The first impression of Stromness is that of an old traditional stone built port nestling against a steep hillside, the houses and shops backing onto the waterline as the main street traces a narrow path to the towns cobbled centre.

It's quiet on Stromness Front Street now but there are some stories to be told here including whaling and the Hudson Bay Company. The safe sheltered harbour meant that Stromness was once the dominant town on Orkney although Kirkwall now holds sway in terms of influence and is the official capital of Orkney.

You visit so many towns and cities in the UK which encourage tourists to delve into their history with the 'must visit' signs. But in Stromness it's an understated history and its maritime events are greater than almost any other town in the UK. The small museum - you could spend many hours here - has photographs of dozens of whales laid upon the Stromness shoreline and pictures of dozens of tall ships and a thousand people milling around. This lovely museum houses many displays, including the German Fleet in Scapa Flow and the Hudson's Bay Company's strong Orkney links.

Across from Stromness lies Hoy with its huge cliffs and the Scapa Flow Visitors Centre at Lyness. It tells the story of the Royal Navy's northern base and its role in two World Wars - the oil pumping station at Lyness supplied the fuel to the British Fleet. The World War I display includes a propeller and other artifacts from HMS Hampshire mined off Orkney in 1916 with the lost of Lord Kitchener as well as guns salvaged from the German High Seas Fleet which was scuttled in Scapa Flow in 1919. And there's an old boat that sailed to Orkney from occupied Norway.

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