Houton to Flotta ferry times and today's sailings

Orkney Ferries · 55 min · 2 sailings today · 13.5 km

Next departure · Tomorrow

08:00

Scheduled

Orkney Ferries

Tomorrow’s sailings

Updated 19:18

08:00Orkney FerriesScheduledvia Lyness · Full trip: Houton → Lyness → Flotta → Houton
13:15Orkney FerriesScheduledvia Lyness · Full trip: Houton → Lyness → Flotta → Houton
15:15Orkney FerriesScheduledFull trip: Houton → Flotta → Lyness → Houton
17:30Orkney FerriesScheduledvia Lyness · Full trip: Houton → Lyness → Flotta → Longhope

Today’s sailings

Updated 19:18

First sailing: 08:00; usual time
Last sailing: 17:30; usual time
Crossing time: 55 min; 35 min to 1 h 5 min
Sailings a week: 27
Distance: 13.5 km; 7.3 nmi

Map

0 ships at sea

Punctuality: 5 sailings measured so far, 50 needed. How we measure

Operators on this route

Operator	Sailings in the next 7 days	Crossing time
Orkney Ferries	27	35 min – 1 h 5 min

Timetable

Next 7 days · local time in Houton

Sun 25 Oct	10:0016:40
Mon 26 Oct, Wed 28 Oct, Fri 30 Oct	08:0013:1515:1517:30
Tue 27 Oct, Thu 29 Oct	08:0010:1513:1515:1517:30
Sat 31 Oct	09:5014:1516:15

Timetable published from 22 Oct 2026 to 7 Dec 2027.

Weather at sea

Place	TodaySun 25 Oct	TomorrowMon 26 Oct
Houton
Houton	Wind from NW 35–38 knBeaufort 8 · galegusts 60 knwaves 6.9–7.4 m8–9 °Cprecipitation up to 1.2 mm/hvisibility down to 3.2 km	Wind from W 13–34 knBeaufort 4–8 · galegusts 51 knwaves 1.6–6.6 m9–13 °Cprecipitation up to 4.2 mm/hvisibility down to 2.0 km
Mid-crossing
Mid-crossing	Wind from NW 35–38 knBeaufort 8 · galegusts 65 knwaves 1.8–2.0 m8–9 °Cprecipitation up to 1.2 mm/hvisibility down to 3.4 km	Wind from W 13–34 knBeaufort 4–8 · galegusts 57 knwaves 0.6–1.8 m9–13 °Cprecipitation up to 4.2 mm/hvisibility down to 2.0 km
Flotta
Flotta	Wind from NW 35–38 knBeaufort 8 · galegusts 62 knwaves 1.8–2.0 m8–9 °Cprecipitation up to 1.2 mm/hvisibility down to 3.8 km	Wind from W 13–34 knBeaufort 4–8 · galegusts 55 knwaves 0.6–1.8 m9–13 °Cprecipitation up to 4.2 mm/hvisibility down to 1.8 km

Forecast issued 25 Oct, 12:08. It doesn’t tell whether a sailing will run: that is up to the operator.

Data from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Licence: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0. Wind converted from m/s to knots and the Beaufort scale. Waves come from the nearest sea point of MET’s ocean model, which covers north-west Europe only; gusts only where MET forecasts them (the Nordic area).Weather data by Open-Meteo.com. Licence: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0. Models ECMWF IFS and ECMWF WAM (© ECMWF, CC BY 4.0), 9 km grid: wind in knots converted to the Beaufort scale, temperature at sea level, precipitation (rain, showers and snow) as the hourly total shown for the hour it falls in, waves and mean wave period from the model’s nearest sea point, visibility shown only below 5 km; nearby places in the same grid cell share the same figures.Daily lows and highs, and the hour with the most precipitation, worked out by ferrywhere. Each figure comes from MET Norway where MET forecasts it, otherwise from Open-Meteo.

Questions about this route

How many ferries are there from Houton to Flotta today?

There are 2 sailings today from Houton to Flotta: the first at 10:00, the last at 16:40.

How long is the ferry from Houton to Flotta?

The crossing takes 55 min, between 35 min and 1 h 5 min depending on the sailing.

Which ferry companies sail from Houton to Flotta?

The route is operated by Orkney Ferries.

What time is the first and last ferry from Houton to Flotta?

The first ferry usually leaves at 08:00 and the last at 17:30, local time in Houton.

How often does the ferry from Houton to Flotta run?

27 sailings are scheduled in the next 7 days.

About this route

Orkney Ferries currently sails from Houton to Flotta every day, 2 to 5 times a day. The first departure is usually at 08:00 and the last at 17:30.

The crossing covers 13.5 km (7.3 nmi) and takes 55 min, between 35 min and 1 h 5 min depending on the sailing. Some sailings call at Lyness on the way.

Hoy Head has sailed this route in the last 30 days. From Houton, ferries also sail to Lyness and Longhope. In the other direction, from Flotta to Houton, there are 25 sailings a week.

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