky through art workshops. We’ll participate in interactive workshops led by Orkney artists Diana Leslie and Ingrid Budge. They will lead us in fun workshops, drawing inspiration from the shoreline around Stromness and the ever-changing skyscapes above. We will learn the camera-less photography technique of cyanotypes where the sky and its light create the image, and we will create our own Stromness skyline. No prior experience or artistic abilities required!
There will be time today to enjoy the independent shops in Stromness including sky inspired jewellers and craft shops.
After dinner back at the hub, we can reflect on our creative day over a dram. We will be led through a whisky tasting enjoying the weather soaked notes in Orkney’s famous Highland Park whisky.
Meals: Breakfast at your accommodation, a packed lunch of local foods, dinner in Stromness.
Overnight: The Ferry Inn, Stromness.
The Ring of Brodgar is the Heart of Neolithic Orkney (Image: Rebecca Marr).
Today, our last full day, we will be heading out and about to experience the rich pre-history of Orkney. We will visit the imposing standing stones known as the Ring of Brodgar with local expert archaeologist Prof Mark Edmonds. We will learn about the role this hugely significant site might have played in the lives and rituals of the inhabitants of and visitors to Orkney in Neolithic times.
We'll learn also about the creatures who live among the stones today with the help of a local naturalist who’ll tell us about the birds and plants of this part of Orkney.
We will lunch al fresco in the Skaill House gardens, once the seat of the Bishop of Orkney, where chef Loki will prepare a platter of Orkney seafood for us.
In the afternoon, we will discover the remarkably preserved Neolithic village of stone houses known as at Skara Brae that has survived since 3,100 BCE. Led by expert archaeologist Dr Antonia Thomas, we will walk around the interconnected dwellings and learn how their stone furniture, fire hearths, and beds give us an insight into the everyday lives of the people who once inhabited this ancient settlement. We will hear how the village was only discovered in the late nineteenth century thanks to a fierce storm.
Local experts will lead us in a Neolithic skills workshop with hands-on opportunities to make rope from grass and create motifs and artworks on stone using just natural dyes and materials to hand.
Our evening activities will feature an Orkney Sky Gathering quiz, with prizes to be won, followed by a farewell meal of haggis, accompanied by the traditional and spirited recitation of verses from Scottish poet Robert Burns.
Meals: Breakfast at your accommodation, seafood lunch in Skaill House gardens, dinner in Stromness.
Overnight: The Ferry Inn, Stromness.
It is time to say goodbye to Stromness.
After breakfast, our transport will return everyone to Kirkwall airport for flights home or onward travel.
Meals: Breakfast at your accommodation.
Price and Details
£2275.00 GBP / person: sharing a room
£2375.00 GBP / person: single occupancy of a double or twin room
Price includes everything listed in the ‘What's Included’ section and not the ‘What’s Not Included’ section.
The possibility of changes: The itinerary is illustrative of the events we are planning. Actual dates and specific details may need to be revised. We will contact booked guests to notify them of any significant changes.
Travel Insurance: A condition of accepting your booking is that you provide proof of personal travel insurance, including cancellation insurance for medical reasons, redundancy, jury service etc. for all members of your party.
Reservation Policy: A deposit of £500 GBP is required to reserve each place. The balance for your ticket(s) will be due 90 days prior to arrival. Should the Cloud Appreciation Society need to cancel the trip for any reason, the deposit and any balance paid will be refunded in full.
Cancellation Policy: An admin fee of £45 GBP per place booked is non-refundable in all situations.
• Deposit is refundable until 90 days prior to arrival (with the exception of admin fee).
• 89-45 days prior to arrival: deposit & 50% of balance is non-refundable.
• 44-14 days prior to arrival: deposit & 57% of balance is non-refundable.
• 13-0 days prior to arrival: deposit & 100% of balance is non-refundable.
Accommodation
We will be staying in the local pub in Stromness, The Ferry Inn. There are options for double, twin, and single rooms. Please bear in mind that this is a small-town pub with rooms. It is characterful, friendly, welcoming accommodation. Since Stromness is a little harbour town, home to a population of just 2,000, there are no 4- or 5-star hotels.
What’s included
• Cloud Appreciation Society welcome bag with special commemorative embroidered patch to mark the trip.
• Guided tours of Neolithic sites with Orkney-based archaeology experts.
• Expert guided walks and talks about the birds, plants and marine life of Orkney.
• Illustrated talks by Gavin Pretor-Pinney (Member 001) and others speakers.
• A film night of shorts themed on the sky and weather hosted by Stromness’s film club, West Side Cinema.
• Participation in workshops and activities with local artists.
• Whisky tasting.
• Entry to Stromness Museum.
• Visits to St Magnus Cathedral, built in 1137 by the Vikings, and the Italian Chapel, created from a Nissen hut in 1944 by Italian prisoners of war.
• All meals – breakfast, lunch, and dinner – starting with our welcome dinner on Wednesday May 14th and ending with breakfast on Monday May 19th. On some days, we will be eating packed lunches when we are out on excursions and activities.
• 5 nights accommodation at The Ferry Inn, Stromness, a local pub at the heart of this small community.
• Transfers between Kirkwall Airport and Stromness and transfers to and from all destinations outside of Stromness that we will be visiting during the trip.
What’s not included
• Any travel to reach our meeting point at the airport in Kirkwall, Orkney on our arrival day of May 14th 2025 or onwards from there on our departure day of May 19th 2025. We will advise on travel if you are successful in securing a place.
• Alcoholic beverages.
• Travel insurance, which is a requirement for this trip.
REGISTER YOUR INTEREST
Sorry, but we have now reached capacity of applicants for the Orkney 2025 Sky Gathering.
If you have any questions, get in touch at travel@cloudappreciationsociety.org.
