The Route

From Scotland to Iceland via Orkney, Shetland and Faeroe Islands

1. From the small fishing village of John O'Groats, on the northeast tip of mainland Scotland, north - eastward through the Orkney Island Group - a ten mile crossing.
2. Crossing to the Shetland Island Group - 57 miles with a possible landing on Fair Isle at 23 miles.
3. Crossing from Shetland to the Faroe Islands - 170 miles. Crossing from the Faroes to Iceland - 250 miles.

The red dotted line shows the approximate route Chris is planning to take:

The Orkney Islands

The famous sea stack on the west coast of Hoy Island known as "the old man of Hoy".

Chris's journey will begin in John o'Groats, a small fishing village on the northern tip of Scotland. The nearest island of the Orkneys, South Ronaldsay, is not far away, but crossing Pentland Firth in a small rowboat will be a challenging task, because the tidal current at peak flood or ebb can be above 10 knots, which is more than twice the rowboats top speed.

Chis is planning to land first on South Ronaldsay, then on the mainland at Kirkwall. Later, he will visit several of the smaller islands, before continuing his journey to the Shetland Islands.

The Shetland Islands

The Faeroe Islands